When I wanted to go to graduate school, I wrote a list of my dream schools, created a budget and spoke to my supervisor at work. I never had to consider whether I would be physically able to reach the school due to, say, Canadian restrictions on my movement within the U.S.
The piece explains, “Israeli security officials believe universities in the occupied territories are ‘breeding grounds for terrorists.'” Students in Gaza are not permitted to travel to the West Bank to attend a university.
I currently teach a Video Journalism workshop at An Najah University in Nablus, West Bank. Â My students are committed and inspired to improve their journalism skills. Â They are learning, simply, how to tell a story, as I learned when I attended Medill. Â My students are not terrorists.
“I was shocked and frustrated. I have lost all my dreams because of this Israeli decision,” said Fatma Sharif in the piece. Â She lives in Gaza and wants to go to graduate school in the West Bank.
Watch this Al Jeezera piece to better understand the restrictions placed on students in Gaza.
Thanks for sharing. Shows the not so obvious reality of israel’s illegal blockade. Education is the key to the youths future, an Israel are adamant to suppress it.