Universities slam Belgian refusal to evacuate Gaza students
Universities slam Belgian refusal to evacuate Gaza students Belgium's top universities condemned on Monday the government's refusal to help 13 students from war-torn Gaza, who received scholarships at Belgian universities, reach the country. Brussels set aside plans to evacuate the Palestinian students last week in a case that has split the coalition government. The rectors of the European…
Belgian universities have strongly criticized the government's decision not to help evacuate 13 Gaza students who received scholarships at Belgian institutions. The universities, which include the country's top 10, expressed their dismay over the move in a joint letter, accusing the administration of using the students as "bargaining chips" in a "disgraceful political horse-trading."
Centrist Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot has pushed for the evacuation of the students but has faced resistance from the Flemish conservative party led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever. According to a government source, Prevot had to concede to one member of the five-party coalition, who demanded concessions on migration issues, such as the establishment of deportation centers, in exchange for approving the evacuations.
The university leaders stated that the obstacles to the evacuation are not due to insurmountable constraints but rather a lack of political will.
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