The High Court of Justice on Thursday ordered the state to explain why it has prohibited Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip from attending courses at the West Bank university where they are registered.

The court response came in the wake of a petition submitted by the non-profit organization Gisha (access) on behalf of ten Palestinian Occupational Therapy (OT) students barred from attending the University of Bethlehem.

Institutions of higher education in the Gaza Strip do no not offer courses in OT, leaving the students no option but to find an alternative institution to pursue their field of study.

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The students, who have been following their course lectures via video conference, have petitioned the court to consider the vital need for occupational therapy professionals in the Gaza Strip, considering that there are some 24,000 Gaza residents with disabilities, and only one OT clinic.

The state prosecutor argued Tuesday that the ban had been imposed because the students belong to "a dangerous age group" of those aged 16-35 years - the group considered most likely to be involved in terrorist activities.

The prosecutor called on the court to reject the petition out of hand, saying that because the law does not entitle these students to enter or reside in the West Bank, their case deserves no consideration from the High Court of Justice.