RAMALLAH – In 2020, Ibrahim al-Sheikh, a young Palestinian man, completed remotely the registration procedures for a doctorate in Islamic law and fundamentals of religion at a Tunisian university, but he was confronted with a travel ban, like tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Al-Sheikh contacted his university, and it agreed to complete the requirements for obtaining the degree remotely, according to a university's protocol, bypassing the travel obstacle due to the "security ban", which means preventing him from traveling by the occupation.

While his university agreed to discuss it remotely, the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education requires the recognition of the degree to discuss the thesis at the same university, which put the student between the jaws of pincers.

Travel ban prevents Ibrahim Al-Sheikh from discussing his PhD (Al-Jazeera)

During his doctorate and before it, the sheikh was arrested several times, summoned by Israeli intelligence, and informed that he would not be allowed to travel to complete his studies.

However, he approached a number of lawyers and human rights associations in the hope of obtaining a decision to lift the travel ban, but the response was negative.

"I finished the letter and deposited it and I am waiting for discussion, I went to higher education with all the evidence that I was banned from traveling, but the response was negative," al-Sheikh added.

"I proposed solutions to them, such as paying for any committee set up by the ministry or any university, or discussing the thesis at the Tunisian embassy, but to no avail," the sheikh said.

Yousef Abu Ras called on the Ministry of Higher Education to take into account the circumstances of doctoral students beyond their control and the will of the Palestinian government (Al Jazeera)

Travel ordeal despite scholarship

Youssef Abou Ras, a teacher, said he received a scholarship to complete his PhD in Tunisia in 2013 and tried to travel there twice, but was prevented by the occupation.

He adds that he has been detained for about 5 years since receiving the scholarship, so he contacted the Faculty of Social Humanities at the University of Tunis and obtained approval to register and study remotely, and this was done in 2020.

He added that he tried to travel during 2022 and was also banned, so he went to a human rights organization that in turn went to the Israeli Supreme Court in the hope of lifting the travel ban, but to no avail, adding that "this matter prompted me not to deposit my letter, for fear of missing the opportunity to discuss."

He said the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education is required to take into account the circumstances of doctoral students beyond their control and the control of the Palestinian government, "either intervene to allow us to travel and discuss the thesis, or give us the opportunity to discuss the thesis remotely."

PhD students point to the recurrence of the problem with other colleagues, who have been denied their right to freedom of movement and to complete their university studies in disciplines that often do not exist in Palestine, or to be recognized to discuss their theses remotely.

Al Jazeera Net went, last Sunday, an e-mail to the Media Department of the Ministry of Higher Education, to take the ministry's position on the file of preventing silver students and what it does to overcome the problem, and the obstacles to recognizing the discussion of doctoral theses remotely, so it confirmed the receipt of the letter, but did not respond to it until the time of publication of the report.

The Center for the Defense of Freedoms and Civil Rights "Hurriyat" documents the Israeli occupation's prevention of more than 8500,8 Palestinians in the West Bank from freedom of travel and movement. pic.twitter.com/<>NfoXwEifX

— Watchful (@alsahera_ar) May 31, 2022

Security prevention

The "security ban" imposed by the Israeli occupation is a nightmare for tens of thousands of Palestinians, especially university and graduate students in majors that are not available inside Palestine.

The Ramallah-based Center for Freedoms and the Defense of Civil Rights pays special attention to the security ban, and follows up through a private lawyer the cases of travel bans who turn to it for help, and counted between 2014 and 2022 more than 8500,<> reported bans.

A study of a sample of 287 people, who were prevented from traveling and went to the center to seek help in 2018, found that the ban includes males and females, and that all members of the sample did not have prior knowledge of the ban, until they were informed of it by the occupation at the moment of traveling at the Karama crossing between Jordan and Palestine.

According to the same study, the bans were not issued by judicial order, and about half of those banned had previously been arrested by the occupation.

The study shows that the existence or absence of the security ban is known in several ways, either through the application of the Israeli "coordinator", or by the travel ban upon arrival at the Karama crossing, or through a lawyer who examines the case.

According to Hurriyat, the travel ban affects family reunification and family communication by 51%, Hajj and Umrah by 14%, treatment and health by 12%, work by 10%, passage from Jordan to live in another country by 5.5%, and finally education and postgraduate studies by 5%.

Warning against the application of the coordinator and the deception of the occupation

Announcement by the coordinator addressed to the residents of Turmus'ayya and al-Mughayyid under the name "Campaign to Lift the Security Prohibition", all that is required is to download the coordinator's application and then go to the liaison and meet with an officer in the Shin Bet, all in exchange for a promise to lift the security ban.

The app is a spy program on your device and friends... pic.twitter.com/sFrpePwwTI

— yaseenizeddeen (@yaseenizeddeen) February 7, 2023

During 2022, the director of the center, Helmy Al-Araj, told Al Jazeera Net that 124 people who were prevented from traveling went to the center, and the ban has already been lifted for 64 people, and 26 people were refused to lift the ban on them, and the rest is under follow-up, which means that there is no justification for most of the bans."

Among those banned from travel are 4 students and 4 teachers, al-Araj said, noting that "the occupation uses the policy of travel bans as collective punishment, although it is internationally prohibited and in international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention."

He pointed out that the figures include those who have applied to the center to lift the ban on them, and do not reflect the real numbers, which far exceed this number.

"The occupation invokes flimsy security reasons," al-Araj said, noting that "the largest category of those banned is the liberated prisoners." The travel ban "is a violation that entails a violation of fundamental rights, such as the rights to education, treatment, work, pilgrimage, social communication and others", he said.

He pointed out that the duration of the ban may reach years or decades and affect tens of thousands of citizens from different segments of society.