Birzeit University
Human Rights Record
During the last week of September 80 people lost their lives in a series of clashes in the West Bank and Gaza. The death toll of 65 Palestinians stands as a witness to Israel's use of excessive force and to the human consequences of Israel's stalling of the political process.
The clashes began following Israeli moves to open the Western Wall Tunnel in the Old City of Jerusalem during the night of 23 September. The tunnel runs under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and along the wall of the Haram al-Sharif, the third holiest site in Islam.
"The tunnel caused the eruption of an accumulation of provocations. The Netanyahu government does not realize the meaning of peace. It realizes only the power of force."
Ibrahim 'Azzan from Sabastia
Age: 26 -- Major: History Major
The tunnel was opened despite warnings by Islamic Waqf officials that doing so would provoke anger in the Palestinian community. The digging of an entrance to the tunnel provoked serious clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli authorities in the spring of 1988. At that time the entrance was officially closed.
The decision to reopen the tunnel at this time provided a natural focal point for increasing Palestinian frustration over the stalled political process. Israeli government policies such as the demolition of Palestinian homes and a community center in Jerusalem and the aggressive expansion of settlements in the West Bank, as well as Israel's failure to implement provisions of the Oslo accords have undermined the basis for developing peace and created conditions for continued conflict. In this context it was not surprising that the reopening of the tunnel sparked widespread public opposition through -out the Palestinian community.
"The first demonstration was meant to reflect the mood of the student movement at Birzeit University and to reject the decisions that Israel was taking each day.... It was to express the link of all Palestinian people to Jerusalem and to protest the actions that Israel has taken."
Female Student from Ramallah
Age: 22 -- Major: English
On Wednesday, 25 September, Birzeit University students and staff set out together to demonstrate to the Israeli authorities that a "solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict devoid of justice and respect for basic rights cannot lead to peace. From the outset this demonstration did not differ a great deal from many similar demonstrations throughout the years of occupation.
Even when the demonstrators were stopped by an Israeli checkpoint, the situation seemed familiar. The level of escalation that followed could not have been predicted. Similar scenes emerged throughout the West Bank and Gaza, where confrontations broke out between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian demonstrators who were in many instances joined by Palestinian police.
In three days, 65 Palestinians (including 18 Palestinian police), 1 Egyptian soldier, and 14 Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes in Bethlehem, Gaza, Hebron, Jericho, Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, and Tulkarem. More than 1,600 Palestinians were admitted to Palestinian government hospitals alone for treatment of injuries.
In initial assessments human rights organizations raised grave concern about excessive use of force by the Israeli military, as well as violations by Israeli soldiers of open fire regulations. The vast majority of the Palestinian fatalities resulted from live ammunition shot into the upper part of the body. Many of the injured were also wounded in the upper part of the body.
"Martyrs and victims, and all the injured people sacrificed for the sake of the first spark. Jerusalem is a red line that cannot be crossed. After these bloody incidents we must not forget their sacrifices, we must fulfill their aims, namely access to Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine at any price. The Palestinian Authority must abide by these basic principles of the Palestinian people."
Khalid al-Barghouthi from Deir Ghassaneh
Age: 26 -- Major: Sociology
One nurse was killed and at least five other medical personnel were injured while treating persons in the field. At least five journalists were injured by the Israeli authorities while documenting events. Approximately 80-100 Birzeit University students were injured during the clashes. Of these four were injured seriously, and required protracted hospital care.
Yasser Abdel Ghani was critically wounded when struck in the heart and lung by live ammunition. Doctors at Ramallah Hospital revived Yasser when he arrived at the hospital and performed open-heart surgery in the corridor as he was rushed to the operating theater. More than two weeks later, Yasser remains in critical condition.
"The tunnel was the straw that broke the camel's back. The frustration arose from the delay in implementation of key aspects of the agreements and the postponement of issues central to Palestinians while at the same time taking and implementing important decisions against the Palestinians.... The physical and psychological pressure leads to explosion."
Dr. Yusef Abu Samra
Professor of Sociology
On 25 September, Engineering student Ahmad Khalil Dheidel from Halhoul had just return from checking out a light injury with a first aid station when he was shot in the face with a rubber-coated metal bullet ("rubber bullet"). As he was shot he stood at the front of a crowd of people on the main street in al-Bireh. The cylindrical bullet entered his sinus cavity just below his eye. Three people carrying Ahmad to the ambulance were also shot with rubber bullets. One ended up sharing Ahmad's ambulance to Ramallah Hospital. While Ahmad did not sustain permanent damage to his eye, he spent more than two weeks in the hospital recovering from the injury.
Student and journalist Atlal Fataftah from Tarqumya in the Hebron District was shot in the hip with live ammunition as she stood by the side of the road documenting the demonstrations the following day (26 September) for Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda newspaper. She was fortunate that the bullet passed through the muscle without damaging her bones. Atlal also had receive a light injury from a rubber bullet the previous day.
Student Abdallah Zeid from Jenin was shot in his upper thigh, causing a fracture to his femur. He remains in the hospital.
"The Palestinian Authority should take a firm stand concerning the basic principles of the Palestinian people."
The university observed four days of mourning to commemorate the many Palestinians killed in the clashes. Throughout the period students joined funeral processions and marches. On Monday, 29 September, the Student Council and the Birzeit Chapter of the Union of Teachers and Employees of Universities and Private Institutions organized students and staff to visit the homes of the martyrs in the Ramallah District. Six busloads of Birzeit students and employees participated in the visits. In the evening on the same day, a joint student-administration delegation led by Birzeit University President Hanna Nasir again visited the homes of many of the martyrs and students in the hospital.
In the following days the students suspended classes at midday and scheduled lectures by professors. Historian Dr. Nazmi Joubeh spoke on the historical connection of Palestinians to Jerusalem and provided back-ground information on the Western Wall Tunnel. Political Scientist Dr. Ali Jarbawi provided analysis of the political crisis and potential scenarios for the coming period. Throughout the crisis the student blocs on campus worked together, placing high emphasis on strength in unity.
Between Thursday, 26 September and Sunday, 29 September, Israeli forces moved tanks and barricades into place throughout the West Bank and imposed a widespread siege (reminiscent of March and April 1996). Cities and villages were divided from each other, and Palestinians were blocked from traveling out of their home village or city. This caused a dangerous medical situation both for treatment of patients and for the distribution of supplies. The closure also paralyzed the transportation of agricultural goods and other products.
On 10 October the university union organized a march in Ramallah against the ongoing siege, and called for respect for the right to education. Birzeit University calculated that at least one-third of the students and lecturers were blocked by Israeli barriers from coming to the university.
While this crisis seems to have passed, measures such as the tightened closure illustrate a failure by Israel to recognize the depths of the problem. Peace can only built on respect for basic rights and equal security for all people.
Read about the recent events as seen from Ramallah on the WWW side:
"On the ground in Ramallah: Reports from a town become a battlefield"
http://www.birzeit.edu/palnews/war.
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