Daily Sabah (Turkey)

World scientific community under fire over silence on Gaza

- ISTANBUL / DAILY SABAH WITH AA

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.”

 ?? ?? A Palestinia­n man walks past a heavily damaged building of the Islamic University after an Israeli attack, Gaza City, Palestine, Feb. 15, 2024.
A Palestinia­n man walks past a heavily damaged building of the Islamic University after an Israeli attack, Gaza City, Palestine, Feb. 15, 2024.

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