– Here we have ten young Palestinians who want to complete their medical studies, we can contribute to that. It is a foreign policy goal that we implement by providing accommodation during this period to these students, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) to news. Therefore, the government instructs the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) to change the visa refusal. SYMBOLIC: Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) believes this is a small but symbolically important contribution from Norway. Photo: Petter Larsson / news – The health situation in Gaza is catastrophic, I think everyone can see that. Half of the hospitals have been completely knocked out, and a large part of the health personnel have been killed. This is a small but symbolically important contribution for young Palestinians, who wish to rebuild the health service, says Støre. – One step closer At the end of June, the University of Oslo (UiO) announced that they would take in ten Palestinian medical students on a six-month exchange stay this autumn – to help them complete their studies. After the war in Gaza broke out in October, much of the infrastructure has been bombed and together – including the Al-Azhar University – where the ten studied. UiO would guarantee the travel to Norway and the stay. The students – who have not had the opportunity to study for several months – were looking forward to finally starting their education again. This is how one of them, Manar al-Khodari, described the opportunity last week: – Coming to Norway will bring me one step closer to completing my degree, to return to Palestine to help my country and help rebuild Gaza. And fill the void left by all the doctors and nurses who have been killed, al-Khodari said in Dagsnytt 18. Got rejected But then the student visa applications were rejected. The Directorate of Immigration believes it is likely that they will not return, but will stay in Norway after the semester is over. The refusal led to strong reactions. The students were wanted at universities in several other countries, according to VG. But since they had accepted an exchange at UiO, they lost the offers at the other universities. SUNDER AND SAMAN: These are the remains of Al-Azhar University after being bombed during the war. Photo: RONEN ZVULUN / Reuters For a week, both UiO, several in the medical community and politicians have asked the government to intervene. Erlend Wiborg from the Progress Party, for his part, thought that the UDI had come to the right decision. Both Klassekampen, VG and Khrono have written articles about the situation. In time Now, the government instructs UDI to grant student visas to the ten medical students. Basically, the government cannot influence UDI’s decisions in individual cases in this way. But if the government believes that there are foreign policy concerns or other national interests that dictate that a different conclusion should be reached, they can intervene. However, it rarely happens. – Why has it taken so long? – The start of studies is in two or three weeks, so there is time for that. Now they can come and they will be welcomed safely, says Støre. – I have been busy taking it in the right order, and have respect for the work UDI does. But the Minister for Foreign Affairs, myself and the government have agreed that it is right here to use the foreign policy arguments as a basis. IMPORTANT: In June, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide wrote this in a written reply to Abid Raja: “It is my clear opinion that one of the most important things we can do in the current situation is to ensure that the health institutions in Gaza are back in operation”. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB The ten students start their studies on 19 August. They are all in the Egyptian capital Cairo now, and Støre is confident that they will arrive in time for the exchange stay. – Would it be relevant to let them complete the entire course here in Norway? – This is the six months they want to do at UiO, and then, as I understand it, they plan to complete their medical studies in Cairo. And that is the plan that is being followed. Published 02.08.2024, at 07.29
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Ten students from Gaza are still allowed to come to Norway – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
