About the Duke Human Rights Center

Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin HumanIties institute Statement on Gaza and Israel
November 6, 2023

We join human rights and civil society organizations across the globe in calling for the immediate, safe, and sufficient provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of all hostages. We mourn all civilians harmed by the war between Israel and Hamas and join others in calling on the Israeli government and Hamas leadership to cease further actions that harm Palestinian and Israeli civilians. International humanitarian law (IHL) forbids the deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate attacks, the use of civilians as human shields, and the imposition of collective punishment. IHL also demands the protection of medical personnel and civilian objects, including water installations and electricity, all of which have been targeted in the current war.

We join with our human rights partners and civil society organizations in the region and beyond in calling for humanitarian principles to guide all actions and the immediate cessation of all indiscriminate attacks and attacks that target civilians or employ disproportionate lethal force against them. 

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our campus remains a safe place for our community to discuss and learn without fear. Universities should be places where hard questions can be posed and debated. Any conflict with such ghastly human cost compels us to educate ourselves about the history, engage in civil discussion, help craft solutions, and above all speak out to protect human life. On campus, we must listen to one another with sympathy and respect and speak out on behalf of our fellow human beings.  

We affirm the right of all people to live safely, free from violence and oppression. We are steadfast in our support, empathy, and care for members of our university and local communities who have suffered loss, are fearful, or worry that they cannot freely voice their opinions or concerns. We must acknowledge the collective grief of so many members of our community. 

Catherine Admay, Public Policy
Elizabeth A. Albright, Environmental Ethics & Sustainable Environmental Management
Edna Andrews, Linguistics 
Nina Balmaceda, President and CEO, Peace and Hope International
James Chappel, History
Saskia Cornes, Franklin Humanities Institute
Juliette G. Duara, Kenan Institute for Ethics
Mona Hassan, Religious Studies
Suzanne Katzenstein, Sanford School of Public Policy
Ranjana Khanna, Director, John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute & English
Robin Kirk, Co-Chair, DHRC@FHI & Cultural Anthropology
Claudia Koonz, Professor Emeritus, History
Robert Korstad, Duke Institutional History Project, Public Policy & History
Nancy MacLean, History & Public Policy
Ellen McLarney, Asian and Middle East Studies
Liliana Paredes, Romance Studies
Gunther Peck, History & Public Policy
Adam Rosenblatt, International Comparative Studies
David Schaad, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Patrick Stawski, Human Rights Archivist
Rebecca L. Stein, Cultural Anthropology
Priscilla Wald, English
Erika Weinthal, Co-Chair, DHRC@FHI & Environmental Policy and Public Policy
Corin Zaragoza, Program Director, DHRC@FHI