The West Bank's flagship university, Bir Zeit, was to reopen Tuesday, after a weeklong closure forced by cash-strapped students protesting attempts to collect tuition payments.

The dispute was the latest sign of the sharp downturn in the economy as a result of a year-long international aid boycott of the Hamas government.

Most sectors have suffered decline, including manufacturing, education and health care. Some 165,000 civil servants, whose salaries sustain about one-third of the Palestinians, have received only partial wages.

	Advertisement

Growing numbers of Bir Zeit's nearly 8,000 students have fallen behind in
payments.

The tuition dispute erupted last week, a few days into the second semester, when the administration warned 1,200 students they would either have to pay part of the fees or be barred from registering for classes. Annual tuition at Bir Zeit is about $1,300, or three times the monthly salary of a teacher.

In protest, students staged a sit-in at the administration building Wednesday and attempted to lock the doors to another building. In response, the administration shut the university for several days, but it is to reopen on Tuesday, though without a solution to the financial crisis.

Student council leader Mohammed Al-Qeiq said the university should be lenient with those who have fallen behind because of the difficult financial situation. "The university should have mercy with the students," he said. "If there were salaries [for civil servants], the problems wouldn't erupt."

Many students receive some form of financial aid, university officials said.

Since its founding in the 1970s, Bir Zeit, the West Bank's most prestigious university, has been a center of activism against the Israel Defense Forcesand was closed by the military for extended periods.

University officials said some 3,200 students receive financial aid and are on a payment plan. The officials said they fear Bir Zeit will have difficulty operating if the students don't pay their debts.

In the past, the 11 universities and 25 two-year colleges in the Palestinian territories received some $20 million a year in government subsidies, but got nothing in the past year, officials said.

In addition, the universities receive millions of dollars in donations from the Arab world.