Tuesday 23 March / doors open 20:00, start 20.30 hrs
Entrance: free for students, 5 euros for non-students
Location: CREA, Turfdraagsterpad 17, Amsterdam
Presentations by and panel discussion with:
- Tania Hary, Director International Relations at Israeli Human Rights Organization Gisha


- Lucy Royal-Dawson, Project Coordinator at Equalinrights, former coordinator of the Right to Education Campaign at the An-Najah National University in Nablus and PhD student on the right to education during conflicts.

Together with many human rights organizations, Gisha has persistently emphasized the obligations of Israel to ensure the free movement of people and goods in the occupied Palestinian territories. Particularly regretful is the prevention of Gazan students to take up funded places at universities outside Gaza as a consequence of the continuous blockade of the Gaza Strip. In addition, Operation Cast Lead (December 2008 – January 2009) caused immense human suffering and severely disrupted the infrastructure and educational system in the Gaza Strip. But also in the West Bank, students are directly affected by the Israeli restrictions. This observation leads us to the question: To what extent are students in Gaza and the West Bank prevented from exercising their right to higher education – enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights?
During a panel discussion, the speakers will review the circumstances in the Palestinian territories under which students exercise their right to education. Some of the issues which will be addressed:
- What is ‘the right to education’? – What is Israel’s responsibility as occupying power? – How does the right to freedom of movement relate to the right to education? – What are the consequences of Operation Cast Lead for the educational system in Gaza? – What are existing obstacles for students to seek higher education in the West Bank? – How will the consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the educational system affect the Palestinian society in the long term? – What is the role of human rights organizations like Gisha, and the international community, in this matter?
This event is organized by The Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, the Netherlands (FFIPP-NL) in cooperation with A Different Jewish Voice (Een Ander Joods Geluid), Gate48 and Sivmo. For more information, visit www.ffippnl.wordpress.com, www.ffipp.org, www.gisha.org, www.equalinrights.org, www.eajg.nl, www.gate48.org and www.sivmo.nl