Israel permit 'too short' for PhD

Sawsan Salameh needs to attend an Israel institution for her degree

A Palestinian who fought a legal battle to attend an Israeli university says the six months she has been given to study for her PhD is simply not enough.

Israeli human rights group Gisha described the six-month permit as "cynical" because a doctoral thesis usually takes at least four years.

Sawsan Salameh won a scholarship to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem but was banned by the army from attending.

The Israeli authorities have not commented on the case.

Sawsan Salameh was admitted to university but fell foul of Israeli army regulations banning Palestinian students from the West Bank from entering Israel or occupied East Jerusalem, where the university is located.

They didn't want to say no, but that's in effect what they did Sawsan Salameh Palestinian fights for PhD place

The decision was overturned last week and Ms Salameh was granted a six-month permit to pursue her studies.

Gisha says it is taking Ms Salameh's case to the Israeli Supreme Court, describing the ruling as a "cynical proposal".

Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and annexed it in 1981. Its claim to the area is not recognised internationally.

Palestinians want to establish their capital in East Jerusalem.

Ms Salameh visited the Hebrew University last week after the travel ban was lifted.

"They didn't want to say no, but that's in effect what they did," she said.

She is allowed to attend the university for four days a week. But the six-month permit is a real problem, she says.

With no Palestinian universities offering the right programmes, Ms Salameh said that the only way she could get a PhD in chemistry was at the Hebrew university.