May 25, 2005

A Statement by the Employees' Union at Birzeit University


Palestinian academics have historically been supportive of developing cooperation and maintaining dialogue with academics around the world. Academic cooperation has been one of the few means available to enable us to break the isolation in which we have found ourselves through the long years of Israeli military occupation. It has also been essential in enabling us to carry out our mission to promote the academic, social and cultural development of our society as well as assisting us in carrying out our national struggle for independence.

The Israeli military occupation, supported by Israeli academic institutions, has attempted to undermine all efforts of the Palestinian academics to carry out this mission. As such we strongly oppose the development of relations with Israeli academic institutions as it is tantamount to maintaining the current occupation and limiting Palestinian right to education.

As such, the Federation of Unions of Palestinian Universities’ Professors and Employees applauded the recent decision by the British Association University Teachers to boycott two Israeli academic institutions meeting the Palestinian Call for Boycott endorsed by over 50 Palestinian academic and cultural institutions. We congratulate AUT on its decision as it entails taking concrete steps to place the necessary pressure on Israel to ensure its compilation with international law.

We were dismayed to learn of the undermining of this international effort by Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, the President of Al-Quds University, who interrupted his leave in United States of America in order to fly to London to sign an agreement with the Hebrew University.

We strongly condemn Dr. Nusseibeh’s act, and we call upon the Board of Trustees of Al-Quds University, the Ministry of Higher Education, and all competent bodies to remove Dr. Nusseibeh from his post and to censure all those who assisted in or encouraged this act.

We call upon all Palestinian, Arab and international academics to stand against the Israeli occupation in Palestine and to stand against the Israeli government’s decision to establish Bar Ilan University degree Programs in the illegal Israeli colony of Ariel which is located in the West Bank.