Statement by the Birzeit University Council

September 3rd, 2024

The Israeli occupation’s invasion of our campus is a continuation of the systematic policy of devastating educational life in Palestine

Adding to the Israeli occupation's long list of crimes and violations against educational institutions in Palestine, and in continuation of its crimes against the Palestinian people as a whole, the occupation’s forces raided the campus of Birzeit University at dawn on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, assaulting the University’s security staff, tampering with the belongings of the Student Council, and confiscating some of its property.

A military force of five vehicles and a large number of soldiers invaded the campus through the western gate at 02:00 am, assaulted the security staff, and handcuffed them at gunpoint, resulting in an injury to one of the security staff after he was thrown to the ground with his hands cuffed. The force then raided the Student Council office and neighboring student blocs’ storage rooms, confiscated some of their belongings, and scattered flyers inside.

This brutal and recurrent invasion is a continuation of the Israeli occupation’s systematic policies aiming to devastate educational life in Palestine, targeting students and teachers in various methods, and assaulting academic institutions. Birzeit University sees this act as a blatant violation of all international conventions and laws, which incriminate the infringement of the sanctity of campuses and educational institutions.

It is noted that the university’s campus has been continuously raided, the latest incidents having included: on the first day of the new semester in September 2023, when an Israeli occupation force raided the Eastern gate and arrested several students, followed by the raid of the Student Council and student blocs’ offices in November, and the kidnapping of two students from the Western gate by a special military force in February, one of whom was the President of the Student Council.

Birzeit University calls upon all international academic and law institutions to support it in its educational and academic goals. It reiterates that these violations will not prevent the University from fulfilling its academic, social, and humanitarian roles. Moreover, the University urges international law institutions and the international community to put an end to the genocidal crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and work effectively to end the scholasticide and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes.