 Peaceful ResistanceBuilding a Palestinian University under Occupation By Dr. Gabi Baramki Foreword by Jimmy Carter Pluto Press, London and New York, 2010, Pp. 219. Providing quality education for the next generation in a rapidly changing world is a challenge anyplace, but nowhere more so than in Palestine. Added to the usual academic demands are the problems of getting books past Israeli military censorship, holding classes despite the army surrounding the campus, getting students and staff past innumerable roadblocks so they can attend classes, retrieving them from prison, and completing the course of study despite arbitrary and prolonged closures. These are just some of the challenges described by Gabi Baramki in his book, Peaceful Resistance, in which he combines memoir with a history of Birzeit University. The combination comes quite naturally because Baramki has been involved with this most outstanding of Palestinian universities in one capacity or another for most of his life. In the 1930s and 1940s, he was a student at Birzeit Higher School established by the Nasir family in their home as an elementary and secondary boarding school. After obtaining an MA from the American University of Beirut in 1953, Baramki got a job in Birzeit’s new Junior College programme. By then, Palestine had been divided with the formation of Israel, and the West Bank was under Jordanian administration. Birzeit College was able to flourish commensurate with the great efforts exerted by its staff, but after the 1967 occupation, developing it into a full-fledged, four-year university, like every single advance in its programme or facilities, had to be fought for. In one of Israel’s more hostile acts, University President Hanna Nasir was deported; as vice president, Baramki assumed responsibility for the administration of the University. Despite many new restrictions, Birzeit University continued to advance. As Baramki writes, “By 1979 we had a flourishing campus, a growing network of supporters and great plans for academic expansion. In short, the future looked bright. We had no idea of the disasters that were just around the corner.� With the 1967 occupation, Birzeit University’s educational mission became even more important. It was consciously seen as part of the national resistance to Israeli occupation and policies which aim to keep the Palestinians subjugated. Baramki’s narrative reveals the thinking and planning of the teachers and administrators who, along with a committed, enthusiastic student body, made Birzeit what it is - a high quality educational institution with deep community involvement and potentially an important role in state-building and social development should the Palestinians ever be given the chance to move in that direction. Throughout his narrative, Baramki speaks in terms of “we,� denoting his sense of being part of an effort bigger than any one person. Even from exile, Hanna Nasir was actively involved in decision making whenever possible, and the BZU administration was always keen to coordinate with the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Some faculty members from Israeli universities joined solidarity groups with the University but Israeli university presidents and administrators never gave any support during the closure of the University by the Israeli military authorities. In contrast, strong ties were built abroad, especially with European universities. Reading the book makes one aware of why Baramki titled it Peaceful Resistance rather than passive resistance, for the faculty and students of BZU have been anything but passive. At the same time, BZU’s administration has always stood for resolving conflicts without violence despite many Israeli attempts to paint the University as a security threat. Yet, as Baramki asserts, “The real threat that Birzeit poses is not military, terrorist, anti-Semitic or even anti-Israeli. The threat that Birzeit poses is that it is a shining example of what the Palestinians can do against incredible odds.� Besides hard work, educational acumen and administrative skill, running Birzeit University has taken a lot of creativity. From the beginning of the occupation, the Israeli military government tried to gain total control over the University, and the administration had to tread a difficult tightrope - not antagonising the occupation unnecessarily yet not caving in to excessive demands and restrictions whereby the university would lose it independence. Baramki writes in conviction that the pen is mightier than the sword. Like the memoirs of Edward Said, Hanan Ashrawi, Ghada Karmi, Serene Husseini Shadid and others, Baramki’s narrative makes it clear that the Palestinians occupy the moral high ground in the conflict. If only world politics were based on moral grounds. Professor Gabi Baramki, who obtained a PhD in Chemistry from McGill University in 1959, is a major figure in the Palestinian resistance movement, who has devoted his life to education at Birzeit, including 19 years as acting President of the University. He co-founded the PEACE (Palestinian European Academic Cooperation in Education) Programme, and he was awarded the medal Palme Académique by the French Ministry of Education. Based on a review by Sally Bland that appeared in the Jordan Times on 7 December 2009. |
AMAZON.COM: Peaceful Resistance: Building a Palestinian University under Occupation
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