Palestinian Students Barred

Here's a problem. Effective this month, Palestinian students are barred from entering Israel to study:

"The new blanket ban on Palestinian students entering Israel dates from this October - the start of the academic year.

"Previously Palestinian students saw their cases judged on an individual basis but that is no longer the case, says Lieutenant Adam Avidan, a spokesman for the civil administration in the West Bank.

"In support of Ms Salameh and others like her, seven Israeli universities have called for an end to the sweeping ban and demanded that Palestinian students who get security clearance should be admitted into the country.

"With none of the Palestinian universities offering PhD programmes, students from the West Bank and Gaza either study in Israel or go abroad.

"But access to Israeli universities for Palestinian students from Gaza and the West Bank is almost non-existent, with only 14 students enrolled in Israeli universities, according to the Israel authorities.

"Ms Salameh says that studying in Israel is her only chance to get a PhD as she must remain at home.

"Her father died last year and she provides for her mother and her sister."