By Bret Clark

bret@newsroom.byu.edu

The Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies has canceled its Winter 2000 program because of continued Israeli-Palestinian conflicts that have produced violence around the Gaza Strip.

Debbie Petersen, student program coordinator, said students enrolled in the program are being informed of the cancellation and of a Dec. 6 meeting for discussion of the situation and future options.

She said an altered program could be reinstated only if the situation dramatically improves.

Lumina Gershfield received the news on her answering machine when she came home Thursday night, Nov. 30.

She had originally applied for the Spring/Summer program and heard, only at the last minute, she would not be able to go. When she heard of the winter program cancellation, it frustrated her.

She said the program had already informed the enrolled students to keep their housing contracts and enroll for winter classes but had not given the final word of cancellation.

"I really wish they would have told us earlier. But, I'm glad that they kept the hope alive because it showed they were willing to take us there if they could at all," she said.

As the situation in the Middle East has raged, hopeful Jerusalem Center students have watched for peace.

"I would read the paper everyday, and it would go one way or the other everyday -- one day there would be peace talks and the next day there would be more violence. So, I couldn't ever tell," Gershfield said.

The Spring/Summer program is still being planned as usual. Petersen said students enrolled in the Winter program will be able to attend a future program.

She said the final decision was made by President Bateman, the Board of Trustees and Jerusalem Center Administration.

The Jerusalem tension also forced students in the Fall program to come home before Thanksgiving.



Copyright Brigham Young University 1 Dec 2000