Teenagers from Gaza hoping to study in the U.S. have been forbidden to leave, on orders from Hamas, the elected government of the Gaza Strip.

 

Eight students were given AMIDEAST scholarships to spend a year in America. But, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Hamas has refused to let them leave the territory, in what’s been described as an effort to assert authority over anyone challenging the group’s leadership and to oppose activities promoting a Western lifestyle.

 

The border crackdown came only a day after numerous aid groups in Gaza criticized Hamas for forcing aid workers and employees of civil society groups to register with local authorities before traveling for work outside the territory.

 

Also, Hamas forced the closure of the U.S.-financed International Medical Corps after it refused to allow Hamas to review the group’s records.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Hamas Bans Gaza Students Studying Abroad (by Ian Deitch, Associated Press)

Hamas Bans Gaza Students Studying Abroad (by Kari Huus, MSNBC)