Students and activists urge IISc to cancel India-Israel Business Summit

Students, faculty members from several universities, and activists have called upon the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru to cancel the India-Israel Business Summit, which is scheduled for Monday.

In a petition to the Director of the IISc with over 1,500 signatures, they have said, “As you know, Israel is currently engaged in a brutal war. In this campaign, Israel has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children… The International Court of Justice recently ruled that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories violated international law, and the UN General Assembly recently passed a resolution with an overwhelming majority urging an end to this occupation. We also witness the world academic community and various universities divesting from Israel due to students and faculty members coming out in solidarity with Palestine.”

It said, “In this situation, it is unconscionable for IISc to encourage collaborations between India and Israel. We are especially concerned that one of the planned tracks of discussion is in defence and cybersecurity. Such cooperation would amount to direct support for Israel’s genocide in Palestine and its aggressive actions against its neighbours. We request you to stop the ‘India Israel Business Summit’ event on September 23 and not allow the use of the Indian Institute of Science as a platform to legitimise genocide and colonialism.”

The event is being organised by Think India, the Indian Chamber of International Business, and the Mysore Lancers Heritage Foundation at an auditorium in the IISc. “The summit aims to bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from both countries to discuss and explore potential areas of cooperation, foster partnerships, explore synergies, and drive innovation,” said Think India in a social media post.

The post further added that discussions would be held on bilateral trade and investments between India and Israel, defence and cybersecurity, start-up and venture capital, sustainable technology, and water technology.

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