Democratic Palestine : 18 (ص 9)
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- Democratic Palestine : 18 (ص 9)
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Women’s Committees stressed adherence to the PLO as the
sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
International Women’s Day was celebrated by all. The Union
for Women’s Committees for Social Work celebrated in Al
Nuzha Theater in Jerusalem. The Women’s Work Committee
held their celebration during their fourth congress; at their
celebration in Jerusalem, the main speech demanded that the
PLO leadership cancel the Amman accord in order to begin a
national dialogue. The Working Women’s Committees had
many celebrations and seminars. In the Gaza Strip, the Al Ahlee
Hospital Employees’ Committee celebrated with a meeting
where the main speech focused on the Palestinian women’s role
in the national struggle. In 1948 occupied Palestine, the Arab
Women’s Committee organized a trip to Tiberius; 200 women
from Acca, Lydda and the Galilee participated. In Nazareth,
hundreds of women demonstrated on International Women’s
Day.
In Nablus, the Women’s Work Committee, the Palestinian
Women’s Committee and the Working Women’s Committee
joined forces in solidarity with political prisoners. A memo-
randum signed by the families of prisoners was sent to the
International Red Cross, protesting the inhuman conditions in
the prisons and condemning the savage practices against the
prisoners. Special attention was drawn to the transfer of many
prisoners to Atlit Center, notorious as one of the worst prisons.
Also noted was the situation in Bir Saba’ (Beer Sheba) prison
where the prisoners are grossly maltreated, food is scarce and
bad, the prison is overcrowded, and there is no medical care.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
In addition to struggling for special student concerns, Pales-
tinian students expressed their position on central political
issues, as well as arranging cultural activities. After King Hus-
sein’s February speech, the various student blocs issued state-
ments and held seminars in the universities and institutes. The
Student Action Front asserted that this speech aimed to exert
more pressure on the right-wing leadership to completely submit
to the US conditions. It exposed King Hussein’s maneuvers
aimed at representing the Palestinians, and called for all
nationalist forces to unite in opposing the PLO leadership’s
deviating trend. The Progressive Bloc confirmed the impor-
tance of national unity, adhering to the PLO and canceling the
Amman accord.
BIR ZEIT
In solidarity with the university employees’ union, the student
movement issued a statement on January 28th, demanding
cancellation of the administration’s decision to terminate the
contracts of professors and other employees - a decision which
the administration claims is due to the university’s financial
crisis. The statement called on all national forces and institu-
tions to intervene immediately to pressure the administration to
cancel this decision. The student movement joined in the strike
which began January 27th, and asserted that it should continue
until the demands were met (for cancelling the termination
decision). |
The student movement is also struggling with the administra-
tion because of a huge tuition increase. A student conference
was held in which the four student blocs participated (the Stu-
dent Action Front, the Social Youth Bloc, the Students Pro-
gressive Bloc and the Student Unity Bloc). After the conference,
a memorandum was submitted to the university council, listing
the students’ demands.
The four student blocs at Bir Zeit University signed a joint
statement, rejecting appointments to the municipal and village
councils of the West Bank. They called for public confronta-
tion of these suspicious efforts and for support to the legitimate,
elected councils. They demanded the cancellation of all the
occupation’s decisions and measures concerning the councils
since 1982.
BETHLEHEM
The most important event at this university was that the stu-
dents achieved almost all their demands through a strike
declared by the student council at the beginning of the year.
After 17 days, the strike ended when an agreement was reached
with the administration. Most of the students’ demands were
met, including the provision of a clinic, medical care and insu-
rance, and a lawyer, reducing the prices of books, an obligatory
course on the Palestinian question, a microphone for the stu-
dent council, amendment of the laws for admission and
transfer, improving the library and establishing a fund for
needy students.
In March, the seventh annual book fair was held by the stu-
dent council’s cultural club. On April 18th, the student council’s
Palestinian popular heritage club sponsored a cultural event. Al
Fonoon folklore group performed in the university’s theater. As
the celebration started, the US flag was burned amidst the
shouting of slogans condemning the US attack on Libya. There
was a speech condemning the attack and calling for Palestinian
national unity.
AL NAJAH, NABLUS
A political dispute occurred among the students of this uni-
versity when the Student Social Youth Movement invited
Knesset member Mohammed Miari to speak at the student con-
ference. The Student Action Front issued a statement opposing
the invitation’s having been extended without the knowledge of
the other student blocs at the university. The statement termed
the invitation a deviation, whereas the student conference
should express national unity.
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, HEBRON
On April 16th, there was an Israeli military order to close
down this institute for two weeks, after students had organized a
demonstration protesting the Tehiya Party’s conference in
Hebron. The demonstrators had raised Palestinian flags and
resisted the Zionist troops by throwing stones and fire bombs.
Reinforcements had to be brought in to repress the demonstra-
tion. Zionist soldiers opened fire on the students and raided the
institute. Eleven students were injured.
The Student Action Front at the Polytechnic Institute issued a
statement condemning the US attack on Libya, that was signed
by other organizations in Hebron: The Progressive Front for
Trade Union Action, the Union of Volunteer Work Commit-
tees, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and the
Union of High School Students’ Committees.
HEBRON UNIVERSITY
On April 16th, the board of trustees of this university held an
extraordinary meeting to discuss the US attack on Libya. They
issued a statement on behalf of the university administration,
staff and student body, condemning this attack which is a chal-
lenge to all Arabs. It is known that Ja’bari, chairman of the
board of trustees is pro-Jordanian. One can therefore surmise
that the statement came about as a result of pressure exerted on
the board by the student body.
ABU DIS COLLEGE OF SCIENCES
Students began a strike for the right to form a student council.
In a statement on January 4th, the students rejected the aca-
demic council’s suggestion that they form science clubs rather
than a student council. The university administration alleges
that a student council would cause unrest and disturb the aca-
demic program. As the strike continued, the administration
decided to cancel the academic term, itself disrupting the aca-
demic program. This intensified the students’ opposition, and
the student coordinating committee called for a nighttime sit-in
starting January 19th.
CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY COLLEGE,
RAMALLAH
On March 15th, all student blocs at this college joined toge-
ther in arranging a student conference. The conference sub-
mitted a memorandum to the administration demanding that
the students be allowed to form a student council, and that
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