Birzeit University Vice President for Advancement and Communication Ghassan Khatib received on January 30, 2013 a delegation from the International Council of Trustees of Bethlehem University as part of their three-day tour of Palestine.

 

The delegation first watched a documentary about the founding of Birzeit University and its current facilities before Khatib briefed the visitors on the university’s vision, plans and projects, and main challenges. Most prominent among those challenges are financial obstacles resulting from the general financial crisis Palestine is experiencing. He also spoke of the Israeli occupation’s policies that debilitate university operations - such as mobility restrictions, barriers and checkpoints and the siege imposed on Gaza, all of which prevent many Palestinian students living in Gaza, in the northern West Bank and 1948 areas from enrolling in Birzeit University. He further noted that hiring academics living outside Palestine has been hindered by the Israeli authorities’ refusal to issue visas for these academics to stay in the country.

 

The delegation and Vice President Khatib agreed on the importance of activating communication and cooperation among Palestinian universities in order to exchange expertise and complement each other in meeting the challenges facing all institutions of higher learning. Executive Vice President of Bethlehem University Michael Sansour, who was part of the group, thanked Khatib and the university community for hosting them and expressed hopes of greater cooperation and planning between the two institutions.

 

The delegation also toured the university campus to see its faculties, facilities and student life. The visitors were impressed by the development and progress achieved at the university, and by its democratic atmosphere.