Tel-Chai Nation

On his way out of office, defense minister Ehud Barak's done something positive:

Right now, a lot of eyebrows are probably being raised as high as the champagne glasses, after Defense Minister Ehud Barak granted Ariel College his stamp of approval. This was the last step needed for Ariel College to receive official recognition and accreditation as a university.

Barak instructed Major General Nitzan Alon to recognize the school, located in the city of Ariel in the Shomron, as a university, after refusing to do so since the paper crossed his desk in September.

And the attorney general approves too:

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Monday upheld the Judea and Samaria Higher Education Council's decision to accredit the school, despite opposition from the National Council for Higher Education, which in September branded it political and filed a petition against it to the High Court of Justice.

Weinstein, who submitted his decision on Monday, said that there are "no obstacles" that could impede the accreditation, adding that the move to recognize the school was in accordance with the law.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed the change in status, saying that, "after decades, an additional university was born in Israel, which will strengthen higher education in the country."

The approval follows Netanyahu’s decision to approve thousands of new homes in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, sparking widespread international condemnation.

And now, Barak is similarly bound to lose the support of his fellow leftists, though since he's exiting the political scene, he probably isn't bothered, and shouldn't be.

The Ariel college president's also happy, and has noted that the accreditation was already decided months ago.

Labels: Israel