Dozens of students mobilized against Israeli intervention in Palestine will spend a third consecutive night in the Uni Mail lobby. On Thursday, a first meeting took place between the scientific council of the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and members of the Palestine Student Coordination (CEP). It did not result in an agreement, hence the continuation of the movement.
The alma mater, however, recognizes “the emotion aroused by the conflict in the Middle East” and “the legitimate demands” of the collective. At the end of the meeting, opened by the rector Audrey Leuba, the institution welcomed a “desire to dialogue on both sides”. As a reminder, the CEP demands that UNIGE stop its collaborations with universities or research institutes in Israel, as well as “take a clear position on the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza”.
According to the University, one of the stumbling blocks in the discussions is the gap in “temporality” between the students’ requests and the responses that the alma mater can provide them. “If the CEP requires rapid decisions, for our part, we need a little more time to consider the future of our relations with foreign universities in times of crisis,” illustrated the alma mater.
The next meeting of the UNIGE scientific council with the mobilized students is scheduled for Saturday. We were unable to contact representatives of the Palestine Student Coordination.
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