Why can’t Palestinian students from Gaza take up their university places in Britain?
There are currently 76 Palestinian students in Gaza In spite of everything, it secured places to study in 31 of the best universities in England. While more than 35 of these students have full scholarships, eight people expect their internet to go back and run, so they can formally accept their unconditional offers.
Nevertheless, despite their achievements, all these students cannot get these difficult places at the moment, because they cannot leave Gaza. For many, these places have been postponed from the last academic year due to the lack of safe ways.
Such a student, Independent pre -emphasized22 -year -old Dalya Ibrahim Shehada Qeshta. While presented a place to study a pharmacy at the University of Manchester, his sister Dalal took part in the Aviation Engineering Course at the University of Bristol. Both have a family in the UK, but none of them can leave Gaza because of physical obstacles and lack of financial support.
On the other hand, the International Justice Center for the Palestinians, an independent lawyer, politicians and academician organizations aiming to protect their rights through laws, signed an open letter with the campaign groups of health workers and lawyers who want the British government to take action immediately.
And last week, approximately 5,000 academicians, including me, campaign to facilitate the safe transition of these students from Gaza to England. These include more than 600 professors, four blackmails and chancellor assistants, 12 dean, eight friends of the British Academy, and eight Obes and MBES.
The technical problem is two -way. The UK requires applicants to save biometric data before an application is processed, but the UK official Biometry Record Center in Gaza In October 2023. In 2023, a biometry postponement protocol was implemented for the Ukrainians, while the Palestinian demands for postponement encountered a bureaucratic stone wall. Although the government said that there are ways of application, a single one was not approved even for academics with scholarships given by the government.
Moreover, if students secure these biometric postponement that will allow them to make their biometric records in a third country (eg Jordan or Egypt), they cannot leave Gaza. Therefore, the government should facilitate both biometric postponement and a applicable way of exit. On August 6, Another letter Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for emergency action signed with more than 100 deputies.
In particular, Italy, Italian governments, FranceGermany and Belgium evacuated all students with university degree offers as part of wider evacuation efforts to provide emergency medical care, Especially to Palestinian children. There is no reasonable reason for the British government not to follow the case.
The profiles and requests of some of these students have already been widely reported. Students who perform English language tests, write entry experiments and make virtual interviews under the most terrible conditions – many of them are tents and Temporary Wifi Hubs – Limbo while waiting for the British government to take action.
IDF bombed all 11 universities in Gaza and could not continue the work of 88,000 students. Some of these universities were completely destroyed; Others were seized as questioning and torture centers of military bases or prisoners. Providing the continuous education of students is vital not only for the future reconstruction of the academic field in Gaza, but also for the restructuring of the Gaza Strip as a whole.
During May and June, this issue has been discussed in parliament again and again, but so far there has been no change in the needs for students in Gaza and there is still no way out. This is the last statement that the United Kingdom government plans to facilitate the evacuation of children from Gaza for emergency medical treatment. As of last week, Only three children from Gaza He came for treatment in the UK.
In 2024, a group of academics and university administrators of Gaza universities applied for appeal for action. Scholastide – the systematic destruction of educational institutions and the targeted assassination of students and academics – continues to destroy the rest of Gaza. If the UK government does not allow the safe passage of these promising academicians, the criminal partner will remain.
More than 4,800 UK academicians are determined to get a call. They share the view that education in Gaza is a fundamental human right.
These are test times, and the government’s position on this issue is a measure of the devotion of human rights, justice and equal opportunities to the universal values. Will this heroically young academics apply what they are preaching and facilitate the entrance or will it continue to leave them to their mercy? Israeli war machine?
Avi Shlaim, Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford and genocide in Gaza: long war of Israel on Palestine
