A delegation of university presidents from the United States told Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on Sunday that they plan to return to the U.S. and encourage joint projects in academic institutions between Israel, the U.S. and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The visit to Ayalon at his office in Jerusalem was against the backdrop of academic hostility toward Israel from other quarters. Ayalon said Israel was for academic freedom but it should not be used as an instrument for hurting others. In presenting a survey of the area, he said that for Israel has done for the PA, it has not responded positively. He said he wanted to see the PA say the same things in Arabic that it does about peace in English to promote a culture of peace.