The likely accreditation of the Ariel University Center of Samaria would deal a crushing blow to Israeli higher education, the heads of Israel's seven universities said on Wednesday. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar, the leaders of academia assert that recognizing the institution, which is in Judea and Samaria, would be a waste of public funds "at a time when Israeli universities are strapped for cash," Army Radio reported Wednesday. Next week, when the Council for Higher Education's Planning and Budgeting Committee convenes, it will most likely recommend that the Ariel college be recognized as a university. A recent report on the university center's academic standards concluded that it has met the necessary criteria to qualify for an upgraded status. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that more than 1,000 members of the academia have signed a petition against the decision. Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman attacked the opponents of the measure, saying they are "politically motivated." He further accused the signatories of the letter of using their status to portray their campaign as academically oriented. "They are lying to the public and we will expose them," he told Army Radio Sunday.
