Letter to the University Administration:
The University of Arizona’s relationship with RTX, known more commonly as Raytheon, is a reason for grave concern, as it potentially makes our university a participant in the slaughter of innocent Palestinians. It is of critical importance that the university administration make public the extent to which our university is involved with Raytheon and the weapons manufacturing industry as a whole. This joint letter should be regarded as a formal request for such information.
It is not a hidden truth, that the endless cycle of tragedies unfolding in Palestine, are treated by defense contractors as a golden goose; the more bloodshed, the more armaments sold. Since the beginning of the latest episode of violence, the RTX stock has jumped by more than ten percent. On an October 24th earnings call, the CEO of RTX Greg Hayes, in celebration, admitted that the Biden administration's demand for an increase in the Department of Defense's budget, at the behest of Israeli and Ukrainian requests, would result in massive benefits "across the entire Raytheon portfolio” due to “this restocking" of Raytheon produced weaponry.
This means the more Raytheon air-to-surface missiles launched on Gazan targets, the more profits Raytheon investors enjoy. Unfortunately, all targets in Gaza come with steep civilian costs, as within the 88-square-mile expanse, over 2 million individuals reside. Gaza, for all intents and purposes, is a densely populated, open-air prison. Meaning, that in each Israeli strike, the lives of civilians are put at great risk. It is estimated that the number of explosives dropped on Gaza thus far dwarfs the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
Amnesty International has reported that in previous conflicts, the Israeli Air Force have dropped 500-lb Raytheon made bombs on Palestinian residential targets, and several such hefty bombs were similarly dropped on the Jabalia refugee camp, on October 31st, resulting in the deaths of over 50 civilians; the impact crater of the bombing campaign reduced the entire neighborhood into an apocalyptic scene of devastation. Likewise, it seems more than possible that Israeli air assault caused the horrific massacre of some 500 civilians at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, as it aligns with Israel’s intentional targeting of 27 hospitals and 44 medical clinics in the 2009 Gaza conflict, as confirmed by the World Health Organization. Civilians sheltering at mosques and churches too have not remained safe; 18 Gazan Christians were killed when potentially Raytheon-made AGM missiles struck the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church.
It is true that Raytheon is a major employer in the Tucson area, and likewise a provider of numerous internships to our student body, but at what cost? In Israel’s continuous bombing campaigns of Gaza, over 9000 civilians have been killed, of which 40% estimated are children. Whilst such war crimes have been going on, Raytheon has slowly been moving in and populating University of Arizona’s tech park, becoming one of the largest tenants of university property.
Should such a corporation be welcome on university grounds? A corporation, whose clients actively partake in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their indigenous lands? The University of Arizona has attempted to acknowledge the claims of the indigenous O’odham and the Yaqui tribes over campus property, yet hypocritically facilitate space and talent to modern-day accomplices to the most heinous forms of land grabbing? These are troubling questions that the university administration must ponder over. We members of the University of Arizona community demand the administration take accountability of its business dealings, and rethink them on moral grounds. Academic institutions must not partner with corporations that have blood on their hands.
Sincerely,
Conscientious Members of the University of Arizona Community
Letter & Signatories Can be Found Publicly Here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19-VkEAFZ8Lepeg5U_F4YrpkyIKPSKS-by0aCUbSGZwc/edit?usp=sharing
