Palestinian Universities under Occupation 15 August–15 November

Abstract

On 29 October, Bethlehem University marked the anniversary of one full year of military-ordered closure: the university had been closed following the death by army gunfire of a student, Ishaq Abu Surur, on 28 October 1987. Since that time, its campus and classrooms have been shut down by a succession of military orders, with the exception of 1 February, when the university managed to open for a day of classes between military orders. The closure anniversary serves to underline the growing sense of urgency among West Bank faculty, students, and parents as the situation in universities and schools poses new problems and concerns: from whether young children are losing their ability to read to how university faculty can go on functioning in a state of continued preparedness for an opening of universities that is continually postponed