Negotiations

The real heroes of the day were the members of the Birzeit University Administration, such as Dr. Mohammed Sarsour (V-P for Finances) pictured left, and Dr. Carmela Armanios (Registrar).

They patiently talked with the soldiers, reasoning that it would be better for them to let students through than have large groups of them near the checkpoint. They argued that the University would a normalising effect on the situation. They also calmed the students and in the end secured a passage for them to go. By this time, however, the University had lost a day. I rushed back to the Public Relations Office to write a press release to go out on the Internet.

With a university community of 5,000 members, measures such as this effect a severe disruption to not only the university, but the life of the community. This, and the continuing Israeli practice of collective punishment of an entire community represent ongoing violations of Articles 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

International Law

At the time of writing the release, there was only limited passage between Ramallah and the University and therefore classes were cancelled for the day, as Birzeit administration members continued to negotiate with Israeli authorities. Birzeit University has, time and time again, restated the right of its students to their education. Israel cannot continue to undermine this right by controlling freedom of movement between the Areas A & B specified by the Oslo accords. Today's events represented the first serious test of the Oslo accords for the University. It did not bode well for the future.

On the way back from the University, there were again problems being allowed back in to Ramallah (right). Public Relations director, Albert Aghazarian, arranged with the soldiers to identify Birzeit students, staff and faculty, that they could pass, unhampered, to Ramallah. We returned home with sadness. We had all hoped that the "bad old days" of indirect closures of the University with checkpoints were over. We were still to be further disappointed.

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