Monday, March 18, 2013

Ariel U. Flubbed It

Refused attendance of its students at President Obama's speech, Ariel University had a great opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

I approach one university official and suggested a group of Arab and Ethiopian students be photographed with the message: President Obama is discriminating us, or something similar.

I was rebuffed.

I can only surmise they weren't happy being targeted by an American President and sought to play down the matter.

These things never ever go away or disappear.

Now what happened?


Students accuse US of 'ulterior motives' in ticket distribution

Three days before President Barack Obama's much anticipated speech to Israeli students, Student Union chairman criticizes U.S. Embassy for excluding Ariel and other universities • "Such discrimination is unacceptable," he writes.

Israel Student Union chairman Uri Reshtik sent a letter of protest to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Sunday over President Barack Obama's planned speech to Israeli university students...he praised Obama's decision to speak to Israeli students and young people, but said that the decision to invite students from only 10 of Israel's 60 universities and colleges is "discrimination based on ulterior motives. Such discrimination is not respectable and not acceptable."

...The Bar-Ilan University Student Union also sent a letter to the ambassador over the issue.

The students did come out with this poster:



"We won't let Obama discriminate against us.
An Ariel student is an Israeli student"


Better late than never, though.

^

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but it appears that the university official was afraid of political reprisal, whereas the student unions were nice and blunt. Good.

Subtlety is lost on this American president. He is a Marxist ideologue. Little short of a kick in his pants gets his attention. J.E. Andreasen