From Zohair Abu Shaban: June 7, 2008

I'm Zohair Abu Shaban, the fulbrighter who was denied entering form Erez Crossing point on Wednesday. I'm writing this letter to make you completely aware of what happened to me in Erez point.

On Tuesday evening, two of the seven fulbrighter received that they couldn't get a permission to cross Erez Crossing Point and go to Jerusalem with the other five. Luckily, as I misestimated, I was from the other five.

On Wednesday morning, I went to Erez with the other 4 fulbrighters and submitted our ID cards to the Palestinians. After nearly half an hour, the Palestinian side gave back the ID's of my 4 companies to them and, shockingly, told me that only I didn't gain a permission to cross Erez point! I phoned the consulate contact person who told me to wait until she made calls with the Israelis. I had to wait another half an hour before she called me back an told me that she succeeded to convince the Israelis to grant me a permission. I and the other fulbrighters entered to the Israeli side and sat in the waiting hall for about two hours before two soldiers come and grabbed me to a room.

In this room, I faced a very offensive physical inspection for every inch in my body. After that I was taken in a scary unknown underground path leading to a room. I waited at the room alone, may be for more than half an hour. Then they took me to the investigation room.

In the investigation room, the officer asked me many question that are really not related to me personally. He asked me about Hamas people and told me he wants to know every Hamas person I know since "I know a lot" ,as he claimed, knowing that I studied in the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG). I tried to convince him that I am independent from Hamas, I have no affiliation to it, I have no relation to its activities, I was just a student and graduated the first rank in my class that's why I became a teaching assistant in ECE department in IUG for one year after which I must manage to find another place to work, as the IUG system dictates. Then he got mad of me and told me I have only two choices to choose between; to answer his question and leave to Jerusalem OR leave to Gaza and give up my master's study for ever. I insisted on my position so he expelled me out of the office back to the waiting hall. Then, after waiting for two hours they gave me back my ID card and ordered me to return to Gaza without showing the reasons.

Now, I am totally shocked that such depreciation happened to me. I want to know what justifies this to happen to me? Am I dangerous on Israel national security? Why in the evening I was OK and in the morning I am not? Is it my fault to graduate from IUG in the first rank and work as a teaching assistant only for one year? I believe the denial is completely unfair and unacceptable.

The resultant is that three out of seven are prevented from being interviewed for the visa. I am really frustrated and I ask what will the consulate do to facilitate their exit from Gaza, respected as Fulbrighters, not violated?