Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., September 29, 2009 Tishrei 11, 5770 | | Israel Time: 11:47 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Culture Strenger than Fiction Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Magazine Week's End Anglo File
Share |
Last update - 16:50 24/09/2009
Spain contest bans Israeli team affiliated with West Bank college
By The Associated Press
Tags: Boycott, Israel News, Spain 

Spain said Thursday it has disqualified a group of Israeli academics from a solar power design competition because their university is in the West Bank, the latest in a series of low-level European sanctions against Israel over its settlement policy.

Spain expelled the team representing Ariel University Center of Samaria from an international contest called the Solar Decathlon, in which 20 universities are presenting designs for solar-powered homes, a Housing Ministry official said.

Samaria and Judea are the two Biblical names for the land also now known as the West Bank.
Advertisement
"Spain acted in line with European Union policy of opposing Israel's occupation of Palestinian land," the Spanish official said on condition of anonymity, in line with ministry rules.

The Israeli university said it "rejects with disgust the one-sided announcement we received from the Spanish Housing Ministry and that the anti-academic decisions harms 10,000 students, including 500 Arab students who study there."

"The decision is an expression of the illegitimate political struggle which contravenes international law and international charters on academic freedom," it said in a statement sent Thursday to The Associated Press.

The contest is sponsored by the U.S. Energy Department, but Spain is hosting and financing a European version of it in 2010 and 2012 and has ultimate say over such details as who takes part, the ministry official said.

The Israelis were notified of the decision on September 11, and the U.S. Energy Department was also advised. The Spanish Housing Ministry did not hear back from the Americans, the official said.

Late last year, the Israelis' proposal made the final cut of 20 universities chosen to take part in the contest after a technical evaluation of their project. But at some point this year, the Spanish Housing Ministry realized their university is not in Israel but rather in the West Bank, the official said. He could not explain why this fact was initially overlooked.

The European Union has adopted a more critical attitude toward Israel since the Israel Defense Force's 22-day offensive in Gaza last January. The refusal of Israel's new right-wing government to heed demands for a complete settlement freeze has further strained ties.

Britain recently revoked several licenses granted to U.K. companies to sell weapons parts to Israel because of concerns over their use in the assault on Gaza. But the move was largely symbolic, as Britain supplies less than 1 percent of Israel's military imports.

Norway decided to sell its shares in Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israeli company that provides surveillance equipment for the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank, leading Israel to lodge a formal diplomatic complaint.

Related articles:
  • U.K. labor unions vote to back boycott of Israeli products
  • U.S. pension fund giant confirms divestment from Israel firm
  • Oslo pressured to dump Africa Israel as well
    • PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
    Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    No Israelis allowed
    Egypt media group agrees on massive boycott against Israel and Israelis of all positions
    Picturesque Yom Kippur
    In Pictures/ The empty and earily quiet streets of Israel on Yom Kippur
      1.   Fair enough 14:31  |  Reuben 24/09/09
      2.   Cracks in the wall 14:32  |  Ralph is back 24/09/09
      3.   Israelis shoud also boycott west bank products 15:35  |  SJ 24/09/09
      4.   Israel cannot benefit 15:56  |  Chris Linthwaite 24/09/09
      5.   Punished the Arabs 16:02  |  Emir 24/09/09
      6.   Does Spain and others know how many Arabs 16:19  |  Zev 24/09/09
      7.   Fools 16:43  |  Arnold 24/09/09
      8.   Will Spain disqualify any of its teams from the Basque Territory? 16:47  |  Jacob Blues 24/09/09
      9.   500 Arab students... 16:49  |  Silvienne 24/09/09
      10.   Well said SJ in TA! #3 16:50  |  Silvienne 24/09/09
      11.   Recognize Human Rights Abuse 16:55  |  Vladek 24/09/09
      12.   #4 Chris 16:56  |  Yitz 24/09/09
      13.   Zev 17:03  |  tareq 24/09/09
      14.   Zev 5. Only 500 students out of 10,000 at Ariel are Arab. 17:05  |  Michael 24/09/09
      15.   Petty 17:09  |  Mark Lincoln 24/09/09
      16.   .. and that is just the begining. 18:08  |  Kris Lazar 24/09/09
      17.   Spain owes lots of reparations 18:11  |  judith 24/09/09
      18.   Israel should ban the spanish from all it`s international schools 18:28  |  Joey 24/09/09
      19.   Boucott Action 18:28  |  Khalid 24/09/09
      20.   I Believe You Mean "Spanish Contest" 18:42  |  JordanisPalestine 24/09/09
      21.   We must decide 19:08  |  tel aviv eyes 24/09/09
      22.   Zev (#5) 19:19  |  jjvanka 24/09/09
      23.   Jacob (#7) 19:20  |  jjvanka 24/09/09
      24.   Dear Mr. Blues - # 4 19:20  |  JordanisPalestine 24/09/09
      25.   Response to #7 19:26  |  pgonzalez 24/09/09
      26.   #16-pgonzalez-Free citizens 19:59  |  Yitz 24/09/09
      27.   Where the Hamas team with the solar powered rocket launchers? 20:03  |  Elliot 24/09/09
      28.   jjvanka, that`s not how the Basque`s see it 20:34  |  Jacob Blues 24/09/09
      29.   Apparently some occupations are considered more real than others 20:37  |  Jacob Blues 24/09/09
      30.   Ariel is ISRAEL 20:45  |  Charles 24/09/09
      31.   Boycott Universities in Basque lands and Catalonia 20:46  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 24/09/09
      32.   To Jacob Blues #7 21:00  |  Severino Melo 24/09/09
      33.   Response to 27 21:54  |  pgonzalez 24/09/09
      34.   Boycotts and Israel 22:02  |  Raphael 24/09/09
      35.   Big deal, their loss. To be the best you must beat the best. 22:04  |  4:20 24/09/09
      36.   Like "Byzantium, now known as Istanbul" 22:11  |  John 24/09/09
      37.   WE, Basque Independentists 22:11  |  Txema Garmendia 24/09/09
      38.   comparing crimes (Judith #17) 23:13  |  Severino Melo 24/09/09
      39.   Well then Melo, why the ongoing killings by ETA? 23:47  |  Jacob Blues 24/09/09
      40.   A Good start 23:59  |  Darwin 24/09/09
      41.   #30 Char;es 00:37  |  BDS 25/09/09
      42.   Sounds like collective punishment to me! 02:33  |  Jeff 25/09/09
      43.   Juden verbotten. Nothing new. Remember 1492? 06:39  |  Avraham 25/09/09
      44.   The settler college is not a university 06:48  |  Mike 25/09/09
      45.   #42 jeff, only if ALL israeli schools were banned... 07:35  |  eric 25/09/09
      46.   Ariel= the Boca Raton for secular Russian Jews 07:36  |  Lotta H20 25/09/09
      47.   # 27 actually elliot, hamas` entry for solar powered launchers 11:56  |  eric 25/09/09
      48.   #6 gee zev, those numbers aren`t very representative 11:57  |  eric 25/09/09
      49.   41 BDS . Ariel is Israeli 12:20  |  Charles 25/09/09
      50.   Mike in Sderot 12:23  |  Charles 25/09/09
      51.   #34 Raphael 12:33  |  Der Zweifler 25/09/09
      52.   To quote Aluff Benn 18:45  |  Spokanite 25/09/09
      53.   Jacob (#39) 19:54  |  jujvanka 25/09/09
      54.   Michael (#14) 4% of the students in Arial are Arab 21:58  |  Gil 25/09/09
      55.   Charles, reality 22:07  |  Mike 25/09/09
      56.   Funny 3rd try 22:25  |  Good 25/09/09
      57.   Very Good News 22:36  |  Yaakov Sullivan 25/09/09
      58.   jjvanka 22:43  |  KT 25/09/09
      59.   #56 23:48  |  Mike 25/09/09
      60.   #34, 36 and 40 00:16  |  Mike 26/09/09
      61.   Might Makes Right 02:21  |  sfg 26/09/09
      62.   Jewish Ancestral Home 02:26  |  sfg 26/09/09
      63.   Re: "Zev 5. Only 500 students out of 10,000 at Ariel are Arab." 09:06  |  Miron 26/09/09
      64.   i wonder 11:49  |  oz 26/09/09
      65.   JOEY 18 ON THE WEST BANK 11:55  |  Juan 26/09/09
      66.   I welcome the Spanish action 12:29  |  Sylvie 26/09/09
      67.   Hippocrates !! 14:33  |  Joe 26/09/09
      68.   Here we go again... 17:19  |  THK 26/09/09
      69.   #49 Charles 19:47  |  BDS 26/09/09
      70.   Charles 19:49  |  BDS 26/09/09
      71.   BDS 69 20:22  |  Charles 26/09/09
      72.   Mike in Sderot . Reality ! 20:31  |  Charles 26/09/09
      73.   spain ban on W Bank college 21:03  |  Geraldine 26/09/09
      74.   Boycott will fail miserably hitting boycotters where it hurts 21:08  |  Vladimir 26/09/09
      75.   BDS 69 & 70 21:55  |  Charles 26/09/09
      76.   all the club med countries are anti semitic 22:08  |  harzion 26/09/09
      77.   #73 Charles 23:22  |  BDS 26/09/09
      78.   #67 Joe 23:33  |  BDS 26/09/09
      79.   What if the Israeli designs would have won? 00:07  |  a wandering Jew 27/09/09
      80.   Geraldine, well said 00:34  |  Mike McKenna 27/09/09
      81.   FUNNY YOU SHOULD SAY IT,AS MY POSTS ARE BEING HELD BACK"GOOD"@56 00:35  |  THE JUDGE 27/09/09
      82.   Vladimir, don`t incorporate the U.S.A with Israel 00:36  |  Mike McKenna 27/09/09
      83.   70 01:35  |  Mike 27/09/09
      84.   #71 01:48  |  Mike 27/09/09
      85.   The "Righteous" EU Boycott 01:44  |  David 27/09/09
      86.   # 72 vladimir, how odd that you presume the u.s. 04:44  |  eric 27/09/09
      87.   Mike #71 regarding a reading of the bible 04:50  |  Mike McKenna 27/09/09
      88.   Brave action by Spain 05:36  |  dana 27/09/09
      89.   McKenna Are you boycotting the Chinese?? 07:45  |  PETER SM 27/09/09
      90.   #85 McKenna 13:04  |  Mike 27/09/09
      91.   To our friend the wondering Jew@77 What if,what if?? 19:00  |  The Judge 27/09/09
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Holiday Greetings from the Heart
    LIBI-Caring for Israeli Soldiers
    WORLD'S LARGEST YOM KIPPUR SERVICE
    150 Locations. 40,000 Participants Great Investment. Guaranteed Results
    Date Local Jewish Singles
    Ready to meet your match? Join Jdate today!
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Amazing Jewelry
    Visit SoKoBe.com for the best priced fine jewelry in the world
    More Headlines
    11:47 Israel marks 36th anniversary of Yom Kippur War
    10:51 Iran: We'll soon set time for inspection of second nuke plant
    10:34 Crucial nuclear talks give Iran 'last chance' to dodge harsh sanctions
    10:54 ANALYSIS / Why is Israel suddenly praising Iran sanctions?
    09:32 Jews prominent among lawyers defending Guantanamo inmates
    04:47 Israel ramps up efforts to block Hamas fund-raising network
    09:08 Why Israelis shouldn't read travel guides to their country
    08:15 TV ROUND-UP: Obama warns Iran, IAF kills 3 Gaza militants
    11:44 Study: Four years after pullout, 16% of Gaza evacuees unemployed
    22:51 Hamas agrees in principle to reconcile with Fatah
    05:18 Israel's claims of Sweden-Hamas contacts likely unfounded
    11:09 Foreign diplomats to rally with Israeli Arabs marking October 2000 riots
    08:02 Israel envoys head to U.S. for talks on relaunching peace talks
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
    | Advert: Recommended Restaurants | Makom: Engaging on Israel
    | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved