About Us
Israeli Universities Role in Oppression
Evidence links Israeli academia to decades-long efforts against Palestinians, leading to ongoing violence in Gaza.
UM6P-Israeli Universities Partnerships
Expanding partnerships between Moroccan and Israeli universities, primarily UM6P's agreements with Technion, Ben Gurion, and other Israeli institutions for research, student exchanges, and sustainability programs.
A Look Back
short timeline of what we have done so far.
Humble beginnings
As the date to commemorate Nakba in 2024 got closer and the genocide in Gaza was only intensifying, a small group of alumni from UM6P decided to speak up. They were keenly aware that they should have denounced the partnerships with Isreali institutions earlier, but believed it’s always the right time to stand for what’s right. They started working on a letter addressed to their faculty, hoping to engage an internal and fruitful conversation to cut links with Israël. In the span of 5 days, about a dozen people contributed to fact-checking, redacting and proof-reading the letter, decided to diffuse it via Google Form, hoping that around 100 alumni would sign…
Collecting a 1000 signatures
The Form is published to gather signatures, and we quickly realized that students and alumni of all faculties were signing. The letter was adapted to reflect this widespread mobilization and the same letter was addressed to both the FGSES faculty head and the Presidency. Thanks to a massive mobilization, more than a 1000 signatures were collected in the span of 12 days. We verified each one of them twice to ensure our signatories list is accurate, verifiable and credible. Those letters were dropped at les “bureaux d’ordre” of both Rabat and Benguerir campus on Monday May 27th, 2024, after a sleepless night witnessing the horrific attack on Rafah
Discussions with the Administration
The UM6P4PAL representatives and a representative of the university, Laarbi El Hilal (director of 1337 in Benguerir, acting in his official capacity as Ombudsman, mediator of the Uni) met on June 14th on the premises of 1337. After we re-insisted on our demands and asked questions, we didn’t get any justification for maintaining the partnerships and learned that nothing would change. The administration said it took some mitigating steps but we couldn’t fact check them and UM6P wouldn’t communicate officially on those steps, nor cut the ties and dissolves the partnerships. We clearly mentioned that this stance fails our one demand, and that our actions would continue by all legal and legitimate means. We gave them a fair heads up by hinting at the eminent risk of mediatizing this issue if internal negotiation failed. Note: by the time we had the meeting, about 200 additional student and alumni signatures were collected, bringing the total to more than 1200.
Media Pressure starts
The first step after talking to the UM6P representative was to hold a general assembly on Friday the 21st of June at 7 p.m. with signatories to let them know what happened in the meeting and consult on what to do next. However, before that meeting is held, the voice published an article , which brought the topic out to the mainstream. We decide to hold the meeting anyway to inform people and deliberate with them, and we spent the next two days working on the first press release + gathering contacts of journalists. On Monday the 24th of June, the media pressure starts by sending the press release to our database of journalists. Three things happen right after: - A UM6P employee mentioned in the press release, who was in charge of Israeli partnerships, changed his Linkedin profile and deleted the position - The UM6P Alumni homecoming event was planned for the 28th-30th of June, and they were still inviting people to come on the 25th of June. Later on that same day, the event is cancelled. - Specific pages from UM6P website are deleted, pages that were relative to the dates and contents of the partnership agreements with Israeli institutions. The university does not contact us for further discussions.
Peaceful Protests
We organized peaceful protests on both the Rabat and Benguerir campuses, drawing over 300 students and alumni. We received backing from various student organizations, and the events were well-organized and peaceful. The protests featured speeches by student leaders, a moment of prayer, and the distribution of flyers and pamphlets to raise awareness and encourage broader participation. The protests garnered positive media attention, helping us extend our message to a larger audience
Our Actions at a Glance
A snapshot of the key actions we took to mobilize support and raise awareness for our cause.
Join Our Movement
Be part of the change. Together, we can make a difference in academic freedom and equal rights in universities.
Sign Our Petition
Join us in urging the university to stand firmly against the oppression of Palestinian students and academics. Every name counts, your voice can help drive real change. ✌🏻🇵🇸
- •Cut all academic and institutional ties with Israeli universities
- •Actively support Palestinian students, scholars, and educational rights
- •Refuse complicity in systems of oppression and injustice
Join Our Movement ✌🏻🇵🇸
Become an active member of our community. Join us in organizing events, spreading awareness, and making a direct impact on university policies and practices.
Ready to take action with us? Click below to join our volunteer network and be part of our organizing team ✌🏻🇵🇸.
- •Participate in our events and protests
- •Help spread awareness on campus
- •Contribute your skills and ideas