Students Still Deprived of Right to Education

Date: 8^th of September 2005

Time: 09:00 GMT

We met him with expressions of tension and astonishment drawn on his face, Mohammed Anwar Qawash, a young Palestinian man, 20 years old, who joined the Faculty of Medicine on the 6 of October in University of Cairo. 

Now he is in the third year of his study, but regrettably he has not been able to join his colleagues to continue his study.  Mohammed came to Nusiarat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip three months ago to visit his family.  His desire to see his family, accompanied by claims about improved conditions in the Gaza Strip during the evacuation of settlements, pushed him to come to the Gaza Strip to spend his holiday with his family.  He never expected that he would face difficulties or obstacles that would prevent his travel or enjoyment of his right to continue his education, especially as he came to the Gaza Strip while the international community is speaking about a flourishing future for the Gaza Strip and its population.

Mohammed preferred to come back to his homeland to spend his holiday with his family rather than being alone or with other colleagues who were not able to visit their families. His behavior was normal and understandable for anyone in this world, but the situation in the Gaza Strip is different and it is more complicated when talking about Palestinian civilians as Israeli Occupation Forces have unjustifiably prohibited Palestinians aged 16-35 from traveling through Rafah International Crossing Point. 

Mohammed, like dozens of others who are included in this prohibition, has nothing to do other than going to offices of the Palestinian liaison to coordinate his travel with the Palestinian side. Mohammed was optimistic to be able to travel as he had never been prohibited from traveling and had done noting that could lead to such prohibition. 

He applied for coordination on 23^rd of August 2005, but a few days later, he received a response informing him that the Israeli side refused to allow him to travel without specifying any reason for this decision.  He was shocked, "I have never been prohibited from traveling as I have traveled out of the Gaza Strip several times without any problems, and I have not done anything that could make them prevent me from traveling to continue my study in Egypt" he said. 

Depriving Mohammed of his right to receive education at the university he had chosen can never be justified or understood.  Even though this measure has been adopted by IOF against young Palestinians in the context of the policies of collective punishment, which is prohibited under international humanitarian law. So far, Mohammed has been waiting to be allowed to travel before unnecessarily losing a year just because he is a Palestinian living in the Gaza Strip. 

Bilal Abu al-Amrain, 16, did not expect that his long-waited visit to his bother in the Gaza Strip would become a nightmare that would threaten his educational future and his residence in Qatar. Bilal came with his family to the Gaza Strip from Qatar on the 14^th of May 2005 to spend their holiday. When he decided to travel, he went like other young men to offices of the Palestinian liaison to coordinate his travel with the Israeli side as he falls under the age category of Palestinians prevented from traveling. 

On the 30^th of August 2005, he received a response from the Palestinian liaison informing him that he is prohibited from traveling without giving any reason… His family waited for a long time, but when IOF prevented him from traveling, they were forced to travel to Qatar because of their interests there, including work and education. 

Bilal is now living with his brother away from his family, away from the life he used to live, away from his school, away from his friends - he hopes that he will be allowed to travel to join his family and go to school with his colleagues who are waiting for him.  However, he is now facing his destiny like Mohammed and other young men who have been prohibited from traveling for no reason. The school year in Qatar is about to start - Bilal was supposed to be in the 11^th grade, but he is now concerned that he may lose this school year just because he came to the Gaza Strip to visit his brothers.

Mohammed and Bilal have been deprived of their right to continue their education for no reason. They represent only two cases of dozens of other cases of Palestinians who have referred to PCHR hoping that lawyers may be able to help them to ensure their enjoyment of their right to travel to continue their education or travel back to their countries of residence. PCHR may succeed and may fail to ensure that some of these people would be allowed to travel - everything is decided by IOF. 

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Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

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