Palestinian Minister of Education Sabri Saidam Sunday affirmed his ministry’s ‘utmost rejection’ of all restrictions imposed by Israel on foreign academics seeking higher education in Palestine.
This came during a meeting with a delegation of a grassroots campaign “for the protection of foreign passport holders residing in and or visiting the occupied Palestinian Territories”.
The delegation consisted of campaign activist Sam Bahour, Rana Barakat, and ‘Abla ‘Aranki from Birzeit University.
#BDS Why scientists should boycott Israel: You can’t talk about research and education in #Palestine without confronting occupation and apartheid. https://t.co/i5ddZDPGg9
— Love 4 Palestine (@WithPalestine) February 10, 2018
Saidam said his ministry will study the campaign’s file and will follow up with concerned parties, to be discussed at the Higher Education Council’s upcoming meeting.
He affirmed the need to combine and invest all efforts in political, diplomatic, and media channels in order to pressure Israel to put an end to its arbitrary measures imposed on the entry of foreign academics into Palestine.
Saidam said such restrictions deprive academics from contributing to the development of the Palestinian higher education in general, and the research field in particular.
#BDS EU builds schools, Israel razes them: Israel demolishes another EU-funded school in #Palestinian village, leaving 25 #Palestinian children without education https://t.co/mkdXUMqZYp
— Love 4 Palestine (@WithPalestine) February 9, 2018
The delegation briefed the minister on the impact of Israeli restrictions on the entry of foreign academics on the development of educational institutions, calling on international academic institutions, official authorities, and global civil society institutions to support the campaign and halt all measures that inhibit the entry and residency of foreign academics in Palestine.
(Wafa, PC, Social Media)
