Israel bans Gaza woman from studying human rights in West Bank
The flow of goods into Gaza may have eased - but for Palestinians, restrictions on movement remain tight.
By Amira HassThe day after Barack Obama praised Benjamin Netanyahu for easing the blockade of Gaza, the High Court of Justice supported the state's position that a lawyer from the Gaza Strip should not be allowed to leave it so she can study for a master's degree in human rights at Birzeit University in the West Bank. Justices Miriam Naor, Hanan Melcer and Isaac Amit wrote in a ruling they handed down on Wednesday, in the case of 29-year-old Fatma Sharif: "We are not convinced that under the present political and security situation, the personal circumstances [of the petitioner] justify intervention in the decision of the respondent [the defense minister]."
Since 2000, Israel has imposed a comprehensive ban on Gaza students who want to study in the West Bank, which has been upheld by the High Court. Even before instituting the formal prohibition, by the 1990s Israel had already imposed various restrictions on travel, which have become ever more stringent and led many Gazans to decide not to study at universities in the West Bank.
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Fatma Sharif |
| Photo by: Haaretz |
The academic year at Birzeit starts on August 15. Sharif wanted to get to the university by Thursday to arrange her registration, and was hoping that, with all the talk of easing the closure, the Israeli authorities would show understanding for her desire to specialize in human rights. On June 7 she asked for a travel permit, submitting her request to the Palestinian Civilian Committee, which is tasked with handing over the requests to Israel's Gaza coordination and liaison office. But the Palestinian committee, which acts under Israeli instructions, refused to accept the request since the liaison office deals only with travel requests that fall within the category of humanitarian or urgent medical needs.
On June 8, Sharif appealed to the coordinator of government activities in the territories and to the head of the liaison administration. She was informed on June 23 that "the request has been turned down because it does not meet the criteria that are set from time to time in accordance with the political and security situation." Sharif filed her High Court petition with the assistance of Nomi Heger, a lawyer with the advocacy group Gisha: Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, but the court ruled in the state's favor.
The court agreed with the state's position that the June 20 statement by senior cabinet ministers about easing the blockade "did not say anything about extending the present policy about travel," a policy that allows Gazans to leave "only in humanitarian cases, with the emphasis on urgent medical cases."
Deputy State Prosecutor Ilil Amir said the announcement about easing the blockade referred to making things more efficient. "The relevant bodies are working to make the handling of humanitarian and medical requests more efficient from the procedural point of view," she said, explaining that this included "a shorter waiting period for dealing with the requests, devoting more work hours to the matter, shortening the time it takes for a security check, and so forth.
This decision is not intended to extend the criteria, and certainly it does not include allowing travel so that someone can engage in academic studies for a master's degree." Amir said several times that the High Court has previously upheld the state's position on this matter.
She said it was dangerous to allow students such as Sharif to travel to the West Bank because Israel has to deal with the efforts of terrorist organizations to set up "branches of the Gaza terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank." One of the ways Israel deals with this is by "restricting movement between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," she said.
Apparently it makes no difference that the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, where Sharif works, is one of the independent institutions in the Gaza Strip that regularly criticizes the Hamas government's acts of repression.
Let this be a deterrent
The Jerusalem site of the Supreme Court is not far from the Ofer military tribunal, located on land belonging to Beitunia, southwest of Ramallah. That was where military judge Netanel Benishu on Thursday - the day before the sixth anniversary of the International Court of Justice ruling against the route of the separation fence - ordered continued detention for Adeeb Abu Rahma from Bil'in. Abu Rahma, a 39-year-old taxi driver, was arrested on July 10, 2009, after participating in a demonstration against the separation fence, whose construction on village land has caused the destruction of fields and orchards that the villagers' fathers and grandfathers had worked.
His trial took almost a year, and he was eventually found guilty by another military judge, Aryeh Dorani, of three charges (all of which Abu Rahma denied ): inciting others to attack security forces and the fence, entering a closed military zone and, as Benishu phrased it, "activities against public order, since during his participation in the unrest he clashed with the security forces and threw a bottle of water and a flag at them." Dorani sentenced him to time served (the year he had already been in detention ) and a fine, along with a one-year suspended sentence.
Abu Rahma was supposed to be released on July 8. The military prosecution appealed what it called the "lightness" of the sentence and demanded that he remain in custody until the appeals court makes a decision.
It was not merely because of the danger Abu Rahma posed (by possibly throwing a bottle of water and a flag at the soldiers again ) that Benishu ordered the continued detention of someone who had already served his term, in contravention of a High Court decision that such a decision should be reached only in exceptional circumstances ). "The appeal is meant to establish what a fitting punishment is, in a unique case for which, so far, no general level of punishment has been established," Benishu ruled. In other words, the Abu Rahma verdict - the first in a series of trials for those who organize demonstrations against the separation fence - is supposed to serve as a deterrent. Let those who protest the theft of their lands know the price of throwing a bottle of water at our soldiers.
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Isreal also prevents many palestinian students from obtaining student visas required for the enrollment at overseas universities. Why would isreal let people learn of human rights when its own history is plagued with human rights abuses and violations of international law almost on a daily basis to the current day according to a united concencous amoung human rights watch,UN, B't Salem, Amnesty international and the Red cross. If international law was respected and implemented in the world today, the occupation of the west bank, east jerusalem,shebaa farms,golan heights and gaza would be a distant memory!!!!!
This lady would be out of a job in the Islamic man's world back in Gaza as her Ph.D. thesis in human rights violations commited by Hamas against the Palestinians would remain an academic affair with no practical application or implementation. Drop the Hamas Charter & gain the friendly chatter of Israeli friends instead at universities, restaurants, and bazaars.
Shame on those who made this decision to ban this young lady from advancing her education. Acts like this encourage hatred and animosity. This occupation is making the Jews look terrible allover the world.
Amira, Fatima studies "Human Rights" and your article is fuming! Now my question is out of curiosity, Gaza is run by Hamas which is a Muslim organization, she I assume is also Muslim,' I know that INTL Human Rights are NOT recognized by muslims because they ONLY respect and abide by Islamic laws and Sharia so.. What HUMAN RIGHTS IS SHE TRYING TO STUDY AT BIRZEIT? IF IT S INDEED ISLAMIC WHY NOT OPEN THE KORAN AND READ ITS ALL IN THERE TAUGHT BY PROPHET MOHAMED??????
The question is an oxymoron - there's no rational reason why Israel should allow people who live in an entity controlled by its implacable enemies enter Israel. Nobody's questioning the right of Britain or Germany to control its borders. In fact, even asking this question exposes a deep-seated anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic delusional feelings.
There are actually several rational reasons, one of which being that no state is homogeneous. The UK is currently involved in wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan and lets people from both those countries to travel to the UK. I'll also note that you opened your comment by asking the question "Why Should Israel Allow Gazans Enter Israel?", so according to your own argument, you have "deep-seated anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic delusional feelings". Or would you like the chance to rephrase your point?
im a jew and im frankly tired of everything being about anti-semitic - you can have an opinion and we can disagree but lets leave the anti semitic for real cases and issues so they would still have a ground to stand on.
She could leave through Egypt, then go to Jordon, then cross over to the West Bank. Quite a trip, but still possible, and it would complete avoid having to travel through Israel. But unfortunately, Israel controls the Jordon/West Bank border. And Israel's policy since 1990 has been to not let anyone from Gaza study in the West Bank. Regardless of whether they cross through Israel or through Jordon. And of course, 1990 was long before Hamas had taken control of Gaza. So those of you that blame Hamas for this are wrong. The same thing happened when the PA controlled Gaza.
West Bank is not Israel
You're right in that Britain or Germany would not let their enemies study there BUT they wouldn't stop them from studying in France or the US, Birzeit is in the occupied territories NOT Israel.
I support the blockade of Gaza while it's under Hamas control. However, she should have the right to go from one part of the PA to another, if Abbas has no problem with her. But not through Israel.
The old anti-semitic blah blah. . Try to get over yourself and understand that some people may disagree with your policies. . . And not be racist.
enough of these stories of "israel wont let etc etc etc"... when hamas recognizes its neighbor, then perhaps border openings would be a relevant issue. until then, why on earth should israel let anyone pass through its borders...
The ban on Gazan's studying in the west bank was brought in before Hamas were in power. As for letting people from Gaza travel, do that and it is extremely likely that you would see less support for Hamas in Gaza. Is that a good enough reason for you?
Or the future state of Palestine? The fact that the government is supporting the illegal building of settlements is by it self a disrespect to Palestinians hence it means Israel doesn’t recognize the right to have a Palestinian state.
surely you jest... any other country in the world would never open borders with a neighbor who has openly declared your existence is a sham and will be destroyed...
WHY did the *Palestinians* not get their *State* from Jordan before '67 ??? Why did they choose WAR against the Jewish State instead of a State ?? Why should there be a State now when there was no interest 50n years ago ??
And is also something that should be immediately sought by those who think that any attempt by anyone arabic to express self-determination must be some kind of plot by Hamas.
How many US citizens were leaving to go to school in Tokyo and Berlin between 1941 and 1945? How many citizens of those countries were coming to the US as students? There are natural consequence of war. When Hamas shapes up, I am sure the exchange of students will follow. Until then, use common sense.
Many people came from Germany to the USA and then studied there during WWII. The US would probably not have had the atom bomb first were it otherwise. For example, Einstein became a US citizen in 1940 and Hans Bethe in 1941. Oh, and the war started in '39, you lot were tardy.
I have serious reservations applying terms like "shaping up" to Hamas. The pragmatism [corruption] of Muslim leaders in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the poster boy Arafat seems lost on these Hamas guys. They want jihad.
You need to read some history. The US declared war in December 1941. Up until then there was no war with Germany or Japan
I'm surprised by the number of posters who have condemned this woman without a shred of evidence to do so. Israel is better than that, or so I tell anyone who shows disrespect for the country. This woman is reported to have worked for a Gaza-based HR organization that criticizes Hamas, so why do so many of you call her a dupe or whatever for Hamas? She could be part of the future, a Palestinian opting for human rights and against Hamas. Why not encourage her? The intelligence services must already know whether she works for Hamas or is genuinely independent and motivated by human rights convictions. If she turns out to be an enemy of Israel, then she can be sent back to Gaza, and if she's a terrorist, as some suspect, she can be arrested and put behind bars (at least until the next mass release of Palestinian prisoners). But Israel needs to build loyalty wherever it can find it: why can't she attend an Israeli university and learn about human rights at first hand?
She certainly doesn't look to be starved lately...
Why the hell we need Hamas, When we have Amira Hass?
You will see, Iranians, Arabs and the other will study more and more, and more and more and you will no longer be faced with scientific illiterates. Iranians are the prof of that..
Nobody (except Hamas & Egypt) prevents Gazans to study. Israel is under no obligation to provide education to the Gazans.
They prefer terrorists to those who work for human rights organisations. Terrorists provide a justification for their continued siege of Gaza and their policy to do all in their power to sever it from the WB. This young woman you see does not serve their propaganda interests so her program of studies at Bir Zeit must be banned. It would be recognising that Gaza is a part of Palestine.
This article is disgusting because it is propaganda against Israel The woman is inciting terrorism. she should be banned. Let her go fight for human rights against Hamas in Gaza where Pal are killed everyday
ks I am kneeling on my rug bobbing up and down affirming agreement with you. No student should be allowed to study in America, Europe or Israel without a statement rejecting the teachings of the false prophet Mohammed. Hey if the girl embraces the west let her in without her hajib or burqa.
Human rights? Ha ha ha Hamas.
When studies of Human Rights are denied, then something is being hidden. Who authorizes "denials of anything, anywhere"? Tyrants?
by anybody., including those who temporarily do not wear a bomb.
If more lawyers anywhere and at any time studied human rights rather than torts; if more lawyers gave themselves a broader education rather than chasing ambulances, the laws would be much improved. Specifically, unless the Defense Minister, or any of his underlings can show cogent reason for not allowing this woman into the West Bank the refusal to do so reeks of "collateral damage" and collective punishment, two signs inevitably pointing toward thuggery. The Justices need to demand that the government prove that individuals studying this, that, or the present a clear and present danger to the larger public before it passes decisions on matters such as this.
human rights abusers Hamas
Israel.
Hamas likely agreed with this decision! Imagine this woman bringing her human rights education into Gaza! It would undermine Hamas control of the strip by introducing ideas which Hamas wants to suppress. Hamas won in the short term, but Israel may lose in the long term from this inane decision!
and Hamas is using her
Where did you get that information from? Certainly not from the article. What is the source of your information? Or are you just a racist? She wants to study human rights, not violence incitement. And what does Hamas have to do with it? According to the article "Since 2000, Israel has imposed a comprehensive ban on Gaza students who want to study in the West Bank". Maybe such behavior by Israel is why Hamas rose to power in Gaza. Hamas did not take control of Gaza until mid-2007.
Blockade running is cloaked in "Humanitarian Aid". Blowing up buses is "Freedom Fighting". Launching missiles at kindergartens is "Resistance". Just the very fact that she wants to study "Human Rights" should be enough to give a thinking person pause. If she was smart, she should say that she is pursuing a degree in tire-changing on a donkey cart.
I heard Bull Conner use that line once...to describe the Freedom Riders.
I suppose genocide is cloaked in "Siege", murder of innocent civilians is "Defending Israel" and stealing the land of others is simply "Statehood". In a place where the basic rights of humans have been ripped away from the average individual, the idea that this young woman would want to study "Human Rights" makes perfect sense to a thinking person. That you could come up with a racist statement like the one you did indicates you clearly are not.
... she not only wants to learn about human rights... she even wants to implement these dangerous rights...
connect with your higher soul and wake up you are so naive
Cause he seems prone on helping Hamas keep women submitted in Gaza. What an appalling, stupid, machist policy...
you are an anti semite
another one with the anti semite - can anything be said without it being anti semite!!
this would be one way to ease tension. it should be be allowed
as sad as it is to see individuals suffering, there is a ban against traveling. No more than that.
The blockade of Gaza is equivalent to collective punishment, which is strictly prohibited by article 33 of the Geneva Convention. The blockade is a violation of International Humanitarian Law that is illegal. Israel simply does not have the right, either, to prevent Palestinians from moving within their own territory.
I do not agree with this interpretation, but to be clear - quoting international law that only partially reflects the reality of the situation stirs up sentiment, but it's still at best a half-truth. The blockade and roadblocks cannot be illegal if the threat of or actual terrorist acts within Israel are not also illegal, and both parties should be subject to the same rules.
As soon as Hamas calls off its war with Israel, there will be less suffering for everyone involved. There is no such thing as a war in which civilians aren't affected, particularly when that war is fought on your home front. That's how wars are. You don't like it? Blame Hamas.
Hamas deserves no recognition or respect. They ascribe to the teachings of Mohammed, a seventh century warlord. They need enlightenment. My sympathy for the suffering people living under the oppression of fundamentalist Islam whether it is the Taliban, Iran, Africa. or Saudi Arabia is dissolving fast. It is not up to us to free them. If they want to come to Israel let them sign a document renouncing the prophet Mohammed.
After all they have the U.N commission on human rights - and YES it is Islamic, it's in Bukhari who notes down ALL the WORDS and ACTIONS of Mohamet, whom, by the Qur'an is the 'perfect example to follow' and so they perfectly want to stone a mother to death because of Mohamet's women's human rights example. Let her in to study Torah and the Injil (Gospels) as in the QUr'an and then she will see she's on the wrong side (Ezekiel 35-37) and, she may even learn to love her enemies, miracles still happen.
what does this have to do with the price of fish?
before the 'studying human rights" we had "medical humanitarian needs"...and there were special passes, until some of those "special needs" people decided to blow themselves up and kill as many israelis as possible. So now we have a new version, nows it "education"-the ending will be the same however.....
Strap on a bomb and go blow up busloads of people? That defines a savage. The Jew should establish reservations for their savages as the US and Canada do. Use our laws as a guide.
so what do you call the early israeli terrorists who placed bombs and then ran away? cowards?
Even though your post reeks of hate and ignorance, it does have a decent idea in there. Native American reservations are self-governing independent nations contained within but separate from the United States. That might not be a bad model for Palestinians.
Jews are always complaining of Palestinian incitement in their media and yet the mainstream Israeli media condones (promotes?) racist talkbacks in its press. Oh wait a minute thats right some how it is worse if an Arab says something hateful because it must be anti semitic - the very
what do you call germans from t30's/40's... what do you call the crusaders? what do you call scalping indians? the lets Go back in History game is fun... not. were talking about now
For all practical purposes reservations are like zoos to the rest of America and have as much self determination. I sincerely doubt thats a good model anywhere.
These examples are a clear violation of human rights, that should be condemned by international bodies! Israel should have the right to protect itself, but it should not be allowed to impede on others rights either! This is truly shameful on Israel's part, since they should be taking a higher, more moral road than this!
Less human rights than Israelis. She allready has less as she has the misfortune to live under Hamas rule - which she criticises - and then is punished for that again by Israel. Between the devil and the deep blue sea
children. If your children lived there you would not want a potential Hamas zombie doll getting too close to your children wake up you are an anti semite
Israel denied a woman to study human rights - because she is from Gaza and needs to study in the West Bank. This is worse discrimination than even the US discrimination against Blacks some decades in the past. Israel a democracy? Surely, nobody believes that anymore. Israel is a terrified dictatorship. It can't win and knows it can't win in the way it acts and refuses to change its own approach. Lets hope it will fall off the cliff on its own, soon.
This woman comes from Gaza dictatorship where they kill Pals and everyone. no one is fooled by this woman
This kind of thinking is a crime against humanity according to international laws. punishing civiliansfor what their rulers do is a crime according to UN principles. More over what you said makes me feel like you are a retard extremist. God save us and Israelis from people like you.
who she voted for?
Can you prove this woman did?
Who says this woman voted the Hamas? Maybe she voted to have more freedom.
why bother israel with this palestinian matter?
Not allowing education is just one of the slow but consistent processes of slow genocide,....but genocide for sure. People don't have to be killed quickly for a genocide to be a genocide. Between the Jews in WW 2 and the Palestinians, the Palestinians have suffered longer and more intensely. It's good to know that the world is catching up to the truth of Israel Zionist (Jews ?).
The education is allowed. Allowing travel through Israel or making exceptions during a war don't make sense.
The israel's high court is more criminal than the political and (defence) establishments of israel.
Who cares about 1 woman having a few travel restrictions Hamas officially ban the teaching of human rights in schools in Gaza. The basic logic of banning travel out if fear terror cells will be set up elsewhere makes sense but like many good laws sometimes other people get caught in the net. Also the last thing this region needs is another human rights lawyer the place is full of them and nobody in the region wants them butting in all the time.
"the last thing this region needs is another human rights lawyer the place is full of them and nobody in the region wants them butting in all the time." Amazing, just.... amazing
beggest human rights abusers, Libya, Iran, angola. Mat these human rights lawyers do not protect rights but are used as a propaganda circus against Israel. You are an anti semite who jumps on anything against Israel. Put your own children with in this kangaroo human rights forum
I am sure it can and it will be... As long as US gives the annual $3+ billion "aid" to Israel unconditionally and Europe treats Israel Israel almost like a EU member nothing will change... If Israeli students would be banned from studying in European and US universities the scream of "antisemitism" could be heard everywhere around the world...
Maybe it will eventually come to that with boycotts and sanctions.
since the US or Europe would never have in their founding charter that israel will be destroyed...
This paranoia that has consumed Israel only perpetuates violence and hatred against it. Granted, I'm sure Israel wants good PR and more people to have a positive opinion of it. However, to deny this woman and others like her, a chance to educate themselves and form their own opinions practically guarantees that any opinions and attitudes they have or will have on Israel will be deeply negative.
A Gaza woman studying human rights! Come on! Can't you see; it's the biggest danger to all Israelis...
= intellectual terrorism
...of "human rights activity", with field trips to the Kurdish and Armenian regions to see how the Turks deal with human rights.
Preventing someone who is probably one of the only women in Gaza able to get an education from... getting an education! You stay classy, Israel! Keep promoting those Western values!
Let them study at their own universities. Tell Hamas and the Hezbos to quit using their money for rockets to kill Jews and use it to build schools including universities. So they hate Jews but want to attend their schools. Now there's an oxymoron for ya!
it is "their own university" and i highly doubt there are many jews there. the problem is that this woman is from gaza, which is under siege at the moment. palestinians from gaza are not allowed to go study in the west bank (or anywhere else).
Why can't she just go to Europe or America to pursue her degree? I'm sure many people all over the world do it all of the time. Why would she want to study in the West Bank if there were more prestigious opportunities available to further her education?
she might try the southern border....
maybe she has family there - who will help reduce the cost of her education. OR someone like the UN could cover her costs - but I'm sure you would see that as bias.
Under International Law, Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are the same territorial entity called the occupied Palestinian territory. And, guess what... the Israeli government recognized it officially in 1992!
There's two sides to every story
I especially love the fair and equitable treatment Israel dispenses to people who are not even in their country. How do you expect terrorism to die when you do all in your power to promote it? Education is the best way forward, yet you refuse to allow Gazans that opportunity. I guess rather than the hearts and minds approach, Israel prefers oppression and destruction. Utterly disgusting.
... can be a dangerous commodity... even worse than cement to rebuild Gazans bombed-out homes...
Would it not be to Israel's benefit to allow the Palestinian student to travel in order to pursue graduate studies in the field of human rights? She might be a force for change in Gaza, challenging the suppression of such rights there.
seems where she works is all about bashing israel....it wouldn't be much for her to be a "force for change" with her first degree in gaza-granted hamas wont be as nice as the israelis are, but she can start...
"Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, where Sharif works, is one of the independent institutions in the Gaza Strip that regularly criticizes the Hamas government's acts of repression."
try reading the actual website....they don't "regularly criticizes the Hamas government" for obvious reasons, but they do to israel.....
anyone can tell you that education increases the desire for freedom and the dislike of violence. how can israel possibly expect the gazans to form a peaceful and productive society when they won't even let them educate themselves? absolutely barbaric.
they live in Gaza, why can't they study in Gaza. Perhaps Hamas is at fault not allowing women to study human rights.
Pro-Israeli lawyers are so good that they conviced the freeworld that taking others' land and making your own is legal and the only thing to do in the case of Israel.
It's probably because the IDF completely destroyed Gaza's only law university a year ago. Just a guess.
I am sick of hearing lies that Israel took Palestinian land. Gaza belonged to Egypt who doesn't want it back and the West Bank belonged to Jordan who also left it in ruins and doesn't want it back. So the result of a war Israel is there and doing its best despite all the lies that it isn't.
No mention of Pals at all. "A homeland for the Jewish people." The pals can return to jordan, egypt, Lebanon, oops, they have camps for pals there also....
but if they did, it was probably because hamas had an arsenal of weapons stored there, just a guess...touche