ATTEMPTED LYNCHING SHUTS DOWN PA UNIVERSITY

Attempted lynching shuts down PA univ.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

The largest Palestinian university in the Gaza Strip was shut down after hundreds of Fatah-affiliated students tried to lynch the institution's president. Sources in Gaza City said the students at Al-Azhar University were angry with the head of the university because he didn't give Fatah enough seats in the newly-established board of directors.

They said the students went on the rampage on Monday, destroying furniture and setting fire to several administration offices and classrooms. According to the sources, the rioters then attacked university president Hani Nijem's office while he was inside. Nijem, who was appointed just last week, was forced to hide for nearly three hours as the students tried, unsuccessfully, to break down the door of his office.

Palestinian Authority policemen who rushed to the scene battled for hours with the protesters before rescuing Nijem from his office. At least five students were injured during the confrontation and taken to hospital. Yahya Madhoun, a leader of the Fatah-affiliated students on campus, condemned the university administration's decision to suspend studies indefinitely. He said the protest was organized to demand reforms in the university administrationand to call for the resignation of Nijem and other top academics.

The student leader described the university as a Fatah stronghold "that must be preserved at any cost." The administration condemned the perpetrators as "saboteurs" and called on PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to put an end to chaos and lawlessness.

Tensions on the campus have been running high since unidentified gunmen murdered professor Yasser al-Madhoun, one of the teachers, late last year. Last week, the Arab-American University in the Jenin area suspended studies for several days after a group of gunmen kidnapped and beat the library director.