The American Consul Infiltrates Palestinian Universities

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

If you try wandering through a number of Palestinian universities, you can easily spot the American consul’s car occupying a distinguished spot in the parking lot, and if you are especially fortunate, you may see senior university officials lining up to receive him and welcome him and whoever accompanies him or represents him. This does not happen constantly at every Palestinian university in the West Bank, but it is a phenomenon that exists and has persisted for years at a number of universities.

The American consul in Jerusalem is currently Daniel Rubinstein, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, who has received a number of awards for his efforts in various posts. He took up his position in Jerusalem on September 6, 2009, having previously served as head of the civilian observer unit within the Multinational Force in the Sinai. He speaks several languages, including Arabic. He is received with great fanfare for several reasons:

First: the American consul in Jerusalem, Daniel Rubinstein, is the third of three parties that manage the West Bank from above: himself, the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), integrated with the American security coordinator, and USAID, affiliated with the American State Department and linked to the CIA. Some believe Palestinians are the decision-makers in the West Bank, but this collapses before a higher policy drawn up by others, with Palestinians confined to certain activities within the general lines this “other” sets. We live under American hegemony, and can only swim beneath it.

Second: the American consul usually brings financial assistance in the form of scholarships, research funding, or the opening of scientific centers that mostly serve American interests.

Third: the American consul has a say in the appointment of certain officials at a number of universities, though not all of them. America has an unannounced university in the West Bank, one it controls in its programs, administration, and resources through Palestinian faces. There is direct American intervention in the appointment of some university presidents or some board of trustees chairs. There are universities governed by the chair of the board of trustees, where the university president is merely an obedient administrator — this constitutes the American consul’s first point of contact. And there are universities governed by the university president, where the board of trustees members either rubber-stamp decisions or do not attend sessions — this constitutes the consul’s first point of contact instead. In other words, dealings occur with whoever is the strongest figure at the university, and this figure is fully aware that their hold on the position is tied, to some degree, to this consul’s will.

Fourth: America has departments and research centers at some Palestinian universities, and the consul has a long reach in appointing those responsible for these departments. America funds these departments, and sometimes funds certain courses required to be taught to Palestinian students. Europeans practice the same things as well. And the observer notices that Western culture is invading many of the academic programs present at our universities.

Grants, Studies, and Courses

It is noteworthy that Westerners generally offer scholarships and fund courses in various parts of the world. Americans are active in this field, and they do not choose people at random — there are criteria, the most important of which are:

First: that the person have no prior security record against the Zionist occupation, and no affiliation with or support for a Palestinian resistance faction. A security record can be forgiven if the person in question proves their remorse through practical conduct.

Second: that the person support negotiations with the Zionists, the search for a peaceful solution, and support the two-state solution even if no Palestinian state actually exists.

Third: that the person be willing to normalize relations with the Zionists, even under slogans of scientific cooperation and academic benefit.

Fourth: that the person be among those seeking positions, even at the cost of a stake through the nation’s heart, or at the expense of the homeland.

It is also noteworthy that some people suddenly appear at certain universities without having any scholarly legacy or actual presence in the scientific and academic arena, and become officials and points of reference. Within a very short period, you find such people as dean of a college, or head of a center or department, and you find them wielding influence, traveling frequently under the banner of scientific conferences, and so on. From my own experience with these matters in the Arab arena, most of these people are Americanized, and perhaps have financial or Masonic connections, or their conduct and opinions please the Americans, who then push them to the forefront, and the Americans are not stingy with them afterward.

Normalization with the Zionists

It is noteworthy that the universities that serve as a stage for the American consul normalize their relations with Israel, and participate in many activities alongside Israeli universities and Zionist academics. I know exactly how some university administrations carry out normalization, while not hesitating, in many cases, to issue statements against normalization. All these matters will be published in the future, with documentation.

Some university presidents carry Zionist VIP crossing cards — a card the Zionists do not grant without a price.

National Interest

America’s consul serves the interests of his country and the interests of Israel, and cooperating with him certainly serves these interests. Do officials at some Palestinian universities serve the interests of their own country?

It is important to note the absence of any Palestinian university student movement, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, that vigorously defends the fixed national rights of the Palestinian people, stands courageously against financial and administrative corruption, defends the values of social justice, national unity, and liberation, and stands against foreign interference in our internal affairs. There is a great absence of academic elites’ efforts toward liberation and keeping the foreigner in check, and a firm commitment to the values of scholarly integrity and the ethics of advanced degrees, which require commitment to the people’s causes and interests.

Why has this decline happened, after universities were once platforms for defending the homeland’s interests? This article has highlighted only one point, and other points will be highlighted in future articles, God willing.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “القنصل الأمريكي يتغلغل في الجامعات الفلسطينية” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.