Earlier Sunday, more than fifty Israeli military vehicles invaded Birzeit University in Birzeit city, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, before the soldiers stormed and ransacked buildings and students’ dorms and assaulted campus guards before abducting eight students.
Media sources said the soldiers invaded the university campus, stormed several buildings, especially students’ dorms, and violently searched them, causing excessive damage, before abducting eight students.
The soldiers assaulted and detained university security guards and took their mobile phones and communication devices before storming several buildings, in addition to detonating the door of the students’ senate before invading and ransacking it.
The abducted students are the head of the Students’ Senate, former political prisoner Abdul-Majid Hasan from Deir as-Sudan town, northwest of Ramallah, Omar Khalil and Mahmoud Nakhla from the Al-Jalazoun refugee camp north of Ramallah, Yahia Farah from Doura Al-Qare village northeast of Ramallah, Ahmad Oweidat from the Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, Mohammad Najm, Hasan Alwan and Abdullah Abu Qayyas, from Jenin in the northern West Bank.
Birzeit University administration issued a statement strongly condemning the invasions into its campus, the destruction, and the abduction of the students, adding that the attacks are direct violations of International Law and all related treaties.
In its statement, Birzeit University said:
“Birzeit University denounces the Israeli occupation’s #raid on the university campus and arrest of students this morning. A large number of #Israeli forces raided the university campus, #arrested students, and attacked the university property.
This is a clear violation of all internationally upheld principles and conventions that forbid violating the sanctity of university campuses and educational institutions. Birzeit University will follow up with the detained students through its lawyer and legal institutions.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research also issued a statement condemning the attack, describing it as a serious violation against educational facilities in Palestine.
The Ministry called on the International Association of Universities, The Association of Arab Universities, along with all related human rights groups, educational and legal associations to act on exposing and stopping the ongoing and escalating Israeli violations and to take clear stances and measures to help in ending those violations.
