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It seems the U.S. State Department has reversed the decision to deny the seven Gaza students Fulbright Grants. And while this is good news in principle, it should not be praised out of context—or too early.

The spokesman for the Israeli Defense Ministry’s department of civilian affairs, Major Peter Lerner (whom I dealt with regularly when arranging coordination in and out of Gaza), says that each of the the Palestinian students will face security check before being allowed to leave Gaza.

Fine. This sounds very reasonable… but I am skeptical that these students will actually be granted permission to leave. Since June 2007, approximately 670 students have been unable to pursue higher education abroad due to the total closure of the territory by the Israeli military.

Israel is denying exit permits that the young men and women need to leave Gaza for university programs in countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Germany, Britain, and the United States. The students are among roughly 6,400 Gazans with foreign citizenship, permanent residency, work permits, student visas or university admissions abroad, who have been trapped in Gaza since June, when Hamas took control of the territory by force.

If their case remains in the headlines, they may have a chance. Israel may consider the P.R. opportunities of the situation and attempt to (once again) cast itself as a benevolent occupier. (Remember how “nice” Israel was several months ago when a homosexual Palestinian man was allowed to seek refuge in Israel—while the Shin Bet simultaneously threatened other gay Palestinians with exposure?) Without delving into the staggeringly imperialistic mentality that could transform the easing of brutal military rule into a positive gesture on Israel’s behalf, it goes without saying that the Fulbright students in this particular case benefit significantly from the newsworthiness of their situation.

Most cases receive no such attention because they do not include either the United States or the prestigious Fulbright grant. For example, a 19-year old boy I knew in Gaza had applied successfully the University of Bucharest, yet has been unable to leave—despite multiple letters I wrote on his behalf as a representative of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights to high-level European Union delegates in the region. His case is ongoing and forgotten, like the majority of the Gazan population.

Of course, one hopes that these students are finally allowed to leave Gaza, but I wonder if we should lower ourselves to accepting the scraps of Israeli oppression. If these seven Palestinian students are granted permission to leave, we should be careful not to reflect on Israel’s “generosity”—we should question the fundamental injustice of a system allowing Israel to determine the fate of so many people.

* UPDATE *

Apparently Israel has granted these students permission to leave Gaza, but I believe the overall message of my post is still clear. The suave Israeli spokesman, Mark Regev, said that Israel has an “interest in seeing people like this going to study abroad … Ultimately, in view of creating a Palestinian leadership composed of individuals exposed to pluralist countries like the US.”

Sure. What about the other 670?