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BZU Community Protests Against The Continuing Blockade
The peaceful protestors succeeded in driving back the Israeli army vehicles and opening the road allowing numerous cars to break the roadblock. The protestors cheered the passing cars as they drove by and for almost an hour liberated the Ramallah-Birzeit road from the Israel army occupying forces. The protestors remained steadfast despite the soldiers' random firing of tear-gas bombs and rubber bullets aimed at dispersing the protesters. The protesters' persistence allowed scores of cars to pass in both directions, but two hours later, once the peaceful march ended, the soldiers re-closed the road, and this time imposed three checkpoints rather than one. The Israelis soldier further harassed individuals crossing the checkpoint by foot by stopping them and searching their possessions. As the Israeli siege goes on, Birzeit University calls on the immediate end of the closures and the continued Israeli measures of collective punishment. The roadblock is a crime of war, placed only to humiliate and punish thousands of innocent civilians under the pretext of the Israeli security. Birzeit University calls for the immediate removal of the illegal Israeli checkpoint on the Ramallah-Birzeit road to allow the free and safe access of the students, faculty and staff to their University and ensure free movement to the 65,000 inhabitants of the surrounding villages prevented from reaching Ramallah. We call upon your support to demand the rights of every Palestinian student to attain an education without the on-going harassment and oppression of military occupation.  BZU peaceful march approaching the "blockade zone"  A BZU international student displays the Israeli scores for academic year 2000-2001 Birzeit University |
During a peaceful demonstration today aimed at opening the Ramallah-Birzeit road, the Israeli occupation forces fired tear-gas canisters and rubber coated steel bullets at over one thousand unarmed Palestinian students, faculty, staff and supporters of Birzeit University. The outbreak of the Israeli violence was in response to the issuing of a "Clearance Order" handed to the soldiers by the University administration quoting the Fourth Geneva Convention, and stating that the presence and the practices of the Israeli occupation forces at the checkpoint are in violation of all international laws and conventions. Rather than taking the "Order", the Israeli soldiers responded by shooting at the thousands of peaceful protesters to disperse them, at which time a young female protestor was shot in the leg.