Bennett
BennettFlash 90

Ariel University's Student Union penned a letter to Education Minister Naftali Bennett thanking him for demanding that Israel's other universities admit the institution to the Committee of University Heads.

The prestigious committee has refused to admit Ariel University to its ranks over what many suspects is opposition stemming from Ariel University's location in Samaria.

"Ariel University, which was officially recognized as a university in 2012, has been ignored year by year by the committee, despite the fact that it is a full-fledged university, despite the advancement of scientific research and development," read the missive.

"Our students go to international delegations, win competitions and prizes in research and development, and connect to leading workplaces around the country and the world in their diverse fields of study. Many of the research projects are carried out in cooperation with researchers from other educational institutions in Israel, as well as many universities and research institutes around the world. "

"Despite this, the administrative level of the Committee of University Heads continues to ignore the achievements of the university and refuses to recognize it as an essential part of Israeli academia," something the students alleged was "petty discrimination and lacks any reasonable basis for us students, the university and tens of thousands of its graduates."

Earlier this week, Bennett had demanded that Prof. Yossi Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University and Chairman of the Committee of University Heads, admit Ariel University as a full member of the committee.

In a letter to Klafter, the minister explained that according to a legal opinion presented to him, the acceptance of Ariel University does not affect the ability of Israeli universities to receive research budgets from international and European foundations, such as Horizon 2020, for research activity within the Green Line.