Ariel settlement-based university will report to the Council for Higher Education in Israel. This is one of the annexation bills.)
Initiator: Shuli Mualem (Jewish Home)
Bill No. 4824/20/F
On Wednesday, 13 December, the Knesset plenum approved in the preliminary reading a bill, which provides for extending the powers of the Council for Higher Education in Israel to the occupied West Bank. Accordingly, instead of having its own committee, the Ariel University at the Ariel settlement in the western Nablus governorate will report to the council. This is one of the annexation bills initiated by right wing MKs.
The bill was initiated by MK Shuli Mualem of the Jewish Home party and MK Yakov Margi of Shas party. In 2012, the Israeli Minister of Defence Ehud Barak signed a decision on transformation of the academic college at the Ariel settlement into a university. Supported by the occupying government, the decision was opposed by the Council for Higher Education in Israel, which feared that it would pave the way to expanding the boycott on Israeli universities around the world.
To overcome this problem, an ad hoc committee was established for the university. Reporting to the Council for Higher Education in Israel, the committee’s powers apply to any academic college that exists, or will exist, in the West Bank.
Representing all the coalition blocs, 59 MKs were in favour of the bill. 48 MKs from all opposition parties voted against the bill. Attached is the list of votes.
