The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Dhaka has explained its decision to block the placement of female students from Gaza at the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong, citing concerns over the university’s alleged affiliations with Israel and its supporters.
AUW has firmly denied the allegations, reaffirming its humanitarian mission and clarifying its associations with the individuals named.
Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef Ramadan rejected allegations that embassy delays caused the deaths of 30 students, saying those students had voluntarily withdrawn from AUW and accepted other scholarships arranged by the embassy.
On August 10, Palestine’s Education Minister Dr Amjad Barham wrote to Bangladesh’s Education Adviser CR Abrar, expressing gratitude for the scholarship support but noting reservations about AUW’s management, administration, and funding sources.
Ramadan said AUW’s leadership, donors, and partners include individuals and organizations with “direct or indirect” ties to Israel, naming the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bayer AG, and Direct Relief. He also accused former UK prime minister Tony Blair of backing projects aimed at displacing Palestinians from Gaza. Blair's wife Cherie Blair is the founding chancellor of AUW.
The ambassador also claimed that AUW maintains partnerships with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit under the Israeli Ministry of Defense. He shared a letter from AUW founder Kamal Ahmed to incoming students, in which it was stated that COGAT had approved their transit from Gaza.
Ramadan also cited past incidents at AUW, including the unexplained deaths of one Afghan and one Lao student, which, he said, raised serious concerns about the university’s ability to ensure student safety.
According to the ambassador, five governments—none of which recognize Palestine and all of which have supplied arms to Israel—pressured the embassy to approve AUW placements on humanitarian grounds. He named the United States and the United Kingdom but declined to disclose the other three due to diplomatic considerations.
He also noted that Moshe Safdie, the architect of AUW’s new campus, is Israeli. The embassy highlighted AUW’s request for financial assistance from Qatar, citing a letter signed by the former education minister and former chair of the AUW Board of Trustees requesting $15,000 per student per year, amounting to $3 million annually for 200 Palestinian students.
The embassy emphasized that Palestinian students were welcome in Bangladesh but will only support placements at universities other than AUW. AUW had not been recognized by the Palestinian education department for the past two years, while the department recognizes 70 Bangladeshi higher education institutions, including BRAC University, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, and East West University.
Bangladesh supported the Palestinian cause, Ramadan said, with the current government granting visa-on-arrival to nearly 200 students and facilitating around 280 full scholarships from over 20 universities.
The embassy stressed that the Palestinian government’s policy was to resist any move that could lead to the depopulation of Gaza, warning that “the only people who benefit from an empty Gaza Strip are Israel and its allies.”
Currently, more than 70 Palestinian students are studying in Bangladesh, and the embassy said it was working to bring more through appropriate channels. In recent times, 41 students completed their higher education from Bangladesh and returned to Gaza. Many of the students were MBBS graduates and were serving in hospitals and medical camps in Gaza.
AUW responds
The Asian University for Women (AUW) has issued a firm response to the Palestinian Embassy’s rejection of student placements, clarifying its humanitarian mission and distancing itself from any alleged Israeli ties.
AUW reaffirmed Cherie Blair’s position as founding chancellor, chosen for her human rights work and personal connection to AUW’s mission.
She has visited AUW over 15 times and was honored in January 2025 for her longstanding support. The university emphasized it has no affiliation with former UK prime minister Tony Blair.
The university stated it has never received funds from Israeli organizations and has no partnerships with them.
All support for Palestinian students is funded internally, with no contributions from Qatar or other foreign entities.
The UAE coordinated with Israeli authorities to evacuate students from Gaza, with logistical support from a UN agency and Jordanian transit facilitated by Queen Rania.
The initiative was endorsed by Palestinian UN Ambassador Riad Mansour, who expressed gratitude to Bangladesh.
AUW concluded by noting that while diplomatic opposition continues, students in Gaza are urgently reaching out, hoping for rescue and a chance at education.
The university remains committed to its mission of empowering women from conflict zones.
