On September 22, 2025, Israeli forces raided Birzeit University, injuring campus security guards, vandalizing university property, and leaving threatening leaflets.

According to Birzeit officials, around 11 Israeli military vehicles entered Birzeit’s campus in the middle of the night. Soldiers detained and handcuffed university security guards, injuring two, who were later taken to the hospital for treatment. They raided the university’s arts and literature buildings and its theater, seized materials belonging to the student movement, and defaced murals and posters. The forces also left leaflets, including one calling the student organizations’ activities “terrorist activity,” and warning that participating in student organizations could endanger students’ safety.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the forced entry into a higher education institution by military forces and about threats targeting students for exercising their rights to the freedom of expression. While security forces have a responsibility to maintain security and safety, they must also refrain from the disproportionate use of force and ensure that their actions do not endanger civilians. Absent a compelling reason to do so, campus raids undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-09-22/ty-article/.premium/birzeit-university-in-west-bank-says-idf-raided-campus-attacked-guards-damaged-property/00000199-712d-daea-adff-7fef9aab0000
https://al-fanarmedia.org/2025/09/bulletin-birzeit-u-protests-raid-by-israeli-forces-mesa-urges-canada-to-expedite-visas-for-palestinian-students/
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/161594
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/09/22/348235/
https://www.facebook.com/BirzeitUniversity/posts/1185375516955073
https://right2edu.birzeit.edu/birzeit-university-under-attack-fifth-invasion-amid-ongoing-genocide-and-scholasticide/