Palestinians with study visa appeal against Dutch state

A visa is ready for them, but they can’t collect it. Two Palestinian students are appealing against the Dutch state, which refuses to help them come here.

In total, 42 Palestinians have been granted a visa to study or conduct research in the Netherlands. Only they can’t collect that visa. They can’t leave Gaza and after the official ceasefire, the Dutch government stopped assisting Gazans who want to leave the area.

Last week the administrative judge in The Hague rejected the request for assistance from three Palestinians. They brought a lawsuit because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously helped students flee Gaza. They are asking for the same treatment.

Not obliged

But the Dutch government is not obliged to provide such assistance, the court ruled last week. The fact that the government did provide it last year doesn’t change that. The law firm representing the students, Prakken d’Oliveira, said it will appeal the ruling.

Of the three Palestinians, two were to study in Wageningen, the third was to do research at NIAS in Amsterdam. The latter has since arrived at NIAS, although exactly how is not known.

Wageningen University contributed to the lawsuit and responded last week, disappointed by the ruling. Other universities say they would also receive students from Gaza, they said when asked.

Visa is in Jordan

Maastricht University is expecting four students, Utrecht University nine and Radboud University Nijmegen two. In Leiden one of the four students was able to come, a spokesperson said. “This student was already in Cairo, so it was easier to travel to the Netherlands. The other three can’t get out of Gaza to collect the visa. We are looking at how we can help the students.”

Also the University of Amsterdam would receive ‘a number’ of students from Gaza. “We helped them with their visa. As far as we are concerned these students could have started at the beginning of February”, says a spokesperson.

Gazans are supposed to collect their study or research visa at the Dutch embassy in Jordan. But Israel still keeps the borders closed for some Gazans. Not everyone can therefore get to Amman.