12 April 2005 — During the past week, slogans have been chanted; flags of all colors raised; red, green, black and white have adorned the campus and a general excitement imbued Birzeit University as students took part in the annual Student Council elections. On April 7th and 9th, the five student blocs participating in this year’s elections: Martyr Yasser Arafat Bloc; Islamic Loyalists Bloc; Islamic Group Bloc; United Students’ Pole Bloc; Students’ Platform Bloc, presented their electoral campaigns through campaign-promise-filled speeches, marches in the center of the University campus, songs and theatrical skits. Read more about Birzeit Student Elections 2005: A Democratic Tradition Continues
The four deported students are among the last Gaza students still studying in the West Bank.� In 2000, there were over 300 Gaza students studying at Birzeit University, in 2004 there are only 39.� Since October 2000, the Israeli Authorities have made it virtually impossible for Palestinians to gain or renew the permits required by Israel, the occupying power, to move between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.� Gaza students enrolled in universities in the West Bank have been forced to either overstay their original permits, facing all the ramifications that this entails, or to drop out of university entirely. � Read more about Four Birzeit University Students Illegally Deported to Gaza
On Tuesday, 5 May at 2.30pm, for the fourth time in as many weeks, an Israeli Army jeep pulled up to the Western Gate entrance of Birzeit University. Provoked by their presence, a couple of students began to throw stones at the jeep and the soldiers immediately fired back with rubber bullets. At the sound of the shots more students started to gather and throw stones and the jeep fired back rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowd of students assembled. Three cars parked at the gate were damaged in the process. The jeep descended to the Eastern Gate where it continued to fire shots and tear gas from a distance at university buildings. Read more about Soldiers Fire Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets at Birzeit University
One of the features of prolonged Israeli sieges is that everyone, no matter what their line of work or social status, will have to deal with the interruption to their life posed by closures, checkpoints, and cope with days and weeks spent trapped in the confines of their town or, in the case of curfews, the walls of their home. Samia Halileh and Rita Giacaman, who work for the Institute of Community and Public Health at Birzeit University, have documented the Institute’s process of “accommodating exceptional circumstances”. The following report is a glimpse into the dangers and frustrations of trying to carry on an academic life during wartime. Read more about Distance Learning: An educational survival strategy in war-like conditions at the Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University (part 2 of 2)
One of the features of prolonged Israeli sieges is that everyone, no matter what their line of work or social status, will have to deal with the interruption to their life posed by closures, checkpoints, and cope with days and weeks spent trapped in the confines of their town or, in the case of curfews, the walls of their home. Samia Halileh and Rita Giacaman, who work for the Institute of Community and Public Health at Birzeit University, have documented the Institute’s process of “accommodating exceptional circumstances”. The following report is a glimpse into the dangers and frustrations of trying to carry on an academic life during wartime. Read more about Distance Learning: An educational survival strategy in war-like conditions at the Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University (part 1 of 2)
The outlook for Palestinian children under Israeli occupation is grim as children’s rights continue to be violated and there is no hope in the near future for a political solution. For children who are old enough to remember the time when they were able to travel from one city to another without hassle, attend school without fear of shelling, and travel without facing a checkpoint, they understand that their life has changed. Read more about The effects of Israel's Operation Defensive Shield on Palestinian children living in the West Bank
At around ten o’clock this morning, two Israeli military vehicles carrying about twelve soldiers arrived at the main gate of Birzeit University. They stayed for about twenty minutes, during which time the soldiers prevented students, faculty, and staff from entering or leaving the campus. Read more about Israeli Army Closes the Gates to Birzeit University
