'We are under siege'

[Tom Joad]

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,2106625,00.html

Lisa Taraki, dean of graduate studies at Bir Zeit University, is puzzled by the uproar caused by the University and College Union's decision to discuss a boycott of Israeli academics.

"There has been a great hue and cry about the academic freedom of Israelis as if the academic freedom of Palestinians is of no consequence. The Israelis are not interested in academic freedom, they are interested in the protection of their own privileges," she said.

She has taught at the institution for 30 years and cannot remember a time when Israel did anything but try to suppress Palestinian education.

"We have been under siege for more than 30 years. In spite of this we have managed to build a credible institution," she said.

Bir Zeit was founded as a girls' school in 1924, but started offering degrees 50 years later. The university's students became regular protesters against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and the small peaceful countryside campus was often showered with stones and sprayed with tear gas as the army tried to crack down on peaceful dissent.
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Academic Freedom? Not under Israeli military occupation.
I watched how university students are treated, how they can barely travel to their schools. For that matter, the same for high school students.

[pelsar]

1. in the same article...

she has taught at the institution for 30 years and cannot remember a time when Israel did anything but try to suppress Palestinian education.

ir Zeit was founded as a girls' school in 1924, but started offering degrees 50 years later
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1924 + 50 = 1974...that means under israeli occupation the school expanded, it education level was improved and it became a university....

i dunno seems to contradict the "suppress the Palestinian education system"....or is increasing and improving the system a bad thing?

[Tom Joad]

2. Ask the University students who are detained at military checkpoints

day in and day out. Or the attacks on the Students protesting at the university. The students/faculty arrested by the Israeli military.

what aid did Israel give to the University? You seem to be implying it did give some aid.

[pelsar]

4. there are two aspects...

the expanding of the education system within the territories which happened under the occupation.....

and the checkpoints and closing of the universities at times......which no doubt surpresses the educational system....

both are true.

[azurnoir]

3. Accorrding to their website

They started offering associates degrees in 1962

http://www.birzeit.edu/p/ps?url=about/history2&id=50208