Fergal Landy, Labour’s Midlands North-West candidate for the upcoming European elections, has urged the University of Galway to ensure a thorough and speedy review of its links with Israeli academic institutions in the face of an ongoing war in Gaza that has seen thousands of civilians killed and injured, as well as deliberate attacks on hospitals, food supplies, schools and universities.
“As a graduate of the University, I was very pleased to see President Ó hÓgartaigh issue a strong statement on the horrific situation in Gaza, including a condemnation of the atrocities of October 7 and the excessive Israeli response,” he said.
He said he welcomes both his call for accountability in relation to the ‘deliberate destruction of facilities of higher learning and the targeting of academics’, as well as the commitment to review the University’s relationship with Israeli institutions in the context of the Irish Government’s call for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement under its human rights clause.
“Such a review must be undertaken as a matter of urgency, given the sustained and escalating atrocities in Gaza and the need to use all means of pressure to ensure that Israel abides by international law. The review should also take on board the views of staff and students at University of Galway, as well as the call from Palestinian institutions to observes a cultural and academic boycott,” concluded Mr Landy.
