TORONTO — York University and Al-Quds University in Jerusalem signed an academic agreement earlier this year at a ceremony held on York’s Keele campus.
“We are excited about this agreement and welcome the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Al-Quds University,” York president and vice-chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri said in a statement.
“York recognizes the value that these agreements have in enhancing the teaching, research and educational experience for faculty and students.”
The agreement with Al-Quds involved the signing of a student exchange protocol and a commitment to collaborate in establishing a public policy and administration program, including a school of public policy and administration at Al-Quds.
York also boasts a number of scholarships, partnerships and exchange programs with Israeli universities, including Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University and Bar-Ilan University.
According to York’s Centre for Jewish Studies director Sara Horowitz, York is also working to establish ties with the University of Haifa.
“Regarding Al-Quds, I think ties with western institutions, fostering education, is in everyone’s best interest,” Horowitz wrote in an e-mail from Jerusalem.
Brandeis University administrators must have felt the same way when the school partnered with Al-Quds in 1998.
In 2005, after a decision by Britain’s Association of University Teachers (AUT) to boycott Israeli universities, Hebrew U also signed an agreement with Al-Quds.
