Statement in support of the Palestinian people

The Global definition of Social Work (IFSW, 2014) states that social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work.  As the department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, it is our obligation to be committed to these values. Given historical and contemporary examples of social work’s silence and complicity in settler-colonial oppression, it is even more crucial to actively take a stance against such injustices.

We are horrified by the ongoing acts of destruction by the Israeli authorities in Palestine and condemn them in the strongest possible words. Our hearts and thoughts are with all people suffering from this violence, including Palestinian, Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian victims.

This condemnation connects to the International Court of Justice’s finding (para. 50) of 24 May, which states that, in conformity with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, Israel must immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. 

For more than half a century, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip has resulted in systematic human rights violations against Palestinians living there. The last seven months of unprecedented Israeli aggression are a continuation of a systematic pattern of violence, aimed at dismantling the very foundation of Palestinian society.

As academics, we want to draw particular attention to all Gazan academics and students facing an educide. We are deeply concerned about the systemic obliteration of education through the arrest, detention or killing of teachers, students and staff, and the destruction of educational infrastructure. We stand with the people in Palestine, but also with those in Israel and elsewhere who oppose these atrocities.

We also want to show our support to all Palestinian social work professionals, many of whom have lost their life, and others who are working in extremely difficult circumstances right now. In line with the statement of the Palestinian union of social workers and psychologists of October 14, 2023, we acknowledge apartheid as a crime against humanity and demand the end of the colonization and occupation of Palestine.

Inspired by the resistance of our students and student encampments globally, we call for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, and stand in solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues in their pursuit of freedom, justice and equality. As social work researchers, we call on our colleagues, educators, students, and (social work) organisations to continue to speak up against the genocide, oppression, and aggression against Palestinian people.