(U-WIRE) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.-University of Arkansas students won’t have the opportunity to study in Lebanon this summer because of renewed Arab-Israeli hostilities.

The decision to cancel UA participation in the annual intensive Arabic institute came from Charles Adams, J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences associate dean for international programs.

Instead, UA students will go to Morocco to study at an Islamic university financed by Saudi Arabia, which also finances the UA King Fahd Middle Eastern Studies Program.

“The political situation is very unstable at this time,” Adams told The Traveler.

“Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes against Israel [and its supporters, including Americans], and Israel has vowed to retaliate for such attacks.”

UA students studied in Lebanon at Lebanese American University in Byblos without incident for two years. The Byblos program began in 1997.

The vice president of the campus is the brother of Adnan Haydar, professor of Arabic and comparative literature at the UA.

Haydar is director of the Sinarc program at Byblos, and replied to The Traveler via e-mail from Lebanon.

“I was greatly disappointed at not being consulted in advance, and I will sorely miss having my Arkansas students under my wing,” Haydar said in the e-mail.

The most recent UA students to study in Lebanon were in last summer’s program while the Israeli Air Force attacked infrastructure targets throughout the country.

John Schaefer, a graduate student in anthropology, disagreed with the suggestion by Adams that Lebanon was too dangerous for UA students.

“I spent the last two summers in Lebanon, at which time there were sundry travel advisories from the State Department,” Schaefer said.

“I never felt threatened, and the experience was great. I would have hoped that more UA students could have had a similar experience, which would have gone a long way toward making Dr. William Fulbright’s dream a reality. Sadly, such an opportunity for UA students has now been severely limited by this xenophobic reaction of university administrators.”

Former Fulbright College associate dean Mark Cory told The Traveler he was surprised by the decision not to send the UA students to Lebanon.

“Having experienced only satisfaction from Arkansas students who studied at Sinarc at LAU, I thought the potential for a productive relationship was large and solid,” Cory said. “I will regret if we can’t continue this relationship.”

UA officials insist the escalated hostilities between Hizbullah resistance fighters and the Israeli Defense Forces over the Israeli-occupied sector of southern Lebanon cannot be ignored.

“These are not idle threats,” Adams said. “Two weeks ago Israel bombed three power stations in Beirut in response to Hizbullah actions.

“The State Department has issued a travel warning for Lebanon. Knowledgeable observers agree that the situation promises to become more tense, and more volatile, as the scheduled date for an Israeli withdrawal approaches. It would, in my opinion, be irresponsible to sponsor travel by UA students to Lebanon at this time.”

The UA students will study at Al-Akhawayn University in the town of Ifrane, Morocco.

“Al-Akhawayn University is located in the Middle Atlas Mountains and offers excellent Arabic language instruction at all levels in modern facilities to students from all over the world,” Adams said. “The university’s administration has agreed to accept all of our students despite the relatively late change in plans. Our financial commitments to UA students studying Arabic this summer remain unchanged.”

How the change in UA policy will affect the relationship between the UA and Lebanese American University, which hosts the summer intensive Arabic program, remains to be seen.

Sources involved in the King Fahd Middle East Studies Program told The Traveler of Saudi encouragement to send UA students to Al-Akhawayn University, which is largely bankrolled by Saudi Arabia.

The source said it was no coincidence that the associate dean’s decision to send UA students to Akhawayn University came after the recent visit by the dean and the associate dean to Morocco, and in particular to Al-Akhawayn University.

Adams, however, denied that such pressure came from the Saudis. Adams expressed regret for any inconvenience to students resulting from his decision, but he added, “I believe strongly that I am acting in the students’ best interest.”

Adams also said he is “confident” cancellation of this summer’s program will not adversely affect the university’s relationship with the Lebanese university, LAU.