Birzeit University on Monday condemned an Israeli army raid into its campus in Ramallah overnight, during which it said Israeli forces confiscated and damaged university equipment. "Birzeit University condemns this attack and the direct violation of the sanctity of the university campus," the university said in a statement. "This is a belligerent military attack on the university and our right to education and all the principles involved in the freedom of education." The university said that Israeli soldiers raided the campus in more than 15 military vehicles shortly before 3 a.m., breaching the campus' western gate and storming the university's student council and faculty of science. "The military confiscated equipment and computers used in the activities of the students council and destroyed and damaged furniture leaving a great deal of havoc behind," the university said. "This is a blatant attack on our student council and the sanctity ...

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A week of events focusing on the Palestinian Right to Education kicked off Monday afternoon at Birzeit University as part of a global campaign in solidarity with Palestinian students. Right to Education Week at Birzeit University commenced Monday with a workshop on the education of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails. Events will be held on campus throughout the week highlighting the obstacles faced by Palestinians under occupation in their pursuit of education. Sundos Hammad, coordinator of the campaign at Birzeit, stressed the importance of education for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. "Education is our tool to resist occupation. It is important to keep our Palestinian heritage and to resist the narrative of the occupier," she told Ma'an. more

“They used to renew my detention the day before or the same day that I was supposed to get out. So every 6 months, I would face renewal again. They used to take me for investigation but nothing actually happened there – it was just to tease me. There were no charges against me in the investigation. One time I was supposed to go home but they left me in prison that day, and the next day they told me that they renewed my detention…I stayed there for two and a half years and I didn’t even make my bed because I had the hope that I’m going home the next day.” - Tariq, 24, Student at Birzeit University, held under administrative detention by Israel. There are currently over 4,700 Palestinians were being held in Israeli jails, 178 of them under administrative detention. In the past ten years, many thousands of Palestinians have been detained under administrative detention. more

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A group of students protesting political detentions by the Palestinian Authority went on hunger strike Thursday in Birzeit University. The students, who are Hamas supporters, have been sleeping inside the university since May 5. They fear the Fatah-led PA's security forces will arrest them if they leave campus. In a statement, the students said they would remain on campus until the issue was resolved with the PA, adding that they would escalate the strike if political detentions did not stop. Students began sleeping on campus to avoid arrest during the exam period. Saed Qasrawi, a 26-year-old engineering student, told the Associated Press that he had been enrolled for eight years but had been unable to finish his degree because PA forces kept arresting him. He said he was arrested at the start of final exams five times over five years. The students are sleeping on mattresses on the floor, using university guards' showers and eating at the canteen, the AP...

Any hopes that Israel may be easing up on its collective punishment of the people of Gaza were dashed when news arrived that the occupiers are refusing to allow a woman from Gaza to go to BirZeit University on the West Bank. Fatima Sharif wants to study human rights at the university. The day after Barack Obama praised Benjamin Netanyahu for easing the blockade of Gaza, the High Court of Justice supported the state's position that a lawyer from the Gaza Strip should not be allowed to leave it so she can study for a master's degree in human rights at Birzeit University in the West Bank. Justices Miriam Naor, Hanan Melcer and Isaac Amit wrote in a ruling they handed down on Wednesday, in the case of 29-year-old Fatma Sharif: "We are not convinced that under the present political and security situation, the personal circumstances [of the petitioner] justify intervention in the decision of the respondent [the defense minister]."

The Lancet , journal of the British Medical Association, has published a report on what passes for health services in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem: The occupied Palestinian territory: peace, justice and health . The report was written in conjunction with Palestinian public health scientists, the World Health Organisation and other UN agencies. Among its findings the report says health services are at best 'fragmented and incoherent' and that 10% of children in the territories have stunted growth. Dr Hanan Abdul Rahim said: "There are gaps in care. There's a low level of post-natal care and often it's not given in a timely manner. "Mortality rates among infants and under-fives haven't declined much. This is unusual when compared with other Arab countries that used to have similar rates but have managed to bring them down. "The trend for stunting among children is increasing, and the concern is about the long-term effects. It is caused by chro...

Statement of support from Birzeit University students to occupaying students aronud the world The Right to Education Campaign and the students of Birzeit University would like to commend and express support for students worldwide who have taken a principled stance against the ferocious Israeli bombardment of the Gaza strip for 22 days between December 2008 and January 2009. More than 1,300 Palestinians were killed, including 400 children, and over 4,000 Palestinians were injured. more

Programme below and more details here After Gaza: Continuing the Struggle on Campus Day One Saturday 21st Feb 11.00am-11.30am: Registration and refreshments 11.30 – 13.00: Introduction to Action Palestine & feed back on the work of Palestine student societies 13.30 – 15.00: Workshops 1 (2 at the same time): 1. Strategies for Effective campaigning 2. How to run your society; internal structure, membership retention and external coordination. 15.15 – 16.45: Workshops 2 (2 at the same time): 1. Strategies for Effective campaigning 2. How to run your society; internal structure, membership retention and external coordination. 5.00pm-6.45pm: History of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (organised by SOAS PalSoc and Nakba60) Chair: Gilbert Achcar (School of Oriental and African Studies) Bashir Abu Manneh (Barnard College, New York) Fadle Naqib (University of Waterloo) Roger Heacock (Birzeit University) Khaled Hroub (University of Cambridge) 7.30 – 9.30: Evening social Day Two ...