West Bank: Islamic Bloc at Birzeit University protests against political detention

The student wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, organised a protest at Birzeit University on Monday against political detentions by the Palestinian Authority, Al-Resalah has reported. The coordinator of the Islamic Bloc accused the PA of jailing Palestinian student activists just because of their political affiliation.

“These days, when the soil of our country is coloured by martyrs’ blood, and amidst an atmosphere of national unity, the Palestinian Authority insists on reinforcing the political division through a detention campaign,” explained Osama Abu Eida. “What happened on Monday – the detention, summoning and kidnapping of students – is not a nationalistic act. Why are the former prisoners and students treated in this way by the PA?”

Birzeit University condemned the PA aggression against its students, raids of their residences and the detention of some of them.

“We are addressing the PA and saying that this is not your role,” said Abu Eida. “You are putting yourself in a context which is not yours. You should show up at the Israeli checkpoints, which are a couple of metres away from here.”

He called for the PA to release all political prisoners and called for the university to take responsibility for freeing its students from PA detention. He actually accused the university head of making a “trap” for the students and facilitating their detention by the Ramallah authority.

However, the university condemned the detention of students and called for their release. It added that it has commissioned a lawyer to act in their defence.

READ: PA faces Palestinian protest against political detentions