[E-rundbrief] Info 232 - Against Israeli university on Palestinian Land

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 232 - Gush Shalom/ Israel: An Academic Settlement. 
Centre for Conflict Resolution & Reconciliation/ CCRR, Bethlehem/ 
Palestine: Protests against Israeli Governments decision to built an 
university in the settlement of Ariel on occupied Palestinian territory.

Bad Ischl, 5.5.2005

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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AN ACADEMIC SETTLEMENT

This week, the Israeli Government made a political and "settlementist" 
decision: to create a university in the settlement of Ariel.

In the course of the last few years, hundreds of decision were made in 
order to create "facts on the ground", enlarge the settlements and grab 
more Palestinian land: using sometimes security and sometimes religious 
arguments, basing themselves sometimes on historical and sometimes on 
archeological grounds.

The same kind of wisdom has given birth to the Katif bloc, which we must 
now pay through the nose to remove. How much shall we have to pay, in due 
course, to remove this university?

                                                                                Gush 
Shalom ad published in Ha'aretz,
"Gush Shalom" <otherisr at actcom.co.il>

w  w  w  .  g  u  s  h  -  s  h  a  l  o  m  .  o  r  g

5.5.2005

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One of the latest declarations that will increase the violence and 
emphasize on the destructive policy the Israelis have, is the decision to 
build a new university in one of the settlement which originally is 
structured on an occupied land. This decision comes in a time when the 
whole world is doing the most efforts  to continue the negotiating process 
between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Such colonial policies and discrimination is like an obstacle that prevent 
people to continue working for non-violence and peace especially for those 
who start to re-believe in the value of peace and begin to work for that on 
different levels.

This decision is considered new occupational techniques. Using an academic 
institution to discriminate people is an irony by itself. It worth 
mentioning that the settlement will be called "Ariel University". With such 
decelerations the dream of independent state for Palestinians seems to be 
more imaginative that relative

The question that comes immediately to our minds is how an academic 
institution which should promote for the value of peace, justice, human 
rights, equality, and co-existence will deliver its message while it's 
basically build on a stolen land, on the expense of the rights of many 
other Palestinians.

We ask every academic, every peace activist and every human to stand and 
try to prevent the implementation of this evil decision to help us in 
continue our work for promoting dialogue and support the work for peace and 
justice. It is the time that everyone will do steps towards creating 
confidence between peoples instead of steps destroying what is 
built.

Take a minute to check our joint web site: www.ipctnet.org

Yours in peace & reconciliation,
The Centre for Conflict Resolution & Reconciliation _ CCRR

Mais Hamad
P.O.Box. 861
Bethlehem - Palestine
Tel. +972-2-2767745
Fax. +972-2-2745475
E-mail: ccrr at palnet.com


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     M. Reichl, Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
           Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr.26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,  fon/fax: +43 6132 24590
                         http://www.begegnungszentrum.at