The Israeli security forces systematically target Palestinian university students for arbitrary arrest and detention. This practice, amounting to a form of collective punishment, violates Palestinian students’ rights both to education and to freedom of association, assembly, and expression, all protected under international law. Each year, dozens of Palestinian students are arrested and detained, often for purported involvement with student groups deemed “illegal” by Israel. Though this affects students and student groups across the occupied territories including East Jerusalem, students at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank have been subjected to the most consistent, systematic attacks, raids on campus, arbitrary detention orders, and torture and ill-treatment.
These continuous attacks against Palestinian universities and students violate Israel’s obligation as an Occupying Power to protect educational institutions. Further, targeting students through these attacks directly impedes Palestinians’ right to education. Youth and student unions are essential elements of a democratic society and a vital societal force for change.
This 2023 film explores the harsh realities that Palestinian university students who live under Israeli occupation face during their university years.