Supreme Court orders rethink of Gaza student travel ban

IDF does not allow residents from the Hamas-run Strip to study in the West Bank

Palestinian students attend their graduation ceremony at Bir Zeit University, May 18, 2012. (Issam Rimawi/Flash90)
Palestinian students attend their graduation ceremony at Bir Zeit University, May 18, 2012. (Issam Rimawi/Flash90)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered the military to reconsider its ban on Gaza residents studying in the West Bank.

The court posted its decision Thursday, implying it would order a change. The Israeli military has 45 days to respond.

Sari Bashi, head of the Israeli human rights group Gisha who was involved in petitioning the court, said this was the first time such a ruling has been made.

Citing security, Israel imposed the ban in 2000 after a violent Palestinian uprising erupted. Before then, some 1,000 Gaza residents studied in the West Bank every year.

The two territories have rival governments. The Islamic militant Hamas overran Gaza in 2007, expelling forces loyal to Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas, who now rules only the West Bank.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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