Al Fakhoora Director Gives First Hand Account of Flotilla Raid

Fakhoora.org



Fakhoora.org is an international campaign which aims to secure the freedom to learn for Palestinian students in Gaza and the West Bank.

Access to education is a basic human right, recognized by Article 26 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, school children and university students in Gaza and the West Bank are not able to fully exercise their right to an education. During Operation Cast Lead, schools were bombed and destroyed. Many of those schools remain damaged or destroyed. And the current blockade deprives students and teachers of some of the basic necessities that no school can do without. It is an emotionally challenging environment in which to learn...  Full story

ATTACK ON GAZA: DECEMBER 2008 - JANUARY 2009

On the 27th of December, 2008, Israel launched a mass military attack against Gaza, code-named "Operation Cast Lead". The operation lasted 22 days, and according to Al-Mezan, 1268 Palestinians were killed, at least 280 of which were children. More than 5300 Palestinians were wounded, at least 1606 of which were children. The Ministry of Education was hit twice by direct hits from the air and a number of educational institutions were also been hit.

According to a statement released by Al Mezan Center on the 14th of January 2008, 66 schools were destroyed or damaged throughout the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army thus far. Of those 7 schools were directly targeted and 33 schools are UNRWA schools. Below is a summary of some of the attacks on educational institutions........

Movement restrictions

* Since 2004, Israel has totally prohibited Palestinian residents of Gaza from studying in the West Bank. In 2006, a ruling in the Israeli High Court forbade 10 Palestinians from accessing Bethlehem University to study Occupational Therapy. The argument used by the State was that once they were given permits to leave they would become "information carriers". The course provides expertise in rehabilitation and habilitation of the physically and mentally impaired, and is not available at Gazan universities. Meanwhile, there are at least 24,000 registered disabled in Gaza.... Full story