Iranian Universities Open to Palestinian Academics, Students: Minister
This is according to Hossein Simaei Saraf, Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology, who made the statements while addressing a pro-Palestine rally at the University of Tehran on Monday.
“We will gladly and proudly welcome any Palestinian professor or student who wishes to join the faculty or pursue their studies at Iranian universities,” he said.
Since the onset of the war on October 7, 2023, Israeli airstrikes have obliterated Gaza's entire university infrastructure. Notable institutions such as the Islamic University of Gaza, Al-Azhar University, Al-Quds Open University, Al-Israa University, and Al-Aqsa University have been reduced to rubble. The University College of Applied Sciences and the University of Palestine have also suffered complete destruction. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education, these attacks have resulted in the deaths of at least 4,327 students and 231 teachers and administrators, with 94 university professors among the casualties.
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The academic community has labeled this systematic targeting as "educide," asserting that it aims to dismantle Gaza's educational foundations and erode its intellectual capital. The obliteration of these institutions not only halts academic pursuits for approximately 90,000 students but also disrupts the broader societal fabric that relies on education for development and resilience.
The Israeli regime's aggression against the besieged Palestinian territory started in October 2023 after Palestinian resistance groups launched surprise operation Al-Aqsa Flood against occupied territories. The Israeli war has claimed the lives of more than 50,900 people, mostly women and children, displacing almost all of its population internally.
“It has been decades that the child-killing and criminal regime has been violating all human rights regulations and that all awakened institutions and nations have been condemning the regime; however, it goes on with its crimes,” the Iranian minister continued.
“Continuation of these crimes despite widespread condemnation shows that human rights mechanisms are not efficient,” he noted.
Killing children and committing genocide are the “least crimes” committed by the Israeli regime, he said, adding, “These crimes have hurt the feelings of humankind, and maybe it is for the first time that university students in the US and Europe rally voluntarily against this oppression every week.”
The wave of anger and hatred towards Israel has become global, with academics also showing their support for Palestine, he said.
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He slammed the United States for a widespread crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists, which has involved the expulsion of some students. “This is done by a country that claims to champion free speech; however, it is restricting the least rights of students.”
“Israel has no legitimacy in the public opinion of the world as a government, even if it becomes a member of the United Nations for a hundred times. However, the Palestinian people are still a nation despite being oppressed and displaced in the past eight decades, and they will gain victory against the enemy’s war machine,” he added.
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