On the 24th February 2022, Russian military forces began a ground invasion into Ukraine. Within three days of this military action, Trinity had issued a statement condemning the invasion: “Ní neart go cur le chéile. Trinity stands with Ukraine.”
College made its stance unmistakably clear and supports were swiftly offered to any students who were affected by this escalation of violence. However, this statement stands in resounding contrast to College’s response, or rather lack of response, regarding Israel’s recent invasion of Lebanon.
Following a series of attacks on the country, including the targeted detonation of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members, Israeli ground forces entered Southern Lebanon on October 1. Lebanon’s Health Ministry has reported that over 2,000 people, including 127 children, have been killed by Israeli military action in the country and civilian areas have been targeted according to those reporting from the ground.
At the time of this article being published, it will have been seven days since Lebanon was illegally invaded and it will have been seven days of no public response to this violence from Trinity. Trinity boasts a close relationship with the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon’s leading university and one of the most prestigious universities in the Middle East. For several years, College has held an exchange student programme with the Lebanese university, with four Trinity students most recently spending a semester there in Autumn 2023.
Last week AUB Vice President of Administration, Mary Jaber Nachar, issued a statement following the Israeli invasion expressing a desire to “remain united through this latest series of challenges”. She continued by saying “we know that the situation is volatile and what applies next week might not apply the following one, so we will continue to communicate with you to provide updates as we monitor the situation”
Many classes within the university have been moved online as more people continue to flee Beirut and schedules have been “modified” to allow staff and students to return safely home to avoid bombings.
As we watch a close partner university endure a situation beyond comprehensible difficulty, Trinity’s public silence only becomes more disappointing and quite frankly baffling. We remain unable to ignore that there appears to be a pronounced contradiction between how College treated the invasion of Ukraine and the current invasion of Lebanon.
Speaking to Trinity News, a Trinity student who is of Lebanese origin shared that she currently has family in Lebanon. In the midst of the increasing violence, her family members have fled Beirut to escape the growing military action. Additional elderly family members, who were unable to flee to the mountains of Northern Lebanon, have been forced to take refuge in neighbouring countries, anticipating the then impending invasion.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, Provost Linda Doyle stated in a college-wide email that “all students in Trinity who list Ukraine as their nationality were invited to a meeting at the weekend attended by the VP for Global Engagement, the International Student Experience manager, the President of the Students Union and the Pro Senior Tutor”
This meeting discussed practical support for students affected by Russia’s invasion and all College tutors “with students in their chambers from impacted countries” were contacted. When asked if she has received any sort of correspondence from Trinity regarding her welfare, the Lebanese student answered no.
Trinity Business School released their own statement in February 2022 condemning Russia’s military action and expressed concern regarding “the violation of human rights and atrocities unfolding in Ukraine”.They also have yet to release a similar statement regarding Israel’s occupation of Southern Lebanon and the continued indiscriminate bombardments of Beirut.
Though there may be private support being offered to students affected by the violence in Lebanon that Trinity News is not currently aware of, the lack of public solidarity sends an unmistakable message to the wider college community – nationally and internationally.
Lebanon, more specifically AUB, has been a source of incredible cultural immersion and a high standard of scholarship for many visiting Trinity students. Trinity students who have spent time in Beirut have built deep connections with the students, faculty and local communities there and were afforded incredible learning opportunities.
Trinity has a responsibility as not only a partner university but also as a leading European university to condemn Israel’s illegal invasion of the country and stand in solidarity with AUB and the wider nation of Lebanon as they suffer unimaginable violence and destruction.