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Last update - 10:02 20/09/2007
Israel bars students from leaving Gaza at last minute
By Amira Hass

On Monday night, the Defense Ministry telephoned the Israeli liaison office for the Gaza Strip and delivered surprising news: Despite lengthy prior coordination, civilians would not be allowed to leave the strip through the Erez and Nitzana crossings.

But the Ministry for Civilian Affairs in Ramallah, the Palestinian body that coordinated the passage through the crossings, did not receive this message. Thus the ministry, which is the liaison office's Palestinian counterpart, could not inform its Gaza office - which is manned by Fatah loyalists.

As a result, the ministry's head, Hussein al-Sheikh, had already announced the happy but false news on Tuesday: Students from Gaza would be allowed to go through the crossings to study abroad. There are currently several thousand Palestinian students who have been accepted to universities abroad, but cannot leave the strip through Israel to attend.

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A Palestinian official said that no more than 100 students have been allowed to leave since June. The Israeli authorities had agreed to allow 700 students to leave, but the remaining 600 are still waiting.

Some of these 600 students arrived at Erez Tuesday, expecting to be allowed through. One of them, call him B., realized something had gone wrong only after getting there. Eventually, he was told to head back home.

B. was accepted into a scholarship program for a master's degree in Britain. Hamoked - the Center for the Defense of the Individual, a Jerusalem-based Israeli organization whose main objective is to assist Palestinians whose rights have been violated by Israel's policies, helped B. obtain clearance to leave. But if he fails to arrive in the United Kingdom by today, September 20, he can forget about his scholarship. In despair, B. called Hamoked to tell them that he and another 200 people had been sent away from the crossing and not allowed to go through.

The Israel Defense Forces Spokesman's Office told Haaretz on Tuesday that it was not aware of any security limitations that necessitated closing down the Erez crossing. "Go ask the liaison office," it said.

The liaison office referred questions to the Ministry of Defense, but added that only those who were supposed to leave on student visas were barred from crossing. "Regular travelers" were allowed to go through as usual. But the term "regular travelers" refers only to sick people who need medical attention in Israel or Palestinians with special permits to either enter or transit Israel or the West Bank.

Moreover, one holder of such a permit, M., begged to differ with the liaison office's claim. M., a Gaza factory owner and holder of a permit for business people, said he came to the crossing before the cabinet declared Gaza a hostile entity yesterday. "I came there on Tuesday morning," he said. "We were 150 people, mostly sick people and businessmen. They let only 15 people through. Maybe less. They kept us there for hours, and then told us we had to go back."

M. was scheduled to cross over to Jordan from Israel. "I don't want to open a factory in the West Bank," he said, referring to what many Gaza businessmen now hope to do. Instead, M. wants to set up shop in the Hashemite Kingdom. "But now, they won't let me through to Jordan. It's not Hamas who didn't let me through today. It's not Hamas that's keeping me out of business," he complained. "It's a recipe for suicide."

The Defense Ministry referred Haaretz's query on the students to the chief of staff's office. From there, it went back to the IDF Spokesman's Office - which, once again, said the agency qualified to answer the question was the liaison office.

The answer to the question of when the students will be allowed to leave Gaza to study remained unanswered.
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  1.   THEY THINK THE WORLD IS BLIND 10:08  |  indrajaya 20/09/07
  2.   a failed reporter who received no comments 10:10  |  benzion 20/09/07
  3.   Cruel injustice! 10:52  |  Maureen Ann 20/09/07
  4.   Only the blind lead the blind 11:13  |  ussishkin 20/09/07
  5.   Benzion 11:26  |  Walid 20/09/07
  6.   i do not feel sorry for them, they deserve to barbed wire rot... 11:41  |  Pavel 20/09/07
  7.   Their own worst enemy (part 75) 11:50  |  Natallie Durson 20/09/07
  8.   Israeli Academics are failing yet another test..... 12:43  |  dutch 20/09/07
  9.   Terrorist Entity = no privilege 13:02  |  akiva 20/09/07
  10.   Pavel 13:07  |  Sarah 20/09/07
  11.   Natalie, Re The The Bad Guys 13:34  |  Dutch 20/09/07
  12.   Why so one-sided about harassment and suffering? 13:52  |  Esther 20/09/07
  13.   #11 doris cadigan and the simplistic movies 14:23  |  victor hardman 20/09/07
  14.   Sderot children cannot go to school, Neither can they 14:27  |  bmoskowitz 20/09/07
  15.   The Cost of Wars 14:37  |  Jane 20/09/07
  16.   Gaza 14:40  |  Truth 20/09/07
  17.   Why they don`t travel via Egypt?..can anyone answer me? 15:18  |  SuperClickfool 20/09/07
  18.   What about Egypt? 15:25  |  Abu Masri 20/09/07
  19.   Jane, Your thinking becomes more twisted all the time 15:38  |  Dutch 20/09/07
  20.   Good! 15:45  |  David 20/09/07
  21.   Gazans should adopt 15:55  |  steve 20/09/07
  22.   Re Truth #16 and the two state solution 16:01  |  Esther 20/09/07
  23.   SHUT THE ELCTRICITY 16:25  |  JEFF 20/09/07
  24.   No Walid, it stinks 16:26  |  Polybios 20/09/07
  25.   Esther`s one sided blame 17:14  |  Dutch 20/09/07
  26.   awww it`s so sad 17:15  |  peter 20/09/07
  27.   Guess there is no free education for a bunch of freeloaders 17:16  |  Gee 20/09/07
  28.   Leaving Gaza 17:16  |  B 20/09/07
  29.   Heaven Forbid, the Palestinians educate themselves 17:26  |  Ibrahim 20/09/07
  30.   Polybios 17:27  |  Walid 20/09/07
  31.   Increasing the hatred 17:35  |  Janice 20/09/07
  32.   #24 A question 17:48  |  Outsider 20/09/07
  33.   # 7 I don`t see a problem in letting all of them leave... 17:58  |  Misha 20/09/07
  34.   This is going to stop the Qassams, right? 18:01  |  Murray 20/09/07
  35.   The light unto nations safegaurds it,s reputation. 18:04  |  Labhras 20/09/07
  36.   # 8 To outraged muhamed/Dutch... 18:09  |  Misha 20/09/07
  37.   Polybios, The part that really stinks.... 18:15  |  Dutch 20/09/07
  38.   #15 Jane on the Beach in Florida 18:18  |  Labhras 20/09/07
  39.   Another reason for British academic boycot 18:29  |  Rami 20/09/07
  40.   # 35 Labra, you are more than just a drunken fool... 18:44  |  Misha 20/09/07
  41.   But Amira, dear! 18:46  |  Jonathan S 20/09/07
  42.   Why Bully The Palestinians - Because We Can 18:58  |  chet 20/09/07
  43.   Walid - fair question 19:03  |  Polybios 20/09/07
  44.   Outsider 19:13  |  Polybios 20/09/07
  45.   #40 Diminutive mickey 19:22  |  Labhras 20/09/07
  46.   for the censor please see #40 from the poster "misha" 19:32  |  Labhras 20/09/07
  47.   Polybios 19:33  |  Walid 20/09/07
  48.   Misha watch your mouth 19:41  |  Janice 20/09/07
  49.   Dutch 19:42  |  Polybios 20/09/07
  50.   LAB-HARASS Erez crossing is a crossing between ISRAEL and GAZA 19:44  |  Gil 20/09/07
  51.   #39 Rami 19:52  |  Labhras 20/09/07
  52.   Gaza Is Officially a Terrorist Entity 20:08  |  Jane 20/09/07
  53.   1,500,000 Gazans...to sew.. yellow stars of David 20:09  |  Victor 20/09/07
  54.   Ibrahim, a suggestion.... 20:16  |  Dutch 20/09/07
  55.   Walid, I agree 20:20  |  Polybios 20/09/07
  56.   To.Amira Hass.Israel bars terrorists leaving the Gaza 20:21  |  e.m 20/09/07
  57.   Jane, you sound like a 1930`s Nazi Spokesperson 20:47  |  Ibrahim 20/09/07
  58.   #3 Maureen Ann 20:50  |  * BEN JABO 20/09/07
  59.   Let them go.... 20:51  |  nathan 20/09/07
  60.   #7 NUT allie Durson 20:54  |  * BEN JABO 20/09/07
  61.   #17 SuperClickfool 20:57  |  * BEN JABO 20/09/07
  62.   to #41 But Amira, dear! 21:04  |  Harriet 20/09/07
  63.   #46 everyone boo hoo for labarse 21:40  |  victor hardman 20/09/07
  64.   oooooh chet gives me the shivers 22:07  |  peter 20/09/07
  65.   oy vay the Irish rubbernecker raises his head 22:10  |  peter 20/09/07
  66.   to Hass, G. Levy, Rubistein, ... 22:11  |  Goldenberg 20/09/07
  67.   Janice doesn`t need to watch her mouth 22:15  |  peter 20/09/07
  68.   Ibrahim-Overdramatizing as usual 22:18  |  Jane 20/09/07
  69.   victor hardman-dates 22:25  |  Labhras 20/09/07
  70.   They have options 22:39  |  Chick 20/09/07
  71.   Terrorists should swim out of Gaza 22:58  |  Rafi 20/09/07
  72.   Is Hamas at War or at Peace wih Israel? 23:03  |  Scharker Yid 20/09/07
  73.   Education Prohibition 23:06  |  Sam 20/09/07
  74.   abu masri # 18 if egypt would allow the students to use their 23:37  |  terrornator 20/09/07
  75.   For Dutch #25 23:37  |  Esther 20/09/07
  76.   jane,theres nothing wrong with your thinking,dutch is the one 23:40  |  terrornator 20/09/07
  77.   #*Ben Jabo. I suggest you... 00:39  |  Maureen Ann 21/09/07
  78.   #s 7, 8, 29 - Nat D., dutch, Ibrahim, et.al. 00:50  |  Jim 21/09/07
  79.   May I suggest that they leave Gaza thru Egypt? 01:07  |  Godfather 21/09/07
  80.   Esther and the real face of two states 01:32  |  Truth 21/09/07
  81.   Perplexed 01:41  |  Johnson 21/09/07
  82.   Perplexed 01:41  |  Johnson