The Ariel academic college, which has recently declared itself a "university center" although it hasn't received any authorization to do so from the appropriate bodies, will not receive any support or funding from the state, the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PCB) at the Council for Higher Education said Thursday.
"In light of the college's announcement that its status has been upgraded to a university center, I hereby proclaim that we do not perceive this change to be legitimate," PBC Director-General Steven Stav said in a letter to the council.
"Therefore, I ask that that no request from the college that is submitted on behalf of the university center be addressed, including replying to letters, handling new programs, budgeting and channeling funds," he added.
Stav stressed that the committee's members may only reply to those documents and letters bearing the "college" insignia, while disregarding appeals containing the term "university center."
Last week, the West Bank college announced that it has obtained all the permits necessary to become a university, relying on a government decision from 2005 to turn the college into a university as part of the attempt to strengthen settlement blocs in Samaria.
However, Education Minister Yuli Tamir and head of the Council for Higher Education Prof Shlomo Grossman informed the college officials that their statement stands in contradiction to the PBC decisions and to the opinion of the commander of IDF forces in the West Bank.
Tamir and Grossman demanded that the college heads stop using the term "university" immediately, adding that the institution's students may suffer the consequence of the unlawful decision.