Ramallah: Due to the recent escalation of Israeli army incursions into Palestinian cities, arrests, and killings, approximately 10,000 Palestinian students living in Israel and studying at Palestinian universities in the West Bank have faced difficulties.

At least 250 of them have dropped out of universities and returned to their homes in Israel.

General strikes, mourning for victims of Israel's violence, and increased Israeli military checkpoints at Palestinian city entrances all had a significant impact on their studies, resulting in university classes being cancelled.

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The Arab-American University in Jenin has 5,000 students, An-Najah University has 3,000, Jerusalem University in Abu Dis has 1,100, and Hebron University has 1,000. 

One of the reasons for Israel's harassment of students is the $8 million that Palestinian universities receive each year from these students. If they leave Palestinian universities, the amount will be lost, while Israeli universities will profit.

The number of Palestinian students from Israel studying at Palestinian universities in the West Bank is a significant source of revenue for these institutions. This helps the Palestinian economy by allowing students to rent apartments near universities.

Students decided to leave these universities due to Israel's harassment, inquiries, and interrogations, as well as the deteriorating security conditions in those cities. In addition, the Israeli security agency Shin Bet has formed a special unit to monitor Palestinian students.

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Jalal Banna, a political analyst, commented on the situation, saying, "These students are studying in a geographical area that poses a major security challenge to Israel, so it is natural to look at them suspiciously."

Meanwhile, the Israeli education minister rejected a bid by Palestinian university students to complete their studies at Arab colleges within Israel.

According to Amir Assi, a Palestinian university lecturer living in Israel, Israel's behaviour in this regard is a disgrace to the occupying forces, as Israeli authorities are unwilling to remove the obstacles that Palestinian students face.

"Israel refuses to establish an Arab university for Palestinians in Israel that teaches in Arabic, and at the same time it does not want them to study in Palestinian universities under flimsy security pretexts," said Youssef Jabarin, a university lecturer.

In another development, Jenin Governor Major General Akram Rajoub told Arab News that the Israeli army's invasion of Jenin and its camp had had disastrous consequences for the people who lived there.

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In response to the growing poverty in Jenin and its camp, he stated that before Ramadan, he used to distribute 200 coupons to low-income families to assist them in purchasing daily necessities, but now 700 coupons are required.

He claimed that the Israeli army turned Jenin and its camp into a "practical training camp for its forces" by utilising various units and technology such as drones and others.