“Last week, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We had an intense week of promoting the principles and values contained in this Declaration, that are also those of our Constitution (which has just celebrated its 45th anniversary) and our Statute of Autonomy”.

With these words, the principal of the Universitat de València, Mª Vicenta Mestre, began her speech about the military intervention of Israel in Gaza; an intervention defined as “an attack against this Declaration of Human Rights and a violation of the International Law, especially in its humanitarian dimension”.

In her speech, the principal recalled that the United Nations Organisation demanded an immediate ceasefire, and reiterated the positioning of the Universitat de València last 9 November, as well as the institutional declarations of the CRUE (Spanish University Principals Conference), and the UN resolution of 12 December urging an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

The principal, endorsing the words of the deans and supervisors of the UV, expressed the demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, "the start of negotiations aimed at a definitive cessation of hostilities, the release of hostages, the return of the population in Gaza and the reconstruction of their households and infrastructure, and the solution to the political conflict with the creation and mutual recognition of two states".

Moreover, the principal begged that it should not be forgotten that “in Ukraine, military actions continue in a war that seems to have no end in sight”, and claimed, “as we did in the past and reiterate once again, the ceasefire and the negotiated solution to this war that is taking place in the heart of the European continent”.

You can read the full text read by the principal in this link.

The principal of the UV has sent the position of the Universitat de València to invite the rest of European universities to join this action to the president of the European University Association (EUA).

Awareness-raising actions on the situation of Gaza at the UV

In her speech to the Governing Council, principal Mª Vicenta Mestre recalled that, over the last month, the UV has hosted activities to raise awareness of the situation in Gaza, such as the Forum for Peace and against Wars at the UV, organised on 22 November by the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Office of the Vice-Principal for Sustainability, Cooperation and Healthy Life, and the conference "Land, Water, Life: Palestinian peasants facing occupation", organised by Mundubat in coordination with the Office of the Vice-Principal for Sustainability, Cooperation and Healthy Life and the Chair of Sustainable Development of the University, which took place at the Faculty of Geography and History on 15 December.

Trade union and student organisations at the UV have also organized protests in support of Palestine.