RAMALLAH, February 11, 2018 (WAFA) - Minister of Education Sabri Saidam Sunday affirmed his ministry’s utmost rejection of all restrictions imposed by Israel on foreign academics seeking higher education in Palestine.

This came during a meeting with a delegation of a grassroots campaign “for the protection of foreign passport holders residing in/and or visiting the occupied Palestinian Territories”.

The delegation consisted of campaign activist Sam Bahour, Rana Barakat, and ‘Abla ‘Aranki from Birzeit University.

Saidam said his ministry will study the campaign’s file and will follow up with concerned parties, to be discussed at the Higher Education Council’s upcoming meeting.

He affirmed the need to combine and invest all efforts in political, diplomatic, and media channels in order to pressure Israel to put an end to its arbitrary measures imposed on the entry of foreign academics into the oPt.

Saidam said such restrictions deprive academics from contributing to the development of the Palestinian higher education in general, and the research field in particular.

The delegation briefed the minister on the impact of Israeli restrictions on the entry of foreign academics on the development of educational institutions, calling on international academic institutions, official authorities, and global civil society institutions to support the campaign and halt all measures that inhibit the entry and residency of foreign academics in the oPt.

T.R./M.H.