SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

Date of Incident: April 16, 2022

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances | Other

Institution(s):Al Quds University

Region & Country:Western Asia | Palestine (OPT)

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On April 16, 2022, clashes broke out between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian students in and around the Al-Quds University campus.

Sources indicate that Israeli forces fired tear gas at the students who were holding a vigil and solidarity demonstration in response to the Israeli military raiding the Al Aqsa Mosque one day earlier. Israeli soldiers also reportedly set up roadblocks around the university around the time of the protest.

Scholars at Risk is concerned by state security forces using tear gas to restrict nonviolent, on-campus student expression — conduct that is protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Israel is a party. State security forces have an obligation to refrain from using force to restrict or retaliate against nonviolent student expression. The use of tear gas to restrict nonviolent campus expression undermines academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://felesteen.news/post/106614//وقفات-طلابية-بالضفة-تدعو-لشد-الرحال-للأقصى-وإشعال-المواجهة-مع-الا
https://alwakeelnews.com/Section_23/568527_اخبار-فلسطين/إصابات-بالاختناق-خلال-مواجهات-مع-الاحتلال-بمحيط-جامعة-القدس
https://imemc.org/article/israeli-soldiers-fire-tear-gas-at-palestinian-students-at-al-quds-university
https://www.aa.com.tr/ar/2565357/سرائيل/الضفة-إصابة-4-فلسطينيين-ومواجهات-مع-الجيش-الإسرائيلي-/
https://www.qudspress.com/index.php?page=show&id=78096
https://twitter.com/AlQastalps/status/1515278944509083654