Deliberations

Femke Halsema – the former party leader of Groen Links and now the Mayor of Amsterdam – was recently a guest on the television programme ‘Zomergasten’. Not only the interview itself, but also the selection of images was compelling. Particularly striking was the segment from the four-part documentary Careful and Desperate (in Dutch), in which four eminent intellectuals reflect deeply on the events of the twentieth century that have shaped their lives. I still remember this documentary series, made in 1989 – the year the Berlin Wall fell – very clearly. The Jewish author and cultural philosopher, George Steiner, speaks in the featured segment. It is remarkable how timely his words are, even more than 35 years later. People, he says,

“have this power to create and love. (…) But on average we are not very nice. The best way to stay half-nice is not to have any power. (…) For 2,000 years, the Jews were powerless. They didn’t have the power to beat up anybody else, to bury them, to torture them, to have uniforms and tanks and jet aircraft and bombs. (…) The price they paid for this window was very, very great. Also the gains. A life of the mind, of creation. (…) It is a terrible thing to have power. Tiny people like me, little people, give them a very large desk and two telephones, and something happens to them.”

You may draw your own conclusions – this observation has many applications. In light of current events, Steiner’s explicit reference to the Jewish people is especially striking. In view of the genocidal violence in Gaza, TU Delft decided for the time being not to enter into new partnerships with Israeli universities unless strict conditions are met, and existing ties are being reassessed. Ten Belgian rectors had recently called for the suspension of the Association Agreement with Israel – in their view, a logical consequence of the treaty conditions, which state that cooperation is ‘essentially dependent’ on respect for human rights. Based on the same treaty provisions, there was earlier advocacy for suspending Israel’s participation in the European Horizon programme for scientific collaboration. Now that a UN commission has concluded that genocide is actually taking place, these steps seem not only logical but inevitable.

Holding Israel responsible for ongoing human rights violations is not an ideological stance, but a moral and legal necessity

When I was Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Dutch Mathematical Society’s academic journal, Russia invaded Ukraine and I suddenly faced the dilemma of whether we should continue to handle articles from Russian authors or not. Following other learned societies, the decision was taken to only exclude submissions with military grant funding. We see the same stance in the arts and music world: contracts with the renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, openly close to President Putin, were terminated, yet young Russian musicians are still allowed to take part in major international competitions.

Holding Israel responsible for ongoing human rights violations is not an ideological stance, but, according to the Belgian rectors, a moral and legal necessity. How do we make our own personal judgements in such matters? It also remains important to keep the path for fraternity and dialogue open. We can perhaps make our own small contribution to that. Let us keep seeing each other as people, not merely as representatives of an opinion, and continue to treat one another with respect. The conversation must not become mired in polarisation.