Students denied education due to Israel's blockade of Gaza

[AhmedEzz]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7427983.stm

What did these students do to be denied from education? Talk to me about Arab terrorism and jihad "apologists" referred to in the scarf thread...Americans are phobic from a "scarf", tell me what do you think those students and many more are phobic from?

i'm speechless.

 

[turbo]

To be denied a Fulbright scholarship and the opportunity to study in the US because Israel "says so" smacks of collective punishment, which is illegal under international law. After Obama becomes president, this crap will stop, but don't expect W to treat these students fairly - he probably can't say "Fulbright" nor appreciate what this honor means to them.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...Americans are phobic from a "scarf",

Not all Americans, just the stupid ones.

We are all in a battle with extremism, fear, ignorance, petty prejudice, political charlatans, and a new brand of fear mongering media that is populated by paper tigers and intellectual midgets.

 

[Evo]

To be denied a Fulbright scholarship and the opportunity to study in the US because Israel "says so" smacks of collective punishment, which is illegal under international law. After Obama becomes president, this crap will stop, but don't expect W to treat these students fairly - he probably can't say "Fulbright" nor appreciate what this honor means to them.

Be careful turbo, I know you are a Palestinian sympathizer, but you should check around before condemming Israelis.

Turns out

Israeli officials expressed surprise at the decision, the Times reported, saying that allowing the students to leave would have come under the rubric of humanitarian exceptions to the blockade.

The Israel Policy Forum called on Congress to rescind the decision and reinstate the Fullbright scholarships.

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/108837.html

It seems that the US goofed up.

 

[AhmedEzz]

Israeli officials expressed surprise at the decision

sounds nice but, who do you think banned the students from taking the scholarship? yes surprising isn't it.

There is no difference , whether you sympathize with the Palestinians, the Israelis or anyone else, if you are a human being with the least of human compassion, then you have to recognize what is happening in Gaza as a crime to humanity.
I can write days and nights about this but words are meaningless.

We are all in a battle with extremism, fear, ignorance, petty prejudice, political charlatans, and a new brand of fear mongering media that is populated by paper tigers and intellectual midgets.

I quite agree, WE are ALL in this together. Just as the American people suffers from terrorism so do we - Egyptians-. There were terrorist attacks on Egypt 10 years or so ago and we suffered just as Americans did.
In my opinion terrorism / extremism in this part of the world is posed by US, Iran and Israel.

 

[Art]

Be careful turbo, I know you are a Palestinian sympathizer, but you should check around before condemming Israelis.

Turns out

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/108837.html

It seems that the US goofed up.

How? Do you mean by not putting more pressure on Israel earlier to reconsider their refusal to grant the students visas before pulling the scholarships?

U.S. presses Israel to provide exit visas for Gaza students
By News Agencies
Tags: Gaza, Israel, Fulbright

WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department said Friday it was pressing Israel's government to allow eight Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip to travel to the United States to study on coveted Fulbright fellowships.

"We are trying to revisit this issue with the Israeli government," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters, referring to Israel's failure to grant exit visas for the students.
snip
"We are trying to revisit this issue with the Israeli government," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters, referring to Israel's failure to grant exit visas for the students.

"Frankly, a decision to let people that have been vetted for what is perhaps the most prestigious foreign educational program run by the United States ... it ought to be [as easy as] falling off a log for them to be able to do this."

Earlier Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would investigate a report that the State Department had withdrawn Fulbright Scholarship grants to the Palestinian students because they were denied exit visas by Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988686.html

 

[turbo]

Be careful turbo, I know you are a Palestinian sympathizer, but you should check around before condemming Israelis.

I am a humanitarian first. I sympathize with people who are oppressed, whether by outside forces, their own governments, or factions of the societies that they live in. If Hamas had refused to allow these students to leave, I would be just as mad at them.

 

[Gokul43201]

How? Do you mean by not putting more pressure on Israel earlier to reconsider their refusal to grant the students visas before pulling the scholarships?

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988686.html

Art, if that last line in your quote bears out, then the US State Dept. might own some part of the blame for this.

Earlier Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would investigate a report that the State Department had withdrawn Fulbright Scholarship grants to the Palestinian students because they were denied exit visas by Israel.

Did the State Dept. withdraw the scholarships without making an effort to first reverse the Israeli decision? I guess it comes down to the chronology of their reaction.

 

[Art]

Art, if that last line in your quote bears out, then the US State Dept. might own some part of the blame for this.
Did the State Dept. withdraw the scholarships without making an effort to first reverse the Israeli decision? I guess it comes down to the chronology of their reaction.

I agree the state dep't may well share some of the blame, I was just trying to clarify the point Evo was making as perhaps I took it up wrong but it seemed to me she was saying it was all the US's fault in which case I wondered why she thought that.

Yes the US state dep't probably could have and should have put more pressure on the Israelis to give the students exit visas but does this absolve the Israelis of blame for refusing visas in the first place? Certainly not to my mind.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I quite agree, WE are ALL in this together.

Yes we are. Hopefully that is what we will all learn through this fantastic age of information. Pass it on.

 

[Gokul43201]

WE are ALL in this together.

Yes we are. Hopefully that is what we will all learn through this fantastic age of information. Pass it on.

What is this? Chinese whispers?

Beer hall and disco leather. Pass it on.

PS: Error correction code disabled.

 

[Astronuc]

I agree the state dep't may well share some of the blame, I was just trying to clarify the point Evo was making as perhaps I took it up wrong but it seemed to me she was saying it was all the US's fault in which case I wondered why she thought that.

Yes the US state dep't probably could have and should have put more pressure on the Israelis to give the students exit visas but does this absolve the Israelis of blame for refusing visas in the first place? Certainly not to my mind.

It would appear from various sources that the US State Department made assumptions about the ability of the Gaza students to leave, and perhaps it was a matter of asking the Israeli government to allow the students to come the US. There does not appear to be any need for pressure, as apparently "allowing the students to leave would have come under the rubric of humanitarian exceptions to the blockade," according to Evo's citation.

 

[Art]

It would appear from various sources that the US State Department made assumptions about the ability of the Gaza students to leave, and perhaps it was a matter of asking the Israeli government to allow the students to come the US. There does not appear to be any need for pressure, as apparently "allowing the students to leave would have come under the rubric of humanitarian exceptions to the blockade," according to Evo's citation.

I quoted a mainstream Israeli source that said the students were refused visas and here is the BBC's take on it.

Nonetheless, because of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, not even students sponsored by the US government can leave to further their studies overseas.

The Israeli government maintains that as long as Palestinian militants fire rockets from Gaza at Israeli towns, nobody - apart from the most urgent of medical cases - can leave. And nothing - apart from the most basic humanitarian aid - can get in.

The decision to deny the seven students - and dozens of other young Gazans with places in Western universities - is counter-productive say human rights groups.

They say it is arbitrary and short-sighted to hold-back students who could contribute so much to Gaza's future.

Some Israeli members of parliament have criticised their government's decision to refuse the students exit permits.
snip
Some students have been waiting a very long time.

Wassim Abuajwa, has been trying to take up his environmental studies Masters course at Nottingham University for seven years.

Wassim is now 31. In desperation he has recently written to Tony Blair, now an international envoy to the Middle East, and has appealed to Israel's Supreme Court.

For the Americans, who justifiably place much kudos and pride on programmes like the Fulbright, this is a potentially embarrassing situation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7427983.stm

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What is this? Chinese whispers?

Beer hall and disco leather. Pass it on.

That was my tongue-in-cheek way of saying that not all Americans are idiots, that we are all in this together as a world community, that hopefully the world will realize this, and that we can all be a part of this process. But based on your answer, it would seem that my method of delivery was counter-productive.

 

[AhmedEzz]

That was my tongue-in-cheek way of saying that not all Americans are idiots, that we are all in this together as a world community, that hopefully the world will realize this, and that we can all be a part of this process. But based on your answer, it would seem that my method of delivery was counter-productive.

Yes because I always get the feeling that Western media trying to frame us - Middle Easterns- as if WE are the terrorists and that we support them and we offer them places and money and BS like that...the truth is that we suffered from terrorism just as you did but a little earlier so no one noticed. For example, look at what's happening in Algeria, Gaza or Lebanon.

but back to the topic, what do you think to become of those students? Can you imagine as being improsined in country and when offered a chance to leave to a place that would seem like heaven compared to where you live in, someone denies you from that, better yet for something you didn't do...

 

[lisab]

Good news for the Fulbright scholars! Now it's up to Israel to allow them to travel.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/02/gaza.fulbright/index.html

In e-mails to the students on Sunday, the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem said the United States was working with Israeli authorities to let them leave the Hamas-ruled zone to study at American universities.

The scholarships were reinstated after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed outrage about the initial decision, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday.

McCormack said the initial decision was partly the result of a "faulty decision-making process" by the State Department.

 

[AhmedEzz]

That's a breeze of fresh air...

 

[mgb_phys]

At least we are safe from the terror T shirt
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7431640.stm

As someone considerably geekier than me pointed out - it's optimus prime, one of the 'good guy' transformers.

 

[AhmedEzz]

LMAO...

"I was just looking for someone with a bit of common sense," he said.

 

[Art]

I'm surprised at the Israeli gov't expressing surprise that these students were refused permission to travel seeing as how this court case has been going on for some time

Israel court condemns student ban

The Israeli Supreme Court has called on the government to reconsider its almost total ban on Palestinian students leaving the Gaza Strip to study abroad.

The court said the policy was harming prospects for future coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.

This follows the reinstatement by the US state department of Fulbright grants to seven Palestinians in Gaza.

The scholarships had been withdrawn because Israel would not provided exit permits to the students.

Israel tightened its blockade of Gaza after Hamas seized power there a year ago, largely cutting off the territory from the outside world.

I think embarrassed at being found out rather than surprised would more aptly describe the Israeli gov'ts current state. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7432742.stm