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Hello, I'm Sean Curran, and this is yesterday in Parliament from BBC Radio 4.

On Wednesday, the 17th of September, a Foreign Office Minister told peers that the decision

to ban Israeli students from a British Defence College was a diplomatic act and part of efforts

to get Israel's government to change course over Gaza. For almost 100 years, the Royal College

of Defence Studies has been training senior military officers, alongside diplomats, civil servants and

some business leaders from the UK and overseas.

But from next September, for the first time, students from Israel will be banned.

An independent peer, Lord Walney, was unimpressed.

Even in the current context of destructive tokenism from the United Kingdom government over Israel. This decision, this gesture

seems particularly depressing. He wanted to know what criteria the government had used when

reaching its decision and how they were applied to countries like China and Qatar. A foreign office

minister, Lady Chapman, said the decision hadn't been

taken lightly and said there wasn't a set criteria. I very, very much hope that we can restore

the arrangement as it was because I think it's good for the United Kingdom. I think it's good for

Israel too. But at the moment, as things are at the moment,

the things that are happening on the ground in Gaza, the unwillingness for the government

of Israel to wish to engage and to listen and to change course has led us to take this regrettable

decision.

A Conservative shadow defence minister, Lady Goldie, wondered why no minister had made a statement

to Parliament.

The Royal College of Defence Studies enjoys an enviable global reputation.

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