World scientific community under fire over silence on Gaza
interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) on Friday, professor Muzaffer Şeker, the president of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), expressed concern over the silence of the world scientific community regarding Israel’s attacks on Gaza. “It is worrying that the scientific community remains silent while babies and women are being killed when they should be doing work for the benefit of humanity,” he highlighted.
Şeker said that Israel has been occupying and annexing Palestinian territories by disregarding international law. He stated that academic freedoms are being violated and there is disproportionate interference with freedom of thought to legitimize Israel’s massacres.
“In universities and other scientific institutions, which should be the centers of free thought, scientists are prevented from expressing their views if they are against Israel,” he said.
Şeker claimed that university rectors, academics, diplomats, journalists, athletes, artists and commercial organizations are being pressured and even forced to resign by official and unofficial circles and lobbies.
He stated that these individuals, who listen to their conscience, are stigmatized and threatened for supporting peace-seeking people.
“Especially the distorted, biased and hypocritical approaches of European countries and the U.S. toward Israel’s occupation are noteworthy,” he said.
“It is worrying that political circles and scientific institutions do not show the solidarity and sympathy they showed during the occupation of Ukraine to the Palestinians.”
Şeker said that the TÜBA continues its efforts to be the voice of truth in the world. They are tirelessly working to raise awareness and create consciousness about the humanitarian crisis, just as they did during the Russia-Ukraine war.
“In addition, our reports, including the one published under the title of ‘Statement on the Current Situation in Palestine,’ have been shared with over 800 scientific academies and organizations, except for a few, most of which have remained silent. Unfortunately, we continue to witness the silence of universities, scientific institutions and scientists who should be the voice of humanity, while academics are being killed and universities are being destroyed in Palestine.”
CHANGING THE MAP
Şeker said that while academics are being massacred and universities are being bombed in Palestine, a deep silence draws attention.
Stating that some scientists in Israel objectively evaluate the situation, but their number is quite small and there is no institutionalized reaction and support, Şeker said, “We are watching that the objectivity and impartiality of science is set aside and those who react to the massacre by listening to the voice of their conscience are punished.”
Stating that hundreds of thousands of people in the region had to migrate, Şeker emphasized that this meant a change in the population structure there.
Underlining that the issue should be analyzed not only with the dimension of changing the population structure but also with the logic of genocide, Şeker said: “This sensitive issue should be handled in the context of international law. Otherwise, they are trying to change the map in the region again.”
“We emphasized and documented these in the report we prepared. We explained the developments in the historical process and described the systematic genocide, the economies, social lives, demography and demography of the Palestinians, the pressures they faced to be reduced from the status of indigenous people, and the massacres that took place every 10 years.”
Pointing out that they also explained how the U.N. ignores what Israel does, Şeker said, “If the U.N. and its organs cannot take action against the massacre of civilians in front of our eyes, we have run out of words.”