RAMALLAH, Thursday, January 09, 2020 (WAFA) – Classes at Birzeit University, the largest university in the West Bank, are expected to resume soon, today said Minister of Higher Education Mahmoud Abu Mowais.

He said that following an intervention from the Palestinian cabinet and Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, his ministry was able to successfully mediate between the university’s administration and its Student Council an end to the conflict that paralyzed academic life at the university.

"Our efforts were successful and culminated in ending the strike and opening the doors of the university to the employees and students to return to normal university life,” the Minister of Higher Education said in a statement.

The university’s Student Council shut down the campus and prevented studies last month following dispute with the administration over political activities on campus. The Student Council also took this opportunity to make other demands from the administration and insisted on getting them before allowing the campus to reopen for normal studies.

Several rounds of negotiations between the administration and the student body failed to yield results, prompting concern of cancelling the semester.

There was no immediate confirmation of the resumption of studies or the announcement by the Minister of Higher Education from either the university administration or Student Council.

M.K.