Chevening Farewell Event 2013
British Consulate-General in Jerusalem hosted reception for Chevening 2013/14 awardees.
Deputy Consul General Mr. Benjamin Saoul hosted an afternoon reception at the British Consulate-General in Jerusalem for 2013/14 British scholarships awardees. Mr. Saoul also announced that the scholarship would be seeking new applicants from 1st September (information available here.)
In attendance were over 20 Palestinian students who had been awarded UK Government Chevening scholarships and the HESPAL and Said Foundation scholarships. Also among the attendees were representatives of the Palestinian Chevening Association, who currently hold various positions in public life, as well as representatives of the British Council.
In his statement, Deputy Consul General Mr. Benjamin Saoul emphasized that cooperation on education was a hugely important part of the UK-Palestinian relationship. He said:
“today we have over 209 Chevening alumni from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, many of whom are leaders in their communities. Chevening is a unique opportunity for Palestinian students to build their knowledge and experience, to build their network of people, and hopefully, when they return, to build the future Palestinian State.
The Deputy Consul General congratulated the new scholars on their success and wished them luck in their studies.
The awardees were then presented with certificates and had the opportunity to learn about life in the UK. Later on the scholars were taken on a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, with scholars from Gaza able to visit the Al Aqsa compound for the first time.
Chevening scholar from Gaza, Amir Shurrab said:
this is the first time I visit Jerusalem. It has been a great experience. I look forward to living and studying in the UK next year.