Gaza Universities Reopen: Just Don't Ask Why They Were Closed
The New Arab dutifully reports on Gaza's universities 'gradually resuming' classes, a heartwarming tale of resilience. What’s missing? The 'why' behind the 'resumption.' As of January 2024, the UN reported that all of Gaza’s 12 universities had been damaged or destroyed by Israeli forces. This isn’t a pandemic recovery; it’s an attempt to teach amidst the literal ruins of an education system, with
faculty killed and students displaced. Highlighting reopening without detailing the deliberate obliteration first is like reporting on a wildfire victim rebuilding their home, but omitting that someone lit the match. This isn’t a 'return' to education; it's a frantic archaeological dig for academic life under a mountain of rubble and despair, a reality made possible by the very weapons the US
continues to funnel to Netanyahu’s government, often with bipartisan support from politicians like Senator Bob Menendez, who reportedly received over $100,000 from pro-Israel PACs in 2022 alone according to OpenSecrets.