In cooperation with the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) An-Najah National University received a British delegation encompassing representatives from different UK Trade Unions. The delegation was organized by the British Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) to give British trade unionists the chance to examine, first-hand, the realities faced by Palestinians under the Israeli military occupation.

The delegation included several members from the University and College Union (UCU):

President Linda Newman, National Executive Committee members Mary Davies and Sue Blackwell, and Barry Lovejoy, National Head of Further Education.

The delegation held couple of meetings with the University Administration and the University Employees' Union. In the first meeting the delegation met with Professor Maher Natsheh, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Hanoon, Vice President for Administrative Affairs, Dr. Nabil Alawi, Director of Public Relations, Mrs. Lucy Royal-Dawson, Coordinator of the Right to Education Campaign at An-Najah, and Mr. Saed Abu-Hijleh, Lecturer of Political Geography and coordinator of the visit.

Professor Natsheh gave the delegation an overview of the university’s history and development, academic programs, scientific centers, the role it plays in community development, and the impediments and obstacles faced by the university due to the Israeli military occupation and the siege imposed on Nablus city.

Mrs. Royal-Dawson explained the different violations to the Palestinian Right to Education and the campaigns initiated by An-Najah and other Palestinian Universities in an effort to protect and preserve that right including the documentation of violations and local, national, and international advocacy to support that right.

The delegation then met with the Head of University Employees' Union Dr. Fawaz Aqel and other members of the Union and discussed the activities of the union and the role it plays in the preservation of the rights of employees and its continuous efforts for the betterment of the living standards of employees under the current harsh economic and political conditions. During the meeting the members of the UCU expressed their solidarity with their Palestinian counterparts and stressed their desire for cooperation in the future. The issue of the academic and cultural boycott of Israeli academia was discussed and the UCU delegates explained the different views and the status of this issue in the UK and within the UCU.

The visit of the delegation to An-Najah ended with a tour of the University New Campus during which the delegates had a chance to meet with several student volunteers who helped guide the tour and gave their own accounts of what it means to study at An-Najah under the current conditions of military occupation.