Minister of Education and Higher Education Visits Birzeit University After Military Break-in

Palestinian Authority Minister of Education and Higher Education Khawla Shakshir visited Birzeit University on June 21, 2014, and met with its President Khalil Hindi and a number of his deputies in solidarity after the campus was broken-into by Israeli military forces.

The administration briefed the minister on the damage done by the Israeli army, while Shakshir condemned ongoing aggression against educational facilities, especially Palestinian universities. Shakshir confirmed that these practices demonstrate the savagery of the occupation and its policies aimed at preventing education, which is a main pillar of community development.

"This provocative operation that targeted a national seat of learning,” Shakshir said, “constitutes a crime and a flagrant violation of all international conventions and norms on one hand, and is an infringement on the right to education as one of the fundamental human rights, on the other."

Hindi assured that these attacks will not affect Palestinians’ commitment to higher learning, enlightenment, and the university’s critical role. "This is a grave violation to the sanctity of our campus by the Israeli army,” he said, “and is also an attack on the right to education, which is guaranteed by international conventions."