Israel to decide for Palestinians which foreign lecturers can teach at West Bank unis

A set of procedures published by the Defence Ministry puts further restrictions on who can enter, work and stay in the West Bank

ISRAEL WILL PERMIT Palestinian institutions of higher education to employ lecturers from overseas only if they teach in fields that have been designated as essential by Israel, and only if the lecturers and researchers are accomplished and possess at least a doctorate, according to a new set of procedures by the Defence Ministry.

Aspiring instructors will have to submit applications for such permits at the Israeli consulate in the applicant’s country of origin.

The procedure states that only authorized persons at the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) can approve the entry of an instructor “after they have proven to our satisfaction that the lecturer will make a significant contribution to academic education, to the regional economy or to the promotion of regional cooperation and peace.”

The number of lecturers will be limited by a quota to be determined by Israel, which currently stands at 100.

Last month COGAT published new instructions regarding foreign citizens who wish to enter and reside in the West Bank.

It determines that a quota of just 150 foreign students a year will be permitted to study at Palestinian academic institutions, and allows COGAT to limit the fields of study at Palestinian universities that are open to foreign students.

Each student will be required to be questioned at an Israeli diplomatic mission in their country of origin, after which an authorized COGAT representative will weigh the results of the interview and the student’s documents to determine whether to grant them a visa.

FULL STORY Israel to decide for Palestinians which foreign lecturers can teach at West Bank universities (Haaretz)