Original article: «¿Quiénes y bajo qué criterio deciden?»: Cuestionan a Universidad de Magallanes por ceder instalaciones a Seminario de entrenamiento militar dictado por reservista del ejército de Israel

Controversy Surrounds Universidad de Magallanes for Hosting Israeli Military Training Seminar Led by Reservist

The Universidad de Magallanes (public university) is facing severe criticism following the announcement of an Israeli military training seminar—adapted for civilians—taking place in its gymnasium in Punta Arenas.

The practice, known as «Kapap,» will be led by Avi Nardia, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reservist (as shown in the photo), who has been announced as part of this event organized by Kapap Chile.

His online curriculum emphasizes that he «served in the Israeli Anti-Terror Unit Yamam as a member of the intelligence team and as an instructor of closed combat defensive tactics (CBQ),» noting that he «served in the Israeli army (IDF) and in the Lebanon War (1982), achieving the rank of Major» over his 24 years of experience.

Currently based in the United States, Nardia is listed as the guest of honor for the seminar scheduled for September 12 at the University of Magallanes gymnasium. The event has been called out and questioned by the informational account Magallanes Rebelde, which has garnered a significant amount of supportive comments.

«The only public university in Magallanes, secular and funded with public resources, will make its gym available for a Kapap seminar, an Israeli military training later adapted for civilian instruction… led by none other than Avi Nardia, a reservist of the Israeli Defense Forces, which have been cited by international agencies and U.N. committees as executing a military campaign in Gaza that various reports qualify as genocide,» the account asserted.

They further stressed that the practice of Kapap «should not be reduced to any ordinary sport discipline. Nardia is presented as a former reserve member of the Israeli Defense Forces and a close combat and CQB instructor for military, police, and military units, where he has participated in combat systems for the Israeli unit YAMAM.»

«It is precisely the current nature of these forces that makes it impossible to separate this activity from its political context: while the world turns a blind eye, bombings continue in Gaza, along with forced displacement and the destruction of entire neighborhoods where families continue to flee among the rubble, while hospitals, schools, and shelters remain under attack. Since October 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,000 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health,» the Magallanes Rebeldes account added.

«The debate is not about preventing individuals from practicing martial arts; rather, it is about asking how, who, and under what criteria decide that a public, secular state institution (independent of the strong religious influence of the current authorities) with a student organization allegedly linked to social consciousness, offers its facilities for an activity historically connected to military and police training tied to Zionism and, worse yet, linked for decades to a plan of extermination of an entire people», they concluded.

We will continue to provide updates.