The Islamic Bloc, Hamas’ student arm, yesterday won 23 seats in the student elections of the University of Birzeit in the occupied West Bank, Al-Resalah newspaper reported

The Bloc of Martyr Yasser Arafat, Fatah’s students’ arm, also won 23 seats, but received 68 more vote than the Islamic Bloc; 4,065 versus the 3,997 received by the Islamic Bloc.

Student turnout stood at 75 per cent, the Student Union said.

The Progress Pole, the students arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, received 835 votes, giving it five seats in the Student Council.

The Islamic Bloc has won the majority of seats in the Student Council over the past four years, but has recently suffered as a result of an Israeli and Palestinian Authority crackdown.

The current and former heads of the Student Council in the university are being held in Israeli jails along with more than 80 activists.

 

Source: Middle East Monitor