Events Related to Israel Studies
Executive Board and Academic Council of the European Association of Israel Studies Statement on Russia’s Aggression against Ukraine
We strongly condemn Russia’s aggression which started in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and escalated on February 24, 2022 with the massive invasion of Ukraine. This war is destroying peace in Europe and leading to the destruction of the existing political, economic, and socio-cultural relations globally.
We are witnessing a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe that hasn’t been experienced in Europe for decades. Over four million refugees from Ukraine have crossed into neighboring countries, half of them are children. Many more are internally displaced.
We express our full support for Ukraine’s independence and its unquestionable right to self-determination as a sovereign nation. We call on the international community to support in all possible ways the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian people in order to defend their country, to protect the Ukrainian population, and to exert pressure on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian territory and to compensate for the damages inflicted to Ukraine.
We call on the Russian government to stop this illegal war against the Ukrainian people. We are appalled by the reports from Bucha and other places from which the Russian army has now withdrawn and call on the International Court of Justice to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine and to take action against all offenders.
We also deeply appreciate the stand of those courageous Russians including many academics who do not identify with their government’s actions against Ukraine – an invasion that has led to atrocities. We hold in high regard all those who do not remain silent. The example of Andrei Sakharov proves how important it is to speak out. The role of dissidents – and in particular the voices of academics throughout Russian history – in challenging the official narrative holds a treasured place for us in our hearts.
In addition, the European Association of Israel Studies actively seeks means of support for all Ukrainian scholars.
We stand with Ukraine!
Executive Board and Academic Council
of the European Association of Israel Studies
E-mail: info@israelstudies.eu
European Association of Israel Studies
Institute of the Middle and Far East,
Jagiellonian University in Kraków Oleandry st. 2a 30-063, Krakow, Poland