A first report from Friends of Birzeit University on the right to education in Palestine in the aftermath of the Israeli war on Gaza and the Palestinians.
A summary of the report’s findings on the situation since 7 October:
- The UN estimates, on 12 December, that over 18,205+ Palestinians have been killed, 49,645 injured, and 1.93 million have been displaced (over 80 percent of the population). More than half of Gaza’s housing stock and critical infrastructure has been destroyed, and many essential services are out of service, including access to clean water and sanitation.
- All universities in the Gaza Strip have ceased to operate. The West Bank is experiencing widespread interruption with most institutions shifting to online teaching and support to avoid campus invasions by the Israeli army, and students and staff being harassed, arrested, or shot by Israeli soldiers and armed Israeli settlers.
- In Israeli universities, Palestinian students and university staff, who are citizens of Israel, are experiencing personal attacks, arrest, censorship, and disciplinary measures including suspension, expulsion and dismissal. Over 100 students have been expelled or suspended.
- The Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education last reported on 5 November that 446 students enrolled in universities and colleges in Palestine have been killed by Israel (438 in the Gaza Strip and eight in the West Bank) in addition to 14 employees working in higher educational institutions in the Gaza Strip.
Background – the situation before 7 October:
- Palestine has 53 higher education institutions (35 in the West Bank and 17 in Gaza), and an open education university with centres in the West Bank and Gaza. There are 226,000 Palestinian students enrolled in these institutions (139,000 in the West Bank and 87,000 in Gaza). Higher education in Palestine employs 17,000 staff (12,000 in the West Bank and 5,000 in Gaza), including 9,000 educational academics (7,000 in the West Bank and 2,000 in Gaza). Israel’s army regularly invades Palestinian university campuses in the West Bank, arrests students and staff. Gaza’s higher education system has deteriorated under Israel’s 16-year blockade.
- No one can enter the West Bank or Gaza Strip without an Israeli permit. Israel has made it virtually impossible for non-Palestinians to obtain a visa to teach or study at a Palestinian university. This has cut Palestinian higher education off from the outside world, unable to recruit staff and students. The current crisis will make this much worse.
The right to education is enshrined in international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions, which govern the conduct of war and military occupations, protect the right to life, and render many attacks on higher education students or staff unlawful.
academicsforpalestine.org 