LONDON: One of the UK’s most prestigious defense academies has banned Israelis from enrolling in its program due to Tel Aviv’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, which some EU officials have recently described as genocidal acts.
Starting next year, the Royal College of Defence Studies will not be accepting students from Israel, the UK government confirmed on Sunday.
The college has promoted understanding among military officers, diplomats, civil servants, and officials for almost a century. Each year, about 110 members from the UK and abroad join its program. Notable alumni include Field Marshall Alan Francis Brooke and former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
According to The Telegraph, the college’s postgraduate course in international strategic studies focuses on “political, diplomatic, security, social and economic issues at the grand strategic level — the level at which governments take decisions on these issues both nationally and within the international community.”
However, its main course is “practical rather than theoretical.”
The exclusion of Israelis from the college is the first since its establishment in 1927, and it comes as the latest punitive measure against Israel taken by the UK government over its massacres in Gaza.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said that British military educational courses are open to personnel from various countries, emphasizing adherence to international humanitarian law.
He added: “However, the Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong.
“There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
The UK government banned Israeli officials from attending the UK’s largest arms exhibition last week.
It also pledged to recognize Palestinian statehood in the UN General Assembly later this month, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza and commits to not annexing the West Bank.
In August, Israeli forces launched a new military campaign to occupy Gaza City and its surrounding areas, where approximately 1 million Palestinians live and seek shelter. Forces launched dozens of airstrikes targeting high-rise buildings in the city, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of people, and the displacement of nearly 250,000 others.
On Friday, 142 countries at the UN General Assembly voted for a resolution supporting “tangible, time-bound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution. On Sept. 23, the annual general debate at the assembly will begin, with French President Emmanuel Macron expected to recognize the state of Palestine.
Courtesy: arabnews
