'Can't have it both ways.' Yacimovich
Photo courtesy of Ariel college student union
MK Yacimovich: Ariel not an outpost
Students at West Bank college pleasantly surprised by Labor member's speech in support of upgrading institution's status to that of university. 'Ariel is a city in Israel that was established by all of Israel's governments through the generations,' she tells conference
Labor Knesset Member Shelly Yacimovich said Tuesday that she supported the decision to upgrade The College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel to a "university."
According to the decision by the Council for Higher Education in Judea and Samaria, the college will be given temporary recognition as a university for five years, during which it will be defined as a "university."
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Speaking at a conference organized by the college's student union, Yacimovich, who is considered left-leaning, surprised students by stating that "Ariel is not an illegal outpost; it is a city in Israel that was established by all of Israel's governments through the generations, including periods during which Labor ruled.
"We can't have it both ways and say that on the one hand Ariel is a legitimate city that we had established, but on the other hand punish it and deny (Ariel college) university status. Academic criteria should be the sole factor," she said.
Yosef Mor-Yosef, chairman of the college's student union welcomed MK Yacimovich's statement, calling it "another milestone for national consensus from the entire political spectrum to turning the college into a university."
Some two years ago then-education minister Yuli Tamir, also from Labor, objected to upgrading Ariel college's status, as did fellow party member Ophir Pines-Paz, who told State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss that in upgrading its status the college was trying to "establish facts on the ground using a method that is redolent of the construction of settlements, including illegal outposts."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently approached Defense Minister Ehud Barak and demanded that he expedite an IDF order authorizing the status change.
