The Israeli High Court of ‘Justice’ decided on Wednesday to prevent Bethlehem University student from the Gaza Strip from completing her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration after accusing her of ‘illegally staying in the West Bank”Berlanty Azzam, 22, went to the West Bank in 2005 in order to study at Bethlehem University, she only has two more month to obtain her B.A Degree in Business Administration.
But she was kidnapped by Israeli soldiers at a roadblock in the West Bank and was expelled to the Gaza Strip.
She filed a complaint to the so-called ‘Israeli High Court of Justice’ with assistance of the Gesha Israeli center for the freedom of movement but the court denied the petition and refused to allow her to remain in the West Bank until she graduates.
The Israeli Authorities never filed any security charges against Azzam who entered the West Bank after obtaining a permit from the Israeli Army.
Gesha said the Israeli claims that Azzam is ‘an illegal alien’ in the West Bank as false as she was granted a permit into Israel and then into the West Bank.
But the High Court accepted the charges of the prosecution claiming that she entered the West Bank illegally and claimed that her permit only allowed her entry into Jerusalem not into the West Bank.
This decision is another violation to the Oslo peace deal as it grants the Palestinian Authority the ‘power’ to change the address of its citizens without obtaining a permit from Israel. The P.A only has to inform Israel of such changes.
Yet, Israel always rejected to register any modifications that involve changing addresses from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank.
After the second Intifada took off in late September 2000, Israel refused to allow Gaza residents from entering the occupied West Bank and those who are already living there were never allowed to change their addresses.
Gazans living in the West Bank would face the same fate and would be separated from their families should they be stopped at any Israeli military roadblock or even by soldiers invading Palestinian ‘controlled’ areas.
The first hearing in Berlanty’s case was on November 30 and the court decided to deport her to the Gaza Strip. Directly after the hearing, Azzam was transferred to the Gaza Strip.
