Hunger-striking students hospitalized

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Five Bethlehem University students were taken to a hospital in Beit Jala, West Bank, after a nearly weeklong hunger strike, students said.

Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulances evacuated the students Sunday after they collapsed because of a lack of food as well as stress, the Ma'an News Agency reported.

The hunger strike arose from student protests demanding the university let students pay tuition based on their financial ability.

University administrators canceled classes Tuesday, saying students' safety on campus could not be ensured because of the protests, which have included all-night sit-ins.

The student Senate, which is leading the protest, said it has tried to end the conflict with the administration by offering the university $56,400 from the Fatah movement to cover student costs. The university has not yet responded to the initiative, the student organization said.