By Palestinian students who are actively involved in campus union activities have faced an ongoing issue of arbitrary suspensions, causing significant disruptions to their academic pursuits and hindering their future prospects. This situation came to light recently when Bara’a Fuqaha, a Palestinian medical student, received a notification that she was suspended from her university studies for six months by Israeli authorities. Bara’a was in her third year at the Faculty of Medicine at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis.
Similarly, another student named Batoul Dar Assi, who was majoring in medical imaging at the same university, received a suspension notice lasting four months.
Bara’a, who is 24 years old, described her experience, stating that on June 25th, she was summoned by Israeli police to the Ma’ale Adumim police station, east of Jerusalem, where she was questioned about her involvement in student union activities. Following the interrogation, she was handed a suspension order.
This policy isn’t new; it mirrors actions taken by the Israeli army in 2018 and 2019 when several Palestinian university students in the West Bank were suspended for months, impeding their studies and delaying their graduations.
Despite Bara’a’s protestations of innocence during her interrogation, the suspension decision had apparently already been made, leaving her unable to enter Abu Dis until the decision is overturned. Unfortunately, she feels that the chances of reversal are slim, given the escalating punitive Israeli policies in the West Bank.
This suspension is just one example of Israeli administrative decisions that severely affect Palestinians, alongside measures like administrative detention, deportation, and demolition orders. Bara’a expressed concern that the Israeli army might monitor her movements, preventing her from accessing the university and completing her studies.
In response to these actions, the governorate issued a statement condemning what it sees as a racist and unacceptable interference in national universities, where student union activities are protected by the Palestinian constitution.
Sa’eda Al-Za’arir, a journalism student, faced a similar situation in 2019 when she was about to graduate from Birzeit University. She was suspended from the university and barred from entering Birzeit.
To counter this policy, many believe that universities should collaborate with suspended students and provide alternatives to prevent study delays. This could include distance learning, which can help mitigate the impact of suspensions on their education.
