On May 25, 2009, the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a petition brought by Gisha, attempting to overturn “stringent and discriminatory” restrictions set by the Israeli army on the study of Palestinian graduate students in Israeli universities. The NGO also claimed, inaccurately, that these criteria “violate the rights of Palestinian students to access education.” The army established its criteria as mandated by the court in 2006, following a Gisha campaign against the (then) “sweeping ban against Palestinian students studying at Israeli universities.” Gisha does not campaign on behalf of Israeli students who have been deprived of their rights due to Palestinian rocket and bomb attacks on university and college campuses.

Similar allegations, also distorting international legal terms, were issued by Gisha in May-June 2008 regarding “students” from Gaza in the framework of the US-government’s Fulbright program. Many of these Palestinians were later refused entry to the US on the basis of security related concerns. Gisha has demonstrated that it is a political organization that uses human rights rhetoric to pursue its goals.