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In photos: Palestinian students cheering in graduation ceremony

Saturday, 21 May 2016 11:35 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 22 May 2016 1:36 AM ]

Palestinian students raise their diploma during their graduation ceremony at the end of the academic year on May 20, 2016 at Birzeit University in the West Bank town of Birzeit, near Ramallah. (photos by AFP)

See images of Palestinian students celebrating their accomplishment during a graduation ceremony despite all the obstacles of living under occupation.

Students at the Birzeit University near the West Bank city of Ramallah posed for selfies Friday to celebrate their graduation.

Pro-Palestinian academics throughout the globe have called for a boycott of the Israeli regime over its discriminatory and oppressive policies, including crackdown on academic freedom in Palestinian universities.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is part of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement, aiming to isolate Tel Aviv in the international arena.

Launched in Ramallah in 2004, the PACBI calls for comprehensive and consistent boycott of all Israeli academic and cultural institutions as long as the occupation continues.

The initiative has been met by widespread support from academics, intellectuals, unions, and organizations throughout the globe.

It urges world universities to refrain from academic and cultural cooperation with Tel Aviv, promote BDS, and get engaged with Palestinian universities without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts.

The campaign has a dedicated website to interact with academics around the world and notify its supporters of specific steps to magnify the movement’s impact.