Israel Arrests Student Leaders

Just to remind the Palestinians how hard it is being the only democracy in the region, Israel arrested the head of Birzeit University's Student Council. It is probably because he is the only elected official in the area with above-negative approval ratings.

The Right to Education Campaign put out a statement on the arrest/abduction describing the details. Israeli militants ambushed Fadi Hamad on the road between Ramallah and Jalazone refugee camp. He is being held in Ofer prison with limited access to legal counsel.

The group described the administrative procedures, which are based on heavy questioning, stalling, and a desperate attempt to concoct charges.

This is most commonly used as a way to punish political activism and the majority of cases never end up in court. In one case, a former Birzeit student prisoner was offered exile in exchange for his early release on condition that he did not return to the country for two years. This was effectively an attempt by the Israeli army to extend his exclusion from society, for after he refused the offer, he was released by the judge without charge. He had been in administrative detention for over 1.5 years.

The group reports there are 14 Birzeit students in administrative detention, the longest was kept in prison for over 2.5 years. Last week, Israel nabbed another student leader, Fathi Saadeh, at Atara checkpoint between the towns of Birzeit and Nablus. Some see these arrests as a crack-down against student members of political parties. Then again, Israel has been arresting student leaders from time immemorial, to borrow the title of Joan Peters fraudulent trope.

Could this relate to the broader steps against dissent against the PA? Given the sub-contractor role the PA will be playing for Israel, my guess is yes it is. The PA would piss off too many students if it did it -- so why not have Israel do it? This is just speculation, but then again so are the reasons for kidnapping Palestinian student activists.

And people say an academic boycott of Israel would hurt academic freedom -- it would if Israel were actually respecting the academic freedom of Palestinians. Israel has long declared war on Palestinian academic freedom.

UPDATE/CORRECTION (12/6/07): (From Mohammad, who goes to Birzeit U.) Will I've been meaning to tell you in relation to your post about Fadi Hamad - I doubt the Israel arresting student leaders to save the PA embarrassment is too valid a point, since the PA has been arresting student leaders for years. My bad, I should have had that story. What's interesting though is that Hamad (who is from Hamas) and his counterpart in Islamic Jihad at Birzeit were arrested by the Israelis one or two days after the leader of the Fatah student bloc was suspended by the school.