West Bank haunts Israeli academics

Madrid: Spain said on Wednesday it disqualified Israeli academics from a solar power design competition because their university is in the West Bank, the latest in a series of low-level European sanctions against Israel over its colony-building policy.

Spain expelled a team representing Ariel University Center of Samaria from an international contest called the Solar Decathlon, in which 20 universities are presenting designs for solar-powered homes, a Housing Ministry official said.

Spain acted in line with EU policy of opposing Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, the Spanish official said on condition of anonymity, in line with ministry rules.

The contest is sponsored by the US Energy Department, but Spain is hosting a European version of it in 2010 and 2012.

Late last year, the Israeli proposal made it into the final cut of 20 universities after a technical evaluation of its project. But at some point this year, the Spanish Housing Ministry realised their university is not in Israel, but in the West Bank.