Universities slam Belgian refusal to evacuate Gaza students

Universities slam Belgian refusal to evacuate Gaza students

Belgium's top universities condemned on Monday the government's refusal to help 13 students from war-torn Gaza, who received scholarships at Belgian universities, reach the country.

Brussels set aside plans to evacuate the Palestinian students last week in a case that has split the coalition government.

The rectors of the European country's top 10 universities expressed their "dismay" at the move in a letter, accusing the administration of using the students as "bargaining chips" in a "disgraceful political horse-trading".

Centrist Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot has advocated evacuating the students but has faced opposition from the Flemish conservative party of Prime Minister Bart De Wever, according to a government source.

Prevot said one member of the five-party coalition demanded concessions on migration, including the creation of deportation centres, in return for greenlighting the evacuations.

 "Discussions in recent weeks also show that the obstacles cited do not stem from insurmountable constraints but rather from a lack of political will," the university chiefs said.