Give Gazan Students the Right to an Education
The problems facing Gaza students
Since 1991 Israel has imposed an extended closure on the Occupied Territories
which has prevented all Palestinians from entering Israel without a permit.
The Israeli authorities have since reinforced this restriction by systematically
denying students from the Gaza Strip the right to enter and reside in the West
Bank - making it close to impossible for them to attend the university of their
choice. Those who enter the West Bank 'illegally', or those who enter on a previous
permit that has expired, risk arrest, detention and deportation every day. This
situation has caused the number of Gazans studying in the West Bank to decline
considerably over the past few years. In 1996 their number was as high as 1,600
while today there are only around 400 enrolled in the West Bank Universities.
Are Gaza students a threat to Israel?
The former Israeli Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai stated that: "for
security reasons, we cannot allow Gaza residents to study at West Bank educational
institutions.". This policy was reiterated by a spokesperson of the former
Prime Minister Benyamin Nethanyahu in 1997, who stated that not a single Gazan
student could be allowed to study in the West Bank since the students "meet
the profile of terrorists". There is no legitimate security basis for denying
Gazan students the right to study in the West Bank.
What do the agreements say?
In the 1993 Declaration of Principles, Israel and the PLO agreed to recognise
the West Bank and Gaza as a "single territorial unit" of which "the
integrity and status will be preserved". In the Interim Agreement signed
in Washington, DC, in September 1995, Israel committed itself to provide "safe
passage connecting the West Bank with the Gaza Strip for movement of persons,
vehicles and goods...Israel will ensure safe passage for persons and transportation
[...] not less than 10 hours a day." (Article XXIX, Clauses 1a-b).
Gaza students are not asking for special concessions but only for the Israeli government to implement agreements they have already signed.
Why do Gazans want to study in the West Bank?
The two universities in Gaza only offer a limited number of subjects in contrast
to the six West Bank universities, and their capacity only allows them to accept
a fifth of all Gaza high-school graduates each year. Apart from having no other
choice but to go to West Bank universities, Gazan students are driven by the
same motives as young people all around the world when they want to study away
from home. For most students moving to the West Bank is their first trip away
from the Gaza Strip - an area that is notorious for overcrowding, unemployment,
poverty and it's toxic water supply.
What has changed recently?
At the beginning of the 1999/ 2000 academic year, less than 50% of Gazan students
at Birzeit University had permits to study in the West Bank. Since then no further
permits have been issued and no reason has been given for the refusals. This
forces many Gazans to study at Birzeit University illegally. One student was
recently imprisoned for fourteen days for trying to leave Gaza without a permit.
Although almost 50% of Gazan students have received a permit, they offer little security to Gazan students. The permits that are granted are issued for limited periods of time and do not cover the students full term of study. In addition, permits may be unilaterally cancelled, due to changes in the political situation, or confiscated at checkpoints. A number of students have had their permits confiscated, for no reason, while trying to enter and leave from Erez - the checkpoint between Israel and Gaza.
A policy of imposing a state of siege on the land, curtailing
freedom of movement is also attmepting to impose closure on people's minds,
freedom of thought and the right to education
The right to education NOW!
How you can help:
Please send the attached postcard to the Israeli government urging them to:
1. Guarantee complete academic freedom for the students from Gaza who study/
wish to study in the West Bank.
2. To implement the safe passage guarantee agreed under the terms of the Oslo
Accords.
3. To fully conform to its obligations to uphold the right for education and
freedom of movement under International Humanitarian and Human Rights law, to
which it is a signatory.
Many Palestinians living in Gaza started their academic year at West Bank universities in September. Prompt action is necessary so that students from Gaza do not face the fear and uncertainty of arrest and deportation in pursuit of their right to education.