Petition to the High Court in the name of ten residents of Gaza who want to study the profession of occupational therapy at the University of Bethlehem

December 1, 2005. Today Gisha petitioned Israel’s High Court in the name of 10 students, residents of Gaza, who have been prohibited from reaching their studies in Bethlehem, in the field of occupational therapy. Ten petitions were submitted, one in the name of each student, challenging the sweeping ban on students traveling from Gaza to the West Bank. The prohibition has forced these 10 students to learn occupational therapy “by remote control” – through video broadcasts, Internet correspondence, and foreign lecturers flown into Gaza. Two Palestinian nonprofit organizations – both of whom need the services of trained occupational therapists for their care of the community in Gaza – joined the petition: Gaza Community Mental Health Programme and Bitona for Community Development.

To read the petition click here (Hebrew).