The AGS and W+IGS reaffirm their commitment to the values of human dignity, justice, and international law. The AGS and W+IGS are unambiguous in condemning the terror attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023 when 1,200 people were brutally slaughtered and 250 hostages taken. This is a heinous crime which, on several grounds, violated international law. We also deplore the shocking terror attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester on Yom Kippur, in which two people were killed and several others injured. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, and we are committed to fighting antisemitism in all its forms.
Our Associations also note that the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has concluded on ‘reasonable grounds’ that Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, namely: ‘killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births’ (https://www.un.org/unispal/document/commission-of-inquiry-report-genocide-in-gaza-a-hrc-60-crp-3/). Médecins sans Frontières, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders also report the unlawful killing of medical staff, aid workers and journalists. In the light of these horrific events and the history of German Studies as an implicated subject area, we speak up against the irreparable harm that has been inflicted on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
We support all efforts to bring an end to the violence and to bring perpetrators to justice. We also reaffirm our responsibilities as scholars and teachers in German studies to ensure that our collective knowledge, expertise and experience are used to:
· Reflect critically on the histories of our disciplines and on our role and obligations as representative organisations;
· Listen to and acknowledge the voices of colleagues who have experienced the intensification of Antisemitism since 7 October 2023, and fight any manifestations of Antisemitism in our own organisation;
· Reject the abuse of allegations of Antisemitism in legitimate campaigns against the current Israeli government and its actions;
· Stand up for academic freedom and allow for critical debate at a time when this is under attack;
· Ensure that conferences and events are spaces where all colleagues are able to express and exchange views freely, and ensure that all voices are heard.