RAMALLAH DIARY

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From: Anthony Richardson

To: Andy

Date: 02 June 2003 18:08

Dear Andy

Hear is my first 'Ramallah Daily' report. Sorry it is a bit long, but you will see why, edit as you require.

I came through Qualandia checkpoint, to go to Ramallah last August, that time it took over an hour, so I thought things must be changing, when I walked through, and no checks were being made.

After checking in at my hotel I went to the offices of HDIP, an information centre, who were arranging some of my meetings. We then headed off to meet people at Bir Zeit University. This is the premier Palestinian University, with 5,500 students, and about 600 staff. Most of the Palestinian political leaders were educated here. It is situated not far from Ramallah, but that means nothing in todays situation.
Bir Zeit University Quadrangle
Bir Zeit University Quadrangle (above)
2km walk, Bir Zeit



We first had to take a 'shared taxi' from the centre of Ramallah to a checkpoint at Surta, this in reality is a roadblock, without soldiers. We had to get out of our Taxi, walk 2 kilometres to another roadblock, and then get in to another 'shared taxi', to the campus. Previously there had been one road block, so this system is simply designed to make people walk. The students have to organise to help disabled get through, and it causes great problems for older people. I learnt later from staff member Mohamad Abu Zeid that they had just introduced a similar system coming to the university from his village, only in this instance, Einaric, it was about a 1 kilometre walk. One wonders how this helps anybodies security?
  
Road Block
Road Block

We then met representatives of the staff, and some academics. They told us how the checkpoint system was disrupting the universities work. Some students have to change transport at 7 places, most checkpoints will only let you walk through. This is bad enough if they let you through, but sometimes checkpoints are closed for a few hours, sometimes a day, and two weeks ago the whole university was closed for a week, because all the surrounding checkpoints had been closed for that period. So dates for exams have to be constantly changed, and even then some students can't get to them. I asked how students managed, and was told that they were often very tired, with hours of travelling, very stressed, and had huge financial burdens. This meant they had difficulty concentrating on their studies.
Bir Zeit Staff Bir Zeit Quadrangle
Tony with Bir Zeit Staff (left),  University Quadrangle (right)


Bassma Khoury, who is in charge of womens studies in the university explained that she didn't have to just deal with the normal womens studies, but also had to organise to raise finance to keep women at the university, this being a patriarchal society womens education is sometimes seen as the first thing that can be dispensed with, when the money runs out.

I also asked how did the students manage after they graduated, I was told very few got jobs in their discipline, and that recently when the Water Board advertised a single job, collecting bills, 700 graduates applied.

All of the people that I met at Bir Zeit were keen on the project of twinning with Oxford, both at a personal, and organisational level, and they would very much welcome visits. This is both with Brookes, where the staff have already agreed, and Oxford University.
 Tony at Bir Zeit



On the way back, on the walk at Surta, I photographed 2 soldiers, checking papers, they demanded to see my passport, and said I was not allowed to photograph them.
Long Walk
I then headed back to my hotel, in central Ramallah. There I was met by vehicles desperately trying to escape from what I saw was 2 armoured vehicles parked outside my hotel. Young people were running towards the armoured cars, and throwing stones. My decision to proceed towards the hotel was quickly changed, and I realised I could still run fast, when teargas shells were fired at us. Some of the young people are badly affected by these.

I escape in to the only cafe, with its door still open. As I sit drinking coffee, and writing this piece I learn that Qualandia checkpoint is closed completely, and Ramallah is blocked off. So things haven't changed much.

Tony Richardson