Birzeit

Twelve kilometers northwest of Ramallah is the largest and most important university on the West Bank. Birzeit University’s 2500 students have a history of vocal and sometimes violent opposition to the Israeli occupation; whenever political turmoil forces the Israeli army to tighten security in the West Bank, Birzeit is shut down. In the first years of the intifada, Israeli authorities closed down the university altogether, reopening in April 1992. Specify that you want to visit the university (jama’a) and not the town. The old campus is next to the last bus stop; the palatial new campus lies 2km out of town on the road back to Ramallah. Bus #19 leaves for Birzeit from Radio Blvd. in Ramallah, just off Manara Sq. Taxis leave from the same street.