Birzeit-- Since the tragic double suicide bomb attack on 30 July 1997, in Jerusalem's Mahaneh Yehuda Market, which claimed 15 lives, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have seen the imposition of the strictest military closure since the Gulf War.
Despite admissions by Israeli government and security sources stating that there is no evidence that the two bombers originated from the occupied Palestinian territories or autonomous areas, Israel applied the closure as a collective punishment immediately following the bombing, in violation of both international law and the Oslo Accords.
As a result, with a high percentage of faculty, staff and students unable to reach the university, Birzeit has been forced to suspend its academic programme. This indirect closure, different from the 15 direct closures of Birzeit in the past, is no less damaging.
On 10 August, news programmes on Israeli Army Radio and Voice of Israel's Arabic service reported that one of the two bombers, whom it did not name, "was a chemistry student at Birzeit University." Other media also reported this allegation, notably right-wing Israeli daily, The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Media and Communication Center, a Palestinian press service, stated after investigation that the allegations were "completely false". Michael Stoltz, deputy head of the Department of Communications and Policy and spokesperson for the Israeli Office of the Prime Minister, commented yesterday that, "As far as we know, from this morning, we still don't have the names [of the bombers]." Despite this admission that the reports were false, no retractions have been made by Israeli Army Radio, Voice of Israel or The Jerusalem Post.
This marks the second consecutive year that the Israeli media has erroneously and maliciously linked Birzeit University with suicidal bomb attacks on Israeli civilians. Following the 3 March 1996 bomb attack on the No. 18 bus in Jerusalem, Israeli media claimed that the bomber was "Islam Mohammed Abdo from Hebron, an engineering student at Birzeit University" when no such student existed. In a press release of 4 March 1996, the university stated that, "irresponsible journalism in the current Israeli political climate is threatening to the university community, whose staff and students have been targeted by both Israeli military and civilians during similar periods in the past. The university community hopes that the media outlets that carried the erroneous report will correct this mistake, and take measures to ensure that such incendiary material is not similarly reported in the future." Clearly, this has not taken place.
Last year's false reportage interestingly came before an unprecedented raid on the university community, in which one-tenth of the student body was arrested in one morning, on 28 March 1996. Israeli media offered a variety of reasons for the arrests. Israeli Channel 1 IBA English News reported in the evening of the arrest that "Israeli forces rounded up 370 suspected Palestinian militants". The report continued by claiming that:
"The security sweep targeted two fugitive Palestinian terrorists which intelligence sources believe to be carrying two backpacks full of explosives for suicide bombings ."
The news report then continued, saying that:
"Most of those were Birzeit students temporarily living in the area. Many of the arrested students are from the Gaza Strip, who illegally remained near Birzeit, despite the closure." The operation, a military source continued, was carried out "against people who are deeply involved in terrorist attacks, financing and supporting people from Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the military wing of the Popular Front."
In fact, the majority of the 280 arrested students were neither from Gaza nor were they supporters of extremist movements. Only about 40 of the students (less than 17 percent) were Gazan students. The remainder represented a broad cross-section from different areas of the West Bank. Malik Taha, former member of the Birzeit Student Council, estimated that over half of the 280 were members of the campus Shabiba faction, the pro-Oslo youth wing of Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction. The release of 95 percent of the students after interrogation during the same day, the remainder uncharged, underlines the inaccuracy of the military source quoted on the IBA news. Had the students truly been "militants", the number released would not have been so high.
Birzeit University is concerned that the recent false media reports may precede a similar widespread repression of the university community. Warning signs are already visible. Israeli troops swooped on Birzeit village at midday on 10 August, arresting 2nd year engineering Abdul Kareem Al-Arja, from Rafah, Gaza, and have been reported to be entering the village on a nightly basis for the past three days.
The effect of the current closure alone has crippled the university programme. Dr. Carmela Omari-Armanios, Registrar and member of the University Council, stated today that:
"The summer semester is 8 weeks long, with 7 weeks of teaching and 1 week of examinations. We have already lost two weeks of teaching time and exams have been postponed. Even if the university opened normally tomorrow, we will still have to start the coming autumn semester much later than planned. Every additional day of closure makes the crisis harder and harder to solve."
Individuals are also suffering. Birzeit faculty member Aqel Abu Qara'a, en route to take up a Fullbright-funded position at Duke University in the United States, was turned away from Ben Gurion Airport on 1 August by Israeli personnel, telling him that they no longer accept the Palestinian passport as a valid travel document. He was finally able to leave the country yesterday afternoon, 10 days later.
The two week closure has had a severe effect on all areas of Palestinian life. According to LAW, the Palestinian Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, normal functioning of democratic and educational institutions has been widely restricted, with approximately 33,000 students and 15,000 teachers unable to access universities and other institutions of higher learning. Village and town closures have placed Palestinians under virtual arrest throughout the West Bank, and Israeli army harassment of Palestinians at military checkpoints has included, on numerous occasions, violence.
Health conditions have rapidly deteriorated, with checkpoints preventing access to hospitals inside Israel for Palestinians requiring regular life sustaining medical treatment. Ambulances have been turned away at checkpoints and in some cases, Palestinians who were undergoing medical treatment in Israeli hospitals were evicted by hospital staff. Thousands of visitors and travelers have been stranded at various border entrances since the beginning of the closure. Economic losses are further destabilising the Palestinian economic infrastructure, with Palestinian Authority estimates reaching $6 million for each day of closure.
In addition, Israel conducted a wave of mass arrests of Palestinians directly after the bombing, with over 200 already detained. International and local human rights organisations fear that the detainees, arrested on suspicion of being members of Hamas or other Islamic groups, may face torture or ill-treatment during interrogation procedures, as has been evidenced in the past.
· Birzeit University condemns the continued use of closure as a collective punishment against Palestinians, which directly contravenes Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as Article 7 - relating to freedom of movement - of the Declaration of Principles signed by Israel and the PLO. Birzeit University calls on the Israeli government and the international community to take steps to guarantee that the era of collective punishment - which does nothing to further the peace process - is unequivocally brought to an end.
· Birzeit University condemns the irresponsible use of the media to incite the Israeli public and pave the way for justifying further repressive measures against the university community. Birzeit University calls on international media organisations to exercise caution when reporting Israeli statements relating to the university community.
[ENDS]
Material is listed by date in reverse chronological order.
· August 7, 1997 - A report on the August closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip by LAW - the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment - http://www.birzeit.edu/lawe/reports/1997/clos97.html
· 6 August 1997 - BIRZEIT NEWS hosts a feature article by Dr. Hanna Nasir, Birzeit University President, entitled To Yossi - with kindness. Dr. Nasir relates his reactions to an encounter with an Israeli soldier that took place while he was on the way from Birzeit to Ramallah, during the current closure of the West Bank and Gaza - http://www.birzeit.edu/bzunews/1997/Aug/6.html
· 30 July - 6 August 1997 - Fear and loathing on the leaflet trail from A Personal Diary of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - photodiary by Birzeit staff member Nigel Parry - http://www.birzeit.edu/diary/closures/aug97.html
· 22 March 1997 - Press release: Interference with freedom of movement further aggravates situation - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1997/970322.html
· 4 March 1997 - Press release: University students and academics at 117 universities in 17 countries call on Israel to halt restrictions on Gazans' access to West Bank universities - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1997/970304.html
· 18 September 1996 - Human rights update: Three years after Oslo: Israel's ongoing & arbitrary detention and harassment of Birzeit University students contradicts peace - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/960918.html
· 30 March 1996 - Occasional report: "'One tenth of our university is missing': mass arrest of 280 Birzeit students on 28 March 1996" - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/960330.html
· 28 March 1996 - Urgent action alert: "Birzeit University strongly protests Israel's invasion of Palestinian villages and mass arrest of university students" - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/960328.html
· 13 March 1996 - Urgent action alert: "Birzeit University under seige" - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/960313.html
· 6 March 1996 - Urgent action alert: "University closed, students targeted: Birzeit calls for a resumption of classes" - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/960306.html
· 4 March 1996 - Public Relations announcement: "Birzeit University maliciously linked to fatal bus attack in Jerusalem" - http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/960304.html
· Human Rights Action Project homepage - http://www.birzeit.edu/hrap/
· Closure Diary from A Personal Diary of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - photodiary by Birzeit staff member Nigel Parry - http://www.birzeit.edu/diary/closures/
· Birzeit University experimental website: Final Status Issues - http://www.birzeit.edu/finalstatus/closure/index.html