Fulbright scholarships restored to 7 Gaza students

June 2, 2008
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JERUSALEM (AP) -- The U.S. has reinstated the Fulbright scholarships of seven Gaza Strip students blocked by Israel from leaving the Hamas-ruled territory, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The students were informed Thursday that their scholarships for the upcoming academic year would be deferred because they couldn't get out of Gaza, which Israel blockaded after Islamic Hamas militants seized power a year ago.

A letter dated Sunday from the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem said officials were working to secure exit permits so the students could continue the visa and university placement process.

''We are working very closely with the Government of Israel in order to secure its cooperation in this matter,'' the letter said. Consulate officials would not comment Monday beyond confirming the letter's authenticity.

On Monday, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev indicated the problem would be solved.

Israel, he added, ''sincerely hopes that it will be possible to get the students out by the beginning of the coming academic year.''

All Gazans who exit the territory need to undergo tight Israeli security checks.

Israel allows pressing humanitarian cases to leave Gaza, but officials say students are not included in that definition. Some 500 students and their dependents have been allowed to leave over the past year. But exit permits have dried up in recent months in the wake of militant attacks on Israel, according to an Israeli human rights group, Gisha, which has been helping Gaza students leave for studies abroad.

Gisha director Sari Bashi welcomed the U.S. consulate's pledge to help the students. Gisha ''calls on Israel to allow all students with scholarships trapped in Gaza to leave and study abroad,'' she told the AP.

The U.S. started appealing to Israel on Friday. The lobbying included a call from the No. 3 State Department official to Israel's ambassador in Washington on Friday morning.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters on Friday that the U.S. objected to the Israeli decision and ''they heard our concerns.''

Regev said the U.S. didn't immediately approach Israel to expedite the exit of the scholarship winners. ''If we weren't aware of a problem, how can anyone expect us to solve it?'' Regev asked.

Named for the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, the grants are the flagship U.S. government educational exchange program. They go to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The $198 million annual program brings 7,000 foreign students to the U.S.