Academics have urged Palestinian universities to do more to support an initiative which enables women in Israeli prisons to complete their higher education.
The initiative was launched last year by the Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar, who has herself been arrested three times and spent most of the past six years in jail.
In a statement issued before she was released from Haifa’s Damon prison on September 26, Jarrar said: “Hope in prison is like a flower that blossoms from a stone, and education for us Palestinians is our greatest weapon.”
Since she launched her initiative a year ago, 49 female prisoners have completed courses in international humanitarian law and received certificates approved by Palestinian ministries.
The first of its kind, Jarrar’s program aims at deepening the analytical capabilities of female prisoners and helping them to realize their aspirations.