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By Faed al-Barghouti
Translation by Rebecca Reeves
A press conference was organized yesterday by the Birzeit University Human Rights Action Project (HRAP) to call for an end to Israeli restrictions on students from the Gaza Strip who study at universities and higher education institutions in the West Bank. The Israeli authorities refuse to issue the students permits allowing them to stay in the West Bank and complete their education.
Hanan Elmasu, HRAP coordinator, said that the conference was a means of publicizing the Campaign for Academic Freedom for Gaza Students, which the project started last year. Thousands of signatures asking for Gaza students to be allowed complete freedom to study at West Bank universities were collected in 17 countries and delivered to Israeli embassies around the world. Ms Elmasu said that HRAP is now calling for Gaza students to be given academic permits, which would allow them to complete their studies without the fear of their permits being withdrawn because of the political situation.
Ms Elmasu described how since March 1996 the Israeli authorities have not issued permits to any Gaza students, apart from those whose names are on a list of 100 students which the authorities agreed to consider two months ago. It seems likely that 81 of these students will be granted permits while the remaining 19 were refused.
Ms Elmasu explained that the number of Gaza students studying at West Bank universities and institutions is falling year on year as a result of the oppressive Israeli restrictions. She pointed out that whereas in 1996 there were around 1,500 students from Gaza studying in the West Bank, currently there are not more than 900, 241 of whom are enrolled at Birzeit University. 201 of these students started studying before the restrictions were imposed and have not been able to visit their families for three years.
Ms Elmasu explained that the Campaign for Academic Freedom for Gaza Students is running alongside a partner campaign in Britain, which was concluded the day before yesterday and which is being organized by Friends of Birzeit University UK.
Giving his view of the situation, Biha’ ‘Anaya, a student from Gaza, said he felt that the problems faced by Gaza students had been forgotten and that they are not attracting the attention they deserve. The press conference was organized to address this and raise the issue again. He said that he placed responsibility for the failure to give the issue adequate attention with the Palestinian authorities as well as with the Israelis, who have presented unacceptable arguments. He said that he had not visited his family for a year and a half because of the discriminatory restrictions. "When will this situation end?" he asked.
Gaza student Rula Abu Safiya said she felt that there was nothing crueler than restricting someone from moving within their own country. She described the personal and financial hardship faced by Gaza students who study in the West Bank and added: "It’s easier for a student to travel hundreds of kilometers to Egypt or Jordan or any country in the world to complete their education rather than come to one of the universities in the West Bank". She called on the Palestinian authorities and on all sectors of society to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to lift the restrictions on Gaza students and allow them permits to complete their education in freedom.