Qalqiliya, Sun 19.9.10, Morning

A young woman from Nablus who had been accepted to the prestigious international program at TA University, passed the checkpoint with a special permit for one day.  She had to make arrangements at the university.  Because of her academic excellence she has a full stipend from the Wolfson Fund in London.  She arrived at 07.00.  Up front there is a sign in Hebrew, English and Arabic.  In Hebrew something like “pleasant trip” is written. In Arabic, “pleasant death”.  Apparently a soldier who knows Arabic erased the word “trip” and replaced it with “death”.  The student photographed the sign.  She was stopped and made to enter the checking room.  There she had to undress totally, without any explanation, and she was held for 4 hours.  After this delay and humiliation she passed the checkpoint and reached the university.

Is this the way to peace and cooperation with the Palestinians?  Is this a policy directed at students or specifically against this student?  In such conditions is it possible for her to study in Israel if she has to pass such a checkpoint?

A complaint was sent by the head of the program to the Israeli authorities in the territories.  It ends with a request for a written explanation before presenting a formal complaint to the military legal authority.

And we ask:  how long will all these continue – the brutality, the abuse while being detained and exploiting the weakness of a population subject to our mercies under occupation?