Give students in Gaza a chance to study!

Azhar, Samer, Zeinab, Wael and Izideen are just five out of hundreds of students trapped in the Gaza Strip, prevented from reaching the universities around the world to which they have been accepted. Since June 2007, Israel has imposed a nearly total closure on the Gaza Strip, violating the right to freedom of movement for 1.5 million Palestinian residents - including hundreds of students in danger of losing their chance to access study programs not available in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:
“If you cannot engage young people and give them a complete horizon to their expectations and to their dreams, then I don't know that there would be any future for Palestine.”
May 30, 2008

Faced with pressure from world leaders outraged over the ban, Israeli officials declared that they would allow exit for just a few dozen students in Gaza holding "recognized scholarships" and seeking to access "friendly countries" but will continue to prevent hundreds of other students from reaching their studies. With each passing day, Gaza's most talented young people risk losing their places in universities abroad – and losing their chance to pursue their dreams of building a better future in the region.

This is the time to send a clear message to Israeli leaders:
The right to access education is universal!
Give students in Gaza a chance to study!