Israeli Army Storms An-Najah National University and Arrests 25 Students

The spokesperson for An-Najah National University in Nablus stated that the Israeli army stormed the university early Monday morning and arrested 25 students who were staging a sit-in regarding union matters related to student registration and tuition payments. Rayed al-Dabbai told Reuters via phone, "A large force from the occupation army stormed the university at 2:30 AM today, assaulted two of the university's security personnel who were taken to the hospital, and arrested all the students who had been on sit-in at the university for 25 days advocating for union demands related to students." Al-Dabbai clarified that this was the first time the university had been stormed by the Israeli army since its siege in 1992. The Israeli army has yet to issue a statement regarding the reasons for the incursion and the arrests. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research condemned "the incursion of the occupation army into the old campus of An-Najah National University in Nablus this morning, the arrest of a number of its students and employees, the assault on them, and the damage to its properties and buildings." The ministry stated in its statement that "the continued crimes of the occupation, and its ongoing violation of the sanctity of higher education institutions, constitute a blatant disregard for international laws and treaties that criminalize assaults on these institutions and guarantee students the right to education in a safe and stable environment under all circumstances."