Turkey's higher education body condemns Israel’s 'vicious' attacks

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's Council of Higher Education on Wednesday denounced Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem and on Palestinians.

"The Israeli occupation of al-Quds and Masjid al-Aqsa, shared revered spaces of the three divine religions, and the efforts to purge an oppressed people are, without a doubt, unacceptable. Speaking out and reacting against the violence perpetrated by Israel against innocent and unarmed civilians during these most special days of the religion of Islam is the duty of not only the Islamic world, but of all those who defend human rights the world over, and a test that will reflect on us all in perpetuity," said the statement.

The council also "strongly condemned" the decades-long attempts to expel the Palestinians from their homes and Israel’s "continued vicious attacks bent on murdering the elderly, women, and children."

The country's top higher education body also invited the global academic community to take a stand against the "savage" Israeli attacks.

It went on to say that the recent escalations in the region have once again shown that it is necessary to reevaluate what the right to live, the right to state sovereignty, women’s rights, children’s rights, and educational rights signify for "imperialist states."

"Today, some states and nations perceive that they have the right to oppress other states and nations because they regard themselves to be privileged and superior; they act with impunity and persecute harshly against those who, in an attempt to protect the honor of humanity, take a stand against such behavior," the statement read.

It emphasized that it is also a reality that the historical formation of such states has been "in the blood and carnage" that they continue to perpetrate today.

"In this time where civilization is distressingly measured by materiality and prosperity, the states who murder the most people, who exile and then occupy, who deny access to language with the same zeal as they exploit resources, are also the states who present themselves as being the most civilized."

The statement also stressed that people’s strong resistance against the "imperialist states" will only be possible through solid education and a qualified workforce.

The council also added that it is determined and resolute in continuing with and further strengthening the initiatives it has already begun to ensure the youth’s contribution to the development and struggle for independence of their countries by providing the best education possible in higher education institutions in areas that the Palestinian state needs.