Inalco's involvement in the Middle East conflict

Paris, May 15, 2024

During major global political crises, Inalco, with its long tradition of research and teaching on extra-Western areas, has always been present through concrete acts in support of its students and teachers but also of the populations and in particular the university communities with which the establishment works in its areas of specialization.

The ongoing tragedy in Gaza is no exception. The school's management was moved by this as early as October 11, in a communiqué expressing its "deep sadness and solidarity with the victims of these attacks {perpetrated on October 7 by Hamas} as well as with the civilians affected by the Israeli army's reprisals in the Palestinian territories". The October 11 press release included the contact details of the psychological support unit for students who feel the need, particularly if relatives in Israel or Palestine are affected by the situation. In line with the request of our supervisory ministry, it reminded us of the rules governing the fight against racism and anti-Semitism, while expressing our confidence in the discernment of our academic community, as Inalco is one of the main centres for the dissemination of knowledge about the Middle East. More than ever, we reiterate these words of compassion, particularly addressed to the academic communities affected by the war, as well as our attachment to a fine understanding of the complexity of this region, one of the symbols of which is the double-licence in Arabic and Hebrew studies.

We cannot, therefore, leave unanswered recently publicized claims that the situation in Palestine and Israel is a "taboo" within Inalco, or that the establishment is failing in its duty of solidarity in this crisis in comparison with other situations, in Afghanistan and Ukraine in particular. One only has to look at the initiatives implemented within the establishment to measure how far this reproach is from Inalco's reality.

Over the past few months, three events and scientific manifestations open to a wide public, both internal and external to the establishment, have enabled us to address, in complete freedom, the current events and historical roots of the conflict. These included the conference by Henri Laurens on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict held on December 18, 2023, the journée d'étude sur la Palestine on March 12, 2024, featuring Françoise Dreyfus (professor emeritus at Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne), Leila Seurat (researcher at CAREP), Xavier Guignard (researcher at the independent research center Noria Research), Amira Hass (journalist at Haaretz) and Rima Hassan (jurist and European election candidate), or the conference by Denis Charbit on May 14, 2024 entitled "Israelis and Palestinians: what future?".

Since the start of the conflict, the school's management has been in close contact with the French consular authorities to provide support with administrative procedures for colleagues and students seeking to leave the Gaza Strip. Inalco naturally opens its diplôme universitaire Passerelle to students from Gaza, as it does systematically and without discrimination. It is currently awaiting the arrival of a student survivor of this conflict, who will join other students welcomed since the opening of this program in 2020 (following on from the Inalc'ER program). Similarly, the school is planning to host a Gazan academic on Pause support, and will open such supports according to demand and within its means, as it continues to do every year for academics under threat in different parts of the world.

As an academic partner of the Palestinian An Najah University, with which an agreement was voted at the Board meeting of January 26, 2024, as well as Bir Zeit University, with which regular exchanges are organized, Inalco is also supporting the implementation of a distance university initiative to promote the continuity of higher education for Palestinian students. Inalco also maintains partnerships with Israeli universities, which continue to provide a forum for pluralistic expression. Like most other French universities, Inalco considers that maintaining these links is necessary for the continuity of its academic activity and contributes to knowledge of the context in the Middle East.

These actions, designed for the long term, are in addition to numerous scientific events as well as teaching on societies and political life in Palestine, Israel, and specifically on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which are part of the establishment's routine academic life. The institution's researchers also make a major contribution to the media's understanding of the conflict and its context.

Inalco intends to extend and deepen these actions by supporting the initiatives of its academic community. The management of the establishment, as it has always done, will ensure that these initiatives are carried out in complete independence from external pressures and with respect for the law, academic freedom and pluralism, civic-mindedness and intellectual honesty that are essential to the smooth running of any academic establishment.

The Presidency of Inalco