On 6 December 2023, the Israeli military killed, Dr Alareer, his siblings, and his sister’s children in an airstrike on Gaza. Refaat was a poet, writer, and activist who grew up in Gaza and earned an MA in Creative Literature from UCL in 2007.
His death was a devastating loss for the literary and academic community. His life and work were commemorated by staff and students at UCL and other London universities on Friday. There was a creative writing workshop and an evening memorial organised by BDS at UCL and attended by approximately 40 people.
Two years on from Dr Alareer’s killing, UCL has still made no move to condemn or even acknowledge the death of a prominent alumnus at the hands of the Israeli military.
This follows the Provost’s assertion last year that “support for academic freedom and freedom of debate requires that a university not adopt an institutional position in relation to any given issue, including an issue of armed conflict”. Yet this dedicated and prolonged silence on the death of such a famous alumnus has received criticism from pro-Palestinian student groups as a false neutrality.
A member of UCL Action for Palestine present at the memorial told us:
“The memorial was deeply moving. Dr Alareer would want us to continue protesting against the complicity of our institution, as he always encouraged his students to do.
The fact that UCL has neglected to comment on Dr Alareer’s assassination is a reflection of their complicity in his killing and is not acceptable.”
A statement by Euro-Med Monitor says that Dr Alareer was likely specifically targeted, describing the apartment he was sharing with his family as having been “surgically bombed”. The airstrike took place following weeks of death threats that were allegedly made to the poet online and over the phone.
Refaat’s works included various influential essays, notably including “My Child Asks, ‘Can Israel Destroy Our Building if the Power is Out?’” He also edited the ‘Gaza Writes Back’ collection and wrote a significant body of poetry.
A UCL spokesperson said: “The ongoing violence and suffering in Gaza and Israel is terribly distressing and we recognise the deep impact it has had on UCL’s community, many of whom are directly affected and greatly concerned. We continue to work to support all those affected by this.”
Below are the closing lines of Dr Alareer’s “If I Must Die”, a poem written only five weeks before his death; it was recited on Thursday 4 December as a part of a showcase by UCL Arts for Palestine. His daughter and newborn grandson were also killed just five months after.
If I must die
Let it bring hope
Let it be a tale