|
Peaceful March to Open the Road to the University 2 October 2001
Walking down the hill, carrying placards demanding the removal of the roadblock and free access to the University, the participants reached the first part of the roadblock made of dirt and rocks, and one by one, using their bare hands and shovels, the participants started to remove the rocks and were successful in opening that part of the road. The participants continued walking until they reached the other end of the roadblock, over 300 meters away, and had a sit-in about six meters away from the roadblock. Three army Jeep cars tried to storm through the
demonstrators in an apparent attempt to intimidate and
disperse them. However several international students
faced the soldiers and army cars forming a human shield
that blocked their way and prevented their assault. It
was a heroic gesture and a perfect example of solidarity
that will long be remembered. A member of the University administration addressed the soldiers and said: “In the name of Birzeit University staff, students and faculty and in the name of the residents of the 35 villages that surround Birzeit and that have been denied access to education, health services, and work due to your illegal presence here, I present you with a clearance order that demands your immediately evacuating this area and removing this checkpoint as it violates all forms of international law and human rights including the Fourth Geneva Convention.” Clearance Order
This is not the first time the University attempts to open the road. In March and on the eve of Sharon's election, the Israeli soldiers dug up the road, but upon organizing the first peaceful procession, the University was able to pave the road again, and make the road safe for traveling.
In retrospect, Birzeit University is determined to continue its marches until the Birzeit- Ramallah road is open and safe for our community. Such marches, like the one of today, will be peaceful yet armed with the tools of international legality and Geneva Conventions that are more powerful than any army or weapon.
For further information about Birzeit University, please visit the University Website at http://www.birzeit.edu
|
Around 2000 students, staff and
faculty from Birzeit University along with other
officials from various Palestine Authority Ministries and
non-governmental organization and inhabitants from the
surrounding villages, gathered in front of the Best
Eastern Hotel in Ramallah today to march peacefully
toward the Israeli checkpoint on the Ramallah-Birzeit
Road demanding the removal of the checkpoint and the
opening of the road leading to the University and the 35
surrounding villages. 
Unprovoked, the
soldiers started to fire rubber bullets and tear-gas
canisters, and the participants were dispersed. Six
people were lightly injured by bullets and more than
twenty others (including a Belgian professor) suffered
from gas inhalation. 
A month later, the Israeli
soldiers erected a roadblock, and numerous peaceful
demonstrations were organized, but to no avail. Travel
between Ramallah and the University and the 35
surrounding villages have become more and more tedious.
The Fall semester at the University started on September
15, but it has been quite difficult for students, staff
and faculty to reach the University, and at times, it has
taken them over an hour to get from Ramallah to Birzeit,
which normally should not take more than 10 minutes.