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Birzeit University and the Israeli Military Occupation

Israeli Army by the University

In 1973, Birzeit University received its first order from the Israeli occupation forces to close down the University and suspend its operations for two weeks. In 1974, Dr. Hanna Nasir, President of Birzeit University, was deported to Lebanon by the Israeli forces, and was not allowed to return until 1993. Between 1973 and 1992, the University was ordered to close down 15 times by the Israeli occupation forces, the last and longest being for 51 months from January 1988 till April 1992.

Since September 28, 2001, the University had to suspend its operations on several occasions due to the closures and the checkpoints imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the Ramallah-Birzeit Road, where Birzeit University staff, faculty and students were prohibited from reaching the campus.

On March 7, 2001, in the dead of night, the Israeli army destroyed portions of the only road linking the University to Ramallah, gouging out trenches and destroying about 400 meters of asphalt. This damage to the only road linking Ramallah City to Birzeit village and 35 other villages with a population of about 65,000 has resulted in the total disruption of daily life.

Below is a list of articles documenting these events, and many more that affected the University due to the military occupation, including urgent appeals, peaceful protests to remove the checkpoints and student arrests and harassment.

The Fall Semester started on September 15, 2001, but to date, class attendance has been rare due to the checkpoints.

This page will be updated on a regular basis, however, we hope that one day we will cease to update it, archiving all the events as part of our history and long road to independence.

Last Updated: October 20, 2001

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