Among the signatories are Nobel laureates, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser, from Norway and Susumu Tonegawa from Japan.
More than 1,000 psychologists and neuroscientists from across the world have signed an open letter demanding that the Israeli government respect international humanitarian law and end the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
The letter, which began circulating on December 3, also calls for “an immediate ceasefire in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon”.
Among the signatories are Nobel laureates, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser, from Norway and Susumu Tonegawa from Japan.
Sign the petition! “Open letter of psychologists and neuroscientists for peace in the Middle East”https://t.co/GCwrwYmVe3
We, psychologists and neuroscientists from around the world, call the international community to urgently put pressure towards an immediate ceasefire in
— Antoine Marie (@A_Marie_sci) December 3, 2024
Although the letter condemned the operation carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, it stated there is an asymmetry of power.
“There is symmetry of humanity – and its propensities for despair, hatred and extremism – on each side of borders between Lebanon, Israel and Palestine,” the letter states. “But there is an asymmetry of power.”
“In the present case, the state of Israel is the stronger party, dominating the area and its people through illegal occupation, including control of movement, and access to electricity, water, agricultural land, and even to humanitarian aid”.
The letter called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the war.
“We therefore call for decisive international pressure on Israel to stop the war, including stopping the provision of offensive arms to Israel and reassessment of economic partnerships and collaborations with institutions in occupied territories (which are illegal according to international law),” it said.
‘Respect Academic Freedoms’
The signatories called on “all human beings on this planet to non-violently and peacefully stand up with determination and condemn violence against all civilians, no matter their nationality, religion, ethnicity, political or cultural affiliation.”
Price of Freedom: Why Israel Cannot Push the Reset Button on Its Genocide
They also called for international governments to pressure towards peace in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, respect of international humanitarian law, and the end of occupation.
“And we demand that our institutions scrupulously respect academic freedoms and resolutely uphold freedom of expression in accordance with the law,” the letter stated.
Staggering Death Toll
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 44,580 Palestinians have been killed, and 105,739 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023. pic.twitter.com/D67RCLf1f9
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 5, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,580 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 105,739 wounded.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Millions Displaced
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
