A MEETING between the principal of the University of Edinburgh and Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK has been harshly criticised by academics at the institution.
In May, more than 500 staff at the University of Edinburgh signed an open letter calling on senior management to immediately divest from “any company directly involved and complicit with the dispossession of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation".
The letter came in the wake of a student encampment in the Old College quad, where students accused the university of investing millions in companies such as Alphabet and Amazon, which supply the Israeli government.
A statement released by the university responded to the demand to divest from such companies, claiming it did “not agree that the University’s investments make us ‘complicit in genocide’”.
It then invited students and staff to contribute to a consultation on their responsible investment policy, with the fund manager instructed to “make no new direct purchase in Alphabet and Amazon stock for a period of at least three months”.
On Tuesday, Daniela Grudsky – the deputy ambassador of Israel to the UK – posted numerous photographs on social media of her on the University of Edinburgh campus, including one with university principal and vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson.
Various academics at the university have since condemned the meeting.
Nicola Perugini, a senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Edinburgh, told The National: “This meeting is inappropriate for several reasons.
Spent the last few days in Scotland, surrounded by friends and the vibrant culture at @edfringe. This important visit was filled with productive discussions on the shared global challenges and opportunities that connect our two nations. pic.twitter.com/L2FyuPwzeB
— Daniela Grudsky (@DanielaGrudsky) August 13, 2024
“First of all, he [Mathieson] met the deputy ambassador of a state which is under investigation in the International Court of Justice.
“There are likely to be arrest warrants issued very soon against the Prime Minister of Israel and perhaps the Minister of Defence for Israel, relating to crimes which go from extermination, starvation and genocide.”
He added: “Yesterday, the death toll in Gaza went beyond 40,000. There are 90,000 Palestinians who have been injured.
“All the universities in Gaza have been destroyed. Israel has committed not just a crime which could be considered genocide but also the crime of ‘scholasticide’.
“The education sector has been completely wiped out and our university hasn’t expressed any concern for this destruction.”
In response to a request from students to acknowledge “Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people,” a statement from the University of Edinburgh said: “We deplore conflict and the loss of innocent lives anywhere in the world, and see with great upset the loss of life in Palestine.
“When deciding whether to issue a statement on a particular issue, we primarily focus on our own community rather than seeking to comment on world events.”
Mathieson also previously expressed concern that protests against Israel’s assault in Gaza could make Jewish students feel “unsafe”.
However, Perugini questioned the consistency of these statements following Mathieson’s meeting with Grudsky.
He asked: “If asking for a ceasefire creates an unsafe environment for the university community, what about meeting with the deputy ambassador to Israel?
“What should Palestinian students and staff who have had their families wiped out think?
“Does he meet with the deputy ambassador of Russia? Does he meet with the deputy ambassador of other occupying powers?”
Samer Abdelnour, a senior lecturer in strategic management at the University of Edinburgh, said the meeting exposed the hypocrisy of university management, who recently sent an e-mail to staff concerning their safety following far-right rioting in England and Northern Ireland.
He said on Twitter/X: “Still in shock. The senior admin at UoE is unfit to lead. How many times will they show contempt for the safety and wellbeing of our community?
“They cannot claim to show concern for fascist violence at home then host an official of the state enacting a holocaust of our people.”
The Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society added: “Despite an ICC warrant against Netanyahu for apartheid and occupation, Mathieson welcomes genocide enablers, betraying any pretense of fair process or good faith.
“UoE revels in its bloodsoaked colonial legacy.”
A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh said: “The Deputy Ambassador requested the meeting as part of a wider visit to Edinburgh, to discuss the University’s approach to tackling antisemitism on campus.
“It is common practice for Ambassadors to the UK, or embassy staff, to approach the University to discuss relevant matters.”
It comes after Grudsky’s meetings with Scottish Government minister Angus Robertson and SNP MSP John Mason also garnered criticism.
Still in shock. The senior admin at UoE is unfit to lead. How many times will they show contempt for the safety and wellbeing of our community? They cannot claim to show concern for fascist violence at home then host an official of the state enacting a holocaust of our people. https://t.co/kyiFCN2GBD
— Sam of the Nord 👉🏽 @samerabdelnour.bsky.social (@SamerAbdelnour) August 15, 2024
“They think it’s normal,” said Perugini of the meetings between Israeli ambassadors and representatives of the UK and Scottish Governments.
“They think it’s a normal conflict when we all know it’s not a normal conflict because it is plausible genocide.
“We know Gaza has been obliterated, has been made unliveable.
“So, it’s a state of denial that allows them to hold these meetings. They want to continue to sell weapons, to have normal economic relations.
“What is astonishing is that a university is not a government. It’s an independent institution that doesn’t have to abide by what governments do.
“In spite of that, we have universities acting like Western governments which are having normal economic relationships and investing in a state which is perpetrating plausible genocide.
“And it’s a denial of the Palestine right to exist that is at stake.”
