Fullbrights Scholars and Gaza

UPDATE ON FULBRIGHT STUDENTS: LOOKS LIKE THE BEGINNING OF VICTORY

On June 2nd, the State Department reinstated Fulbright scholarships to the 7 students from Gaza who had lost them because Israel refused to allow the students exit visas from Gaza.

As of June 4, 4 of the students have been allowed to travel out of Gaza to the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem for their visa interviews. The other 3 have still not been approved to leave Gaza for their interviews.

If these students manage to leave Gaza, claim their fellowships and continue their education, it will be a great victory -- and one brought about in some part by the more than 1,400 emails you sent to Condoleeza Rice since the news broke last Friday.

But the victory is only partial, because hundreds of students from Gaza are still barred by Israel from taking their places in universities abroad that have already accepted them. Since June 2007, Israel has imposed almost total closure on the Gaza strip, which means that these students cannot get to their schools abroad.

We all have work to do - to make sure the students who want to study abroad can do so and to rebuild & strengthen the educational systems inside of Gaza that have been so devastated by occupation and closure.

For more information on the Fulbright students, go to Gisha-Legal Center for Freedom of Movement (www.gisha.org). For more information on Palestinian students and their struggles to gain their education in the shadow of occupation, go to the Right to Education website.



 


© Copyright by JewishVoiceForPeace.org