At the Palestinian Al-Quds University in Jerusalem they cannot really understand why the university is not officially recognized by Israel. All they know is that for many years now, they have been trying, along with the Israeli Council for Higher Education (CHE), headed by the minister of education, to find a way out of the mess, alas, to no avail.
As a result, the 14,000 students of the Al-Quds University, about a third of them Arabs holding Israeli blue ID cards, that is, citizens of Israel — who are studying various academic subjects, including medicine, pharmacy, education and social work — are not eligible for work in Israel because the academic degrees they receive are not recognized there.
“The Islamic College in Gaza is recognized by Israel as a foreign institution of higher education,” says Adel Ruished, who is in charge of the ties with the government at the university and acts as the representative of president of the Al-Quds University professor Sari Nusseibeh. “At the same time, we are not recognized. How could it possibly be? There is a shortage in Israel of Arabic-speaking doctors, teachers and social workers; however, although we have excellent graduates and they are available for work here, in Jerusalem and its environs, they cannot earn a decent livelihood and get ahead in the Israeli market.”
Just what is the problem?
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