Palestinian University Students Dream of a Brighter
Future
A letter from Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi
Gaza City, Gaza
March 2004
Dear friends and contributors:
No group is more affected by Israel’s “security”
wall than Palestinian university students. Students from villages
and towns in the northern West Bank who once took a straight route
to Nablus to attend al-Najah University now have to take tortuous
taxi rides to reach their destination, greatly adding to the expense
of their education. Meanwhile, the wall has encircled East Jerusalem,
making the situation for students at al-Quds University and Bethlehem
University equally burdensome. At al-Quds University, about 60 percent
of students and faculty attending classes at the East Jerusalem
campus have only West Bank ID cards. This means that on a typical
day about a quarter of the students and faculty cannot make it to
class. On days of curfew and closure classes are simply cancelled.
Various makeshift measures have to be constantly resorted to, such
as holding classes in high school classrooms in the town of Ram
on the West Bank side of the checkpoints.
Students attending Bethlehem University from surrounding villages
are forced to travel long, roundabout routes by taxi and van to
get there, with arbitrary closures often cutting off travel altogether.
No wonder that since the intifada, semesters at both universities
have ended months late. Students at Bethlehem University who were
meant to graduate in June 2002 did so in January 2003.
But to really appreciate the struggles of our students, please hear
their own words. In the enclosed brochure we print letters from
students seeking the assistance of UPA’s scholarship program.
The goal of our campaign is to make the dreams of these students
a reality. We want to raise $100,000 by August so that we can grant
100 additional students partial scholarships of $1,000 each. Through
your generosity you can assist young Palestinian students achieve
their educational aspirations against all odds. Please give as generously
as you can today.
With much appreciation,
Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi
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