Haitham blogs about the aftermath of seven students getting their Fulbright scholarships revoked, then reinstated, yet still being stranded in the Gaza Strip:
For the mainstream press, this story “moved quickly” and has now concluded with a positive ending for the Gaza Fulbright seven. But hundreds of other Palestinian students remain stranded inside the Gaza Strip, and the number is expected to rise this summer. According to data from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), almost 700 Palestinian students are still waiting to leave Gaza in order to pursue studies, and scholarships, abroad. “This number will increase within the next month, after the schools announce their exam results and Gaza students want to move onto universities” says Khalil Shaheen, a senior PCHR researcher. “All of these students are stranded inside the Gaza Strip because of the Israeli siege and closure, and they are being denied their rights to pursue their education, and their futures.”
Can someone please explain how keeping Fulbright scholars locked up in Gaza helps make Israel more secure? I’m at a loss here.
Can someone explain to me why so many people believe something just because it is published on the net? Israel is NOT always the cause. Do your research people, before jumping to conclusions!
So are you saying that Israel is NOT refusing to let students in Gaza travel to universities in the West Bank or abroad?
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I’m very offended that Israel is blamed for what is going on in Gaza when Egypt has the ability to open the border, as we saw when the wall was blown up. It was Egypt, not Israel, that sent Gazans back.
I read the entry on Modern Mitzvot‘s blog. Unless there is some reason Gazan’s can’t travel to the US Consulate in Cairo, or use the US “Virtual Presence Post” in Gaza, to get a visa, I don’t see why Israel has to open its borders. There’s a reason the borders are closed. Please explain to me WHY Egypt can’t deal with the problem? They have a border with Gaza, too, you know.
The virtual presence post in Gaza does not issue visas, and the State Department requires residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza to set an appointment to be interviewed by a consular officer at the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem.
Assuming these young students managed to cross the border into Egypt and travel to Cairo, there’s no guarantee that the U.S. consulate there would even let them set an appointment since that consulate is supposed to give priority to Egyptian residents seeking visa services.