York Federation of Students, Canada affiliates to R2E Campaign

Whereas the York Federation of Students works to defend the basic human right to an accessible system of post secondary education for all, regardless of race, colour, creed, sexual orientation, ability, class status, nationality, place of origin , or personal or political
beliefs;

Whereas on the 27th of December, 2008, the Israeli state launched a mass military attack against Gaza, code-named “Operation Cast Lead” and as of January 19, 2009 over 1200 Palestinians have been killed and infrastructure including hospitals, schools and civilian homes have
been destroyed, and

Whereas the state of Israel’s military have attacked educational institutions in Gaza including: on Saturday the 27th of December, 2008 an air missile hit the Gaza Training Centre in downtown Gaza City killing 8 students and wounding 19 and on Monday December 29 an F-16 fighter plane bombed the Science Laboratory and Library of the Islamic University in Gaza, just a few hours before some of its 20,000 students were to enter the campus to conduct exams. A few days later, on the 3rd of January a jet levelled the private ‘progressive’ American school in Gaza, killing its security guard and denying some 200 students their education for the foreseeable future. Later the same day, the Agricultural School in Beit Hanoun was damaged by 4 artillery shells, and 4 more schools were damaged throughout the Strip, and on January 10 reports of two direct air strikes of Gaza’s education ministry, and

Whereas this recent attack is the single largest massacre in Gaza, and despite the current cease fire, Israel’s current occupation of Gaza has dramatic negative implications on how Palestinian youth and their families access basic human rights including, but not limited to,
clean water, food, health care and education;

Whereas this humanitarian crisis requires an international call from students to demand that we work towards building an environment free of systemic societal oppression including one that is free of military occupation and war, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the York Federation of Students issue a public statement of its condemnation of the Israeli attacks on civilian, humanitarian targets, Universities, United Nation Schools, and Academic infrastructure in Gaza that have lead to the bombing and mass destruction of educational institutions and caused over 1,200 civilian deaths, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the York Federation of Students show support and solidarity with the people of Gaza by calling upon the Canadian government to pressure the government of Israel to adhere to its international legal obligations to end attacks on civilian infrastructure and to allow unimpeded access for all Palestinians to their educational institutions, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the York Federation of Students support the call from Human Rights Watch for an unbiased, independent investigation of human rights violations and any violations of the Geneva conventions that occurred during the conflict, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the York Federation of Students affiliate to the RIGHT TO EDUCATION campaign which provides information on the need to protect and ensure access to education for all students in Palestine and any student living under war and or occupation.

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