John Swinney joins Gazan student and MP in plea to Keir Starmer over visa fiasco
A Palestinian woman who fears for her life in Gaza has pleaded with Keir Starmer to help her take up a place at Edinburgh University.
John Swinney has backed the 32-year-old's calls for the Prime Minister to open an emergency visa route and said he is 'appalled' students are being prevented from reaching safety in Scotland.
Shaymaa, who is using only her first name due to safety concerns, is one of 10 Palestinians who have fully-funded courses in Scotland, out of 78 in total across the UK.
But they're stranded in Gaza and unable to leave due to visa processing problems, fearing for their lives every day and struggling to find basic shelter and food.
Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine and Edinburgh university have been lobbying the UK Government for months over the issue but fear time is running out as courses are due to start in a fortnight.
Shaymaa is still hoping to begin her English Literature PhD at Edinburgh University on September 1.
Speaking to the Sunday Mail from Gaza, the student and former lecturer issued a direct appeal to Starmer and said: ' Education is the path to the future. It is one of the few remaining pathways to survival and dignity for Palestinians right now.
'The UK has an opportunity to offer practical, life-saving solutions to students like me.
'I urge him to implement an emergency route for students and researchers from Gaza, including biometric deferral and safe passage, so we are not excluded from opportunities we have rightfully earned.'
The UK government said students have to go through biometric processing – where their fingerprints and photos are recorded – to be considered for a visa.
Normally, they would select their nearest processing centre but the facility in Gaza is closed and all routes out of the region are blocked due to the Israeli bombardment, leaving them with no way to complete the checks.
Swinney said: 'I am appalled at the situation Shaymaa and other students from Gaza are facing. We must see urgent action from the UK Gov-ernment to support them in taking up their university places in Scotland.
'The people of Gaza are already suffering unimaginably at the hands of the Israeli government – the idea that these students could also be denied the chance to take up the university places in Scotland they have worked so hard to attain is not acceptable to me.'
The First Minister said education secretary Jenny Gilruth has contacted the UK Government calling for urgency over the issue, adding: 'I am aware other countries including France, Ireland and Italy have managed to successfully evacuate students, so the UK Government cannot simply duck its responsibilities here. Where there is a political will, a resolution can be found – and failure to act is literally putting these people's lives at risk.
'I am clear that the international community must put a stop to Israel's killing in Gaza and that we must see the immediate recognition of a sovereign, independent Palestine. But until that point, the UK Government must do everything it can to ensure ordinary Gazans are not punished further.
'Scotland looks forward to welcoming Shaymaa and the other students from Gaza seeking to take their places at our universities – the UK Government must do the right thing and do everything in its power to allow them to get here.'
Earlier this month, around 80 MPs signed an open letter to Starmer urging him to take action to help the 78 students, including Shaymaa, get to the UK for their studies.
A number of Scottish MPs joined the calls including Brian Leishman, Pete Wishart and Wendy Chamberlain.
Shaymaa said the chance to study in Edinburgh wouldn't just further her education but would save her life.
She said: 'Coming to Scotland wouldn't just allow me to continue my academic journey– which has been severely disrupted – but would also give me the chance to live and study in physical safety.
"It's not just about personal safety either. It would be a chance to reclaim a sense of direction, to write and think and teach without fearing for my life every second. It would allow me to begin healing and to carry the stories of Gaza into spaces where they urgently need to be heard.'
Shaymaa was offered a fully-funded PhD at Edinburgh University in English Literature and said the opportunity would help 'build stronger academic bridges between Scotland, the UK, and Palestine' as well as advance her own education.
She said: 'Studying in Scotland would give me the space, tools, and mentorship to develop that work further and to contribute meaningfully to the field of literature and build a lasting academic career.
'This isn't just a degree to me. It's a way to keep going, to hold on to my intellectual life and to honour everything that has been taken from us.'
Originally from Abasan al-Kabira, east of the city of Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, Shaymaa and her family were forced to flee when the bombings started and have been displaced multiple times in the last 18 months.
Shaymaa is now living in a tent on a beach in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, with 11 others including her two sisters and their children.
She said: 'The last we heard our house was severely damaged but we haven't been back.
'Now my face and hands are sunburnt and sweaty all the time. Daily life in Gaza is almost impossible to describe. There's little access to basic resources like clean water and food.
'Most days are spent trying to secure food, charge devices at solar points when possible, and stay safe amid ongoing bombings.'
Edinburgh West MP Jardine said: 'When I was contacted by the University, I wrote to the Foreign Office to ask what they are doing to help students who have been offered places but, because they live in Gaza, are finding it impossible to complete the required UK immigration process to come here.
'Due process needs to happen but we should be doing everything in our power to make sure it's possible to get people out of a warzone.'
A UK Government spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of these students and are actively considering how we can best support.'
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