September 29, 2003
Following a meeting with Al-Quds University officials, the Israeli military establishment decided, in principle, to alter its plans for the construction of the Apartheid Wall through AQU’s main campus in Abu Dis by moving the Wall westward to the peripheral of University property, so as to minimize the damage caused by the Wall to the University. This decision came as a result of Al-Quds University’s month of continuous peaceful protests conducted on University land endangered of being expropriated by the Israeli government for use in the construction of the Wall. Furthermore, internal and external, official and unofficial pressures were applied to the Israeli government to minimize the damage caused by the Wall’s construction on University property. The official level was spearheaded by United States Government officials, Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador John Wolf. Unofficially, Israeli and international academic and cultural leaders contributed to the Israeli military’s decision.
While University officials were pleased with the results of the meeting, we continue to assert that the University is principally in favor of building bridges of understanding and not walls. The University believes that the Apartheid Wall constitutes inhumane treatment of people under occupation and will cause great damage to Palestinian individuals and institutions, and will further deepen the conflict. The University also believes that if there is a need for such a Wall, it should be built in agreement with the Palestinians and along the 1967 border.
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