Shevani in front of the European Parliament. Own photo Shevani*, a PhD student in the Soil Biology group, is sitting on the steps in front of the European Parliament in Brussels. Her supervisor, Gabriel Moinet, is in contact with her and tells what is going on.
‘Shevani is on hunger strike to protest against the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to pressure the European Union this week to put the highest priority on its review of the EU-Israel trade agreement that they’re discussing in the upcoming days’, Moinet explains. ‘Yesterday, she sent me an email saying that she decided to go there, and that she was already on her way to Brussels. Her thoughts were driving her crazy while doing the lab work. She’s sitting in front of the European Parliament right now and ended eating this morning at 8:00.’
Why is she doing this?
‘She mentioned that over the last few months, but weeks especially, she has found it increasingly difficult to be in the little peaceful bubble of Wageningen and to be doing her lab work. It all seems so unreal and far removed from the reality that so many are currently facing, specifically in Gaza. She said that she can no longer sit by and do nothing about the situation. She would not be able to forgive herself. She decided to go on a hunger strike in Brussels as the EU will be discussing its trade agreement with Israel this week. Usually, those debates are a lot of words and a lot of delays. She sits in front of the Parliament and demands immediate action.’
Do you have a role in this action?
‘She didn’t involve me in preparing her action, but I do understand and support her. That’s why I reached out to Resource as well. These kinds of actions only have an impact if they get known. She thought about it very thoroughly. She has a support crew. We have been talking on the phone yesterday after I received her e-mail, and we’ve chatted through WhatsApp already this morning. I will call her every day and probably go there when I can. I’ll do as much as I can to make sure she’s okay. For example, by calling the WUR company doctor and getting them in contact with her. Their guidance might be needed for the moment she comes back, to recover smartly, and as a safety line in case she needs advice on her health as the fasting days pass.’
Do you feel responsible for her?
‘I feel some moral responsibility in supporting her as an academic. It’s part of our role to defend or promote the right of our students to express their opinion freely, to trigger open debate, and to engage in non-violent action. We have to keep up that moral standard. I don’t feel personally responsible for her as she’s an adult. Though I think this is incredibly brave and deserves support and visibility.’
Maastricht
Last year, a group of pro-Palestine protestors at Maastricht University also went on a hunger strike. They didn’t eat for a week as they wanted their university to cut ties with Israel institutions. Some hunger strikers quit their action early, due to health reasons. The last three ended their hunger strike after seven days.
- Full name known to the editors
Statement Shevani
‘On 20 May 2025, the EU decided to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement. An agreement enabling trade and cooperation between the EU and Israel. Under review is whether Israel has violated its human rights obligations, described under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The agreement “shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles”. This means that, when Israel violates international human rights law, the EU fails its legal obligations under the international agreement.
The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, with annual trade valued at more than 45 billion euros. Ongoing trade with Israel contributes to supporting Israel’s actions. Contributing to the murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians, the deliberate starvation of its people, and its “intention to create a permanent and irreversible Israeli presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” (ICJ, 2024). The current review of the agreement should not even be necessary.
I am hunger striking and will sit here every day from Wednesday 4 June to pressure the EU institutions to consider this with the utmost urgency and specifically to suspend the agreement’s preferential trade component. Violations of Article 2 are clear. The ICJ (2024) has stated that “sustained abuse by Israel of its position as an occupying Power (…) violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful”. Stop trading with Israel now.’
