70 Years
after Israelis
Plunder Palestine,
One Loss is
Restored
Hana Khoury receives her high school diploma from Birzeit University
I
t was a moment that Hana Khoury could never have
envisioned. It took her 70 years, but at age 88 Khoury
finally accomplished her dream, graduating from high
school after her academic career had been cut short by war
and occupation.
Khoury was in her third year of high school at what was
then Birzeit College when Jewish leaders declared Israel a
state on the lands of Palestine, and changed the course of
history and the lives of millions, including her own.
“My brother Khalil told me that we needed to go back
to Nazareth before the border closes,” she says of the day
that she left the school, just a few days before final exams
were to begin. “I took my books with me. I never lost
hope of coming back and doing my finals, but something
deep inside told me that things were not going to be the
same.”
Of all the things Hana lost as a Palestinian after the
Nakba in 1948, her diploma and memories of picking
apricots with her friends Rima Tarazi and Samia Nasir were
never abandoned, and she always hoped to reclaim them.
Seven decades later, and at the same place where it all
started, at Birzeit University, her ambition was fulfilled, as
the university offered her the diploma she was denied.
“I can’t explain it. It’s a joy to me, in my heart,
that I made it,” said Khoury at a symbolic graduation
ceremony held at the university campus. Her four children,
grandchildren, and long-time friends Rima and Samia
orchestrated the long-awaited day. Together, they all sang
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Al Ghadeer - Fall 2018
an old song for Palestine, one yearning for the right of
return and liberation.
Hana, Rima and Samia revived old memories
together, as if 1948 were only yesterday. Hana told her
grandchildren how her teachers used to play with the
students during their breaks, and how they used to sing
and celebrate Christmas together.
Despite the hurdles that she faced in completing her
academic journey, Hana became and remains to this day a
dedicated member of the Tali’ (Pioneer) choir in Nazareth,
which is sponsored by the Communist Party. The choir
sings for peace, love, life, and a bright future, and was the
first Arabic choir in Palestine after the Nakba, aiming to
maintain Palestinian identity, culture and folklore.
Birzeit University President Abdullatif Abuhijleh
extended to Hana and the choir and invitation to become
students in the university’s Bachelor Program of Arabic
Music, or to be part of the annual Layali Birzeit Festival.
The ceremony had a gentle, melancholic tone as it
recalled old songs and poetry. Hana remembered the rich
cultural life of Birzeit University, including extracurricular
activities, music, and song. But as Hana’s focus returned
to the present, her voice grew steely: “This is Birzeit that I
have been talking about for 70 years. Now my dreams are
complete!”
Hana touched our hearts, and gave us hope, faith, and
added dedication to continue our mission of spreading
knowledge and culture.
International
Academics
Threatened with
Expulsion in Visa
Crackdown
Israel continues to violate
academic freedom by
denying visa renewals
“We did not plan to stay this long - or leave this way,” said
Roger Heackock, a renowned history professor at Birzeit
University, after Israeli authorities refused to renew visas
for him and his wife, Laura Wick. Heackock and Wick left
Birzeit University and Palestine after 35 years, departing
abruptly with only their memories.
Heacock and Wick first arrived in Palestine in 1983. They
ended up starting a family and a career. According to
several media reports, both professors this year came back
from a vacation abroad, with Israeli immigration officers
giving them a two-week tourist visa and telling them
that they could renew it back in Ramallah. The visa was
not renewed, however, and they were forced to leave
Palestine.
For the past 35 years, Heackock and Wick, who are
currently in Cyprus, had to travel every three or six months
to be able to renew their tourist visas. The temporary visa
is the only one that Israel gives to internationals seeking
to stay in Palestine except for very few work visas given to
employees of international organizations.
The Israeli authorities’ policy of denying entry to Palestine,
refusing visa renewal applications, targeting international
academics, and thus damaging the higher education
system in Palestine has been evident since the beginning
of the current academic year (2017-2018). Scores of foreign
passport holders, many of them of Palestinian origin but
without residence documents, living and working in the
occupied Palestinian territories have had visas refused or
significantly delayed.
At Birzeit University alone, 15 faculty members in all were
affected by the upsurge of entry denials or visa restrictions.
Seven -one-third of the university’s international staff-
were refused visa extensions. Three were forced to leave,
among them Heackock and Wick.
Over the past two decades, university recruitment of
international academics has shrunk. They are increasingly
deterred from taking up teaching and research posts in
Palestinian institutions of higher education due to Israel’s
arbitrary and unpredictable restrictions on entry and
residency.
Heackock, Wick and other international professors play
a critical role, not only in access to quality education at
Birzeit University, but also in the long-term development
of Palestinian higher education. If this policy continues,
Palestinian universities, including Birzeit University, will be
further isolated from the global academic environment. In
the 21st century, having an internationally diverse faculty
has become a fundamental cornerstone of academic
excellence at universities worldwide.
“
Education shall be directed to the full
development of the human personality and to
the strengthening of respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote
understanding, tolerance and friendship among
all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall
further the activities of the United Nations for
the maintenance of peace.
”
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Birzeit University
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