Statement Release: Occupation of Palestine
At the Representation Board’s meeting on the 19th of October elected Officers of the Curtin Student Guild debated and passed a motion relating to support for the Palestinian people and students at Curtin University.
This resolution affirms the Curtin Student Guild’s opposition to the illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by the Israeli government. The Guild supports the United Nation’s Security Council view that the Israeli Government’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal.
The Curtin Student Guild deems the illegal occupation of Palestine as racist and colonial and recognises that Israel is an apartheid state in accordance with prominent human rights organisations including Amnesty International, B’Tselem, and Humans Rights Watch. We are concerned with the recent acts of collective punishment occurring in Gaza.
The Curtin Student Guild will also oppose any and all policies where the University may seek to introduce them that prohibit valid criticism of Israel by students or staff. This includes some problematic aspects of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.
Further, the Curtin Student Guild supports the call and will boycott companies that support and profit from Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in line with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) guidelines. We will oppose any ties or partnerships that the University has with Israeli institutions, researchers and academics that support the Israeli government’s ongoing oppression of Palestinians and grave violations of international law.
The Curtin Student Guild has a proud history over the last 54 years of supporting human rights, particularly where it affects the rights and welfare of students at Curtin University.
That means adding our voice to the call for Palestine’s right to self-determination and the right of all Israeli and Palestinian people to live in peace.
The Curtin Student Guild denounces hate speech and bigotry in all its forms. We are devoted to being inclusive of all students of all faiths and ethnicities and will forthrightly oppose all manifestations of anti-Semitism on campus
The Guild is aware that Muslim students are facing increasing Islamophobia and that Jewish students are facings increasing anti-Semitism both on and off campus. We recognise that the actions of a foreign government are not representative of the broader Jewish community and that similarly, Israel and Hamas’ crimes are their responsibility alone and not that of Jewish or Palestinian people worldwide.
The Curtin Student Guild will always prioritise the safety and wellbeing of students. The Guild continues to advocate for support services and systematic changes that reduce the incidents of abuse on campus and that ensure students feel they can safely belong at Curtin University.
We understand this is an especially difficult time for members of the Palestinian and Jewish communities at Curtin University and we ask all students to show respect and support to those students and staff.