Belgian Universities Condemn Decision to Block Gaza Students

GAZA: (News Desk) – Belgium’s leading universities have criticised the government’s decision not to assist 13 students from war-ravaged Gaza who secured scholarships to study at Belgian institutions.

The Belgian government abandoned plans last week to evacuate the Palestinian students, triggering a dispute within the country’s coalition government.

The heads of Belgium’s 10 leading universities expressed their “dismay” in a joint letter, accusing the government of treating the students as political bargaining chips during negotiations over migration policy.

Centrist Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot had supported efforts to bring the students to Belgium but reportedly faced resistance from the Flemish conservative party of Prime Minister Bart De Wever.

According to a government source, Prevot said a coalition partner demanded concessions on migration, including the establishment of deportation centres, in exchange for approving the evacuation plan.

The university rectors rejected the approach, saying the students should not become part of political negotiations over migration. They stressed that the students had earned scholarships based on academic merit and intended to return to their home countries after completing their studies to contribute to reconstruction efforts.

The 13 students are among around 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza who are currently waiting to travel to Belgium after being granted permission to enter, mainly through family reunification arrangements, according to several non-governmental organisations.

Evacuations from Gaza, which has been devastated by the war with Israel, have proceeded slowly. Activists and university leaders have accused the Belgian government of deliberately delaying the process.

The university chiefs said recent discussions suggested that the obstacles were not impossible logistical challenges but reflected a lack of political will.

The issue is also affecting Palestinian students seeking to study in other European countries, including Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as Türkiye, where applicants have reported delays in recent months.

The war began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,221 people, according to Israeli official figures. Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 73,470 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas.