Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and Trinity Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions group (Trinity BDS) have issued a joint statement standing against “all forms of violence” while reaffirming their “solidarity with the Palestinian people”.
The statement comes following a major escalation of conflict in occupied Gaza over the weekend which continues to intensify.
In the statement issued over social media today, the union said they are “deeply disturbed by the enormous bloodshed over the past five days”, acknowledging the “tragic loss of life caused by this war”.
The statement further notes that the Union’s support for Palestine “does not mean that we stand for violence”.
The statement read: “Israel’s military forces are unmatched internationally and the blockade has prevented food, water and electricity being supplied to injured people in medical need.”
“This cycle of violence is caused by systemic oppression, apartheid and occupation of Palestinian territories while the international community has stood back and watched for almost a century, despite the warnings of human rights organisations and the UN”.
“There can be no peace without justice, and justice is the end of Israeli occupation”, the statement continued.
Citing international law, the union noted that via Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Convention of 1949, wars of national liberation are “a protected and essential right of occupied people everywhere”.
Earlier this week, TCDSU took part in an “emergency solidarity protest” outside Leinster House organised by the Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM), showcasing their support for Palestine.
Prior to the protest TCDSU President László Molnárfi told Trinity News: “Palestinians have the right to resist the brutal conditions imposed on them by the apartheid regime of Israel. This is all a result of decades of Israel’s apartheid policies which oppress, suppress and brutalize Palestinian men, women and children every day.”
“If we want peace, we must have justice, and that is the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and a free democratic state in which all the people from the river to the sea can live on equal terms”, he added.
On Saturday, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a full-scale military operation against Israel entitled Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the first such direct incursion into what is broadly-recognised Israeli territory since the latter’s declaration of independence in 1948.
In retaliation, Israel launched its own counter-offensive, shelling the Gaza strip and cutting off all water and electricity to the enclave, which, according to the United Nations, has been subject to a long-standing illegal Israeli blockade.
Israel officially declared a “state of war” against Hamas on Sunday.
