As a student of history, I look for patterns and would suggest the following: the closer the links with Israeli institutions and industries, the more restrained the language will be in relation to Gaza.
On September 11, 2025, the University of Oxford, in its ‘response to the crisis in Israel and Gaza,’ wrote that “as with all international conflicts and crises, the University as an institution will not take a particular advocacy position.”
The reason it gives is that “our institutional role is to enable free speech and open debate.” Reasonable enough, you would think, were it not for the fact that, on March 21, 2024 in its ‘response to the Ukrainian invasion’ (with a banner image of the Ukrainian flag at the top of the page) the University opines on the “unprovoked aggression of Ukraine by Russia” and that “members of our community are appalled by Russia’s actions and in awe of the bravery shown by Ukrainians”.
I am no Oxford graduate, but am I wrong to detect double standards here? Would it not have been more consistent had the University either written that they, too, ‘are appalled by Israel’s actions and in awe of the bravery shown by Palestinians’, or that they had decided not to ‘take a particular advocacy position’ on the ‘crisis’ in Ukraine?
In fact, given the institutional consensus by leading human rights organizations on Israeli crimes, one would think that the University would have condemned Israel’s actions in the strongest possible terms. Indeed, the latest report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has found that “Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Is it possible that the University does not know that between October 7, 2023, and July 31, 2025, 18,430 children have been killed in Gaza, whereas the figure in Ukraine, over a longer time frame (24 February, 2022 to 31 July, 2025), is 726? In other words, the figure in Gaza is almost 48 times higher than in Ukraine. You would think that this fact alone would galvanize the University to act. Instead, the University whitewashes Israel’s crimes by appealing to a facile argument, that “freedom of speech is the lifeblood of our University and we uphold the right for everyone to openly express their views and opinions with respect and courtesy.” It is a pity that the lifeblood of Gaza’s children does not figure in the University’s calculations. (more...)
Double Standards on Gaza: Calling On Universities to Pledge to Responsible Investment
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