Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar addressed the British Foreign Office Minister on his critique of Israel's decision to recognize Ariel University Center as an official university, saying, "The statement was unfounded and I do not accept it." 

British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said in a statement Thursday that the U.K. is "deeply disappointed in the decision to upgrade Ariel’s University Center," adding, "Ariel is beyond the Green Line in a settlement that is illegal according to international law...this decision will deepen the presence of the settlements in the Palestinian territories and will create another obstacle to peace."

Saar added, "Ariel has always appeared as an integral part of Israel, even with the policy proposals that Barak and Olmert presented to the Palestinians. It is an understatement to say that our connection with Ariel is no less than England's connection to the Falkland Islands."