Email: right2edu@birzeit.edu | Phone: 0097(0)2-298-2059
Once again, Israeli occupation forces have invaded the campus of Birzeit University, conducting yet another raid. This time, the assault comes at a particularly critical moment, as the university community wraps up the summer semester and begins preparations for the fall term. The occupation forces targeted the Student Council and student blocs’ offices, vandalizing the facilities and confiscating flags, flyers and materials belonging to the student movement.
The ongoing assaults on our university are not isolated incidents, but rather a systematic effort to undermine Palestinian education, suffocate academic freedom, and break the spirit of our students and staff. It is part of a sustained campaign of violence and repression directed not only against Palestinian civilians but also against our academic institutions.
This raid comes after a series of invasions where our campus was raided 22 times since 2002, the last of which was the violent invasion on February 22, 2024, when two students were brutally kidnapped by Israeli occupation’s special military forces from the main University gate, at midday while students were on campus.
This is a clear and egregious violation of international laws that safeguard the sanctity of universities and academic institutions. These laws demand that the occupying power provides special protection to educational institutions, yet the Israeli occupation continues to blatantly disregard its legal obligations.
The Right to Education Campaign at Birzeit University calls upon all conscientious individuals and groups around the world to actively engage in supporting our struggle for liberation from colonialism. We also urge students and academics to highlight the Israeli occupation’s continued colonial violations within their campuses and beyond, as well as lobby their parliamentary representatives to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its violations of the rights of the Palestinians.
The Right to Education Campaign at Birzeit...