   
Hebron University and the Effects of Occupation and Conflict
PR Department , Hebron University , 23 April 2009
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| News coverage of the 1983 massacre at Hebron University |
Hebron University has suffered from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the ongoing occupation in myriad ways. The University has been unable to operate and develop with the freedom and security afforded universities in many other countries. It has endured forced closures, come under attack by settlers, and been raided by Israeli forces. Students and faculty have been killed, injured, and imprisoned, disrupting campus life and academic work. The University is also affected by the occupation in more less conspicuous ways. Though an Israeli raid is frightening in and of itself, the University has also incurred financial loss due to confiscation of equipment by Israeli forces. Visa and immigration restrictions prevent the University from hiring long-term foreign staff members or offering degree programs to foreign students.
Students and Staff Killed and Imprisoned
During the years between 1982 and 2003, 26 students and staff have been killed by Israeli forces or settler violence. Around 550 students and 11 faculty members have been incarcerated for varying lengths of time since 1987. At the current time, an estimated 47 students are in prison, as well as three faculty members. Some are imprisoned by order of Israeli courts, while others are under administrative detention--incarcerated indefinitely without charge and without proof of any involvement in violent activity. It should be emphasized that the number given represents only the students known by Hebron University to be in prison at this time. It is often the case that the University does not discover the reason for a student's long absence until he or she returns to classes. Sometimes it is assumed that a student intends to discontinue study, when in fact the individual has been detained. Imprisonment upsets a student's efforts to complete his or her education, and can have lingering psychological effects. Incarceration of staff members is not only detrimental to the individual affected, it is also disruptive to the running of the University. Sometimes it is not known when the faculty member will be able to resume teaching or administrative duties, and the University is faced with the problem of finding qualified substitute professors or employees on short notice. Dr. Nabil Al-Jabari, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the highest authority at the University, was himself once detained for six months. Mustafa Shawar, who had worked as a lecturer in the Islamic Studies Department for 15 years, is one of the faculty members currently in prison. He has been incarcerated for the past six years, and it is still unknown when he will be released.
Forced Closures
In 1987, the Israeli military sealed the doors of Hebron University, halting normal academic activity. The closure lasted for five years, from 1987 until 1992. A second closure occurred in 2003 and lasted six months. During these forced closures, students and teachers improvised and made the best of a difficult situation. Unwilling to let the actions of the Israeli military and government bar them from a solid university education, students met with their professors in high schools, mosques, other civic facilities, and extra rooms in private homes.
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| A protest at Hebron University following the 1983 massacre on campus |
Confiscation of Property
Israeli soldiers have entered the University on 17 occasions between 1980 and 2005. During seven of these raids, they confiscated high-value property, including computers and science lab equipment, which they claimed were being used to plot terror attacks. The equipment was never returned and the University was never compensated for the financial loss.
Restrictions on Foreign Staff
The Israeli government has taken steps to isolate Hebron University and other Palestinian institutions from meaningful long-term contact with foreigners. In 1982, Military Order 854 was issued, barring foreigners from working at Palestinian universities. During 1982-83, several foreign Hebron University faculty members were thrown out of the country. To this day, foreigners cannot obtain work visas to work in Palestinian universities. Foreign employees may come on tourist visas, which must be renewed every three months and can be denied at any time. This situation makes it difficult for the University to hire long-term foreign language teachers, foreign experts in different fields, and foreign administrative staff, limiting the Universitys ability to choose qualified individuals from the widest possible pool.
The 1983 Massacre
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| Victim of the 1983 massacre at Hebron University |
One of the darkest days in the University's history occurred due to the cold-blooded actions of radical Israeli settlers. The aggression and belligerence of settlers residing in Hebron is well known to the city's Palestinian population. Often, settler violence and harassment of locals goes unchecked by occupation forces. On July 26th, 1983, several settlers entered the Hebron University campus and shot three people dead. They also wounded 37 others and inflicted incalculable grief and trauma on survivors and on victims' families and friends. Demonstrations condemning the actions of the settlers took place in Hebron and the rest of Palestine, as well as abroad. The tragedy was remarked upon in the foreign press, including Arab, European, American, and even Israel news media, but those responsible were never caught and punished. Adding insult to grave injury, a campus memorial dedicated to the victims was subsequently destroyed by the Israeli military. This spiteful action has not succeeded, as it may have been intended to do, in obliterating the memory of the incident. The ruins of the memorial can still be seen from the main campus gates. Campus security guards stationed at all entrances are cautious about allowing non-students inside. A number of staff members who were present in July 1983 still work at the University, and all staff and students are aware of this sad piece of Hebron's history.
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| Victims of the 1983 massacre |
Studies & Research: R2E Fact Sheet (30 April 2009)
Urgent Appeals: Open letter to international academic institutions from the R2E Campaign (17 January 2009)
In The Media: Israeli troops fire on dozens of Bir Zeit students demonstrating near (16 March 2010)
In The Media: An-Najah University Professor slowly dying in Israeli prison (22 February 2010)
Urgent Appeals: Support the Irvine 11 (22 February 2010)
Activism News: PACBI: All Israeli academic institutions complicit in apartheid (15 February 2010)
In The Media: Nablus students find school vandalized after settler visit (15 February 2010)
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