(Communicated by the Office of the President)

President Shimon Peres welcomed the opening of a leading academic institution of international standard in the Galilee, and said: "Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel, the city where Jesus was born. It is a city with a commitment to spiritual values ​​and is only symbolic that the branch of the University of Texas for students of all faiths be established in Nazareth. The establishment of the Peace Campus of the Texas A&M University in Nazareth is a groundbreaking investment in Israel which will reduce the gaps that exist in higher education, while preserving co-existence in an atmosphere of academic research that meets international standards."

Minister of Education and Chairman of the Council for Higher Education Shay Piron welcomed the move and said: "The establishment of a magnificent institution of higher learning in an Arab city is important news for Israeli society and for the Arab public in Israel. An educational institution that accepts everyone equally is an indispensable tool for achieving domestic and regional peace, and is another important step in the integration of Israeli Arabs into Israeli society."

The Peace Campus of Texas A&M University in Nazareth will provide thousands of advanced degrees and higher education provided by American and international lecturers to Jews, Christians and Muslims  from Israel and around the world, and will serve as an effective tool to reduce gaps in higher education and create jobs. Texas A&M University is the sixth largest university in the United States with a budget of $3.3 billion, of which more than $780 million is designated for research. It is comprised of 11 universities, nine agencies and a Health Science Center, and educates more than 120,000 students.

The Memorandum of Understanding of the agreement was signed on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at the President's Residence in Jerusalem by Texas Governor Education Minister Rick Perry, Education Minister Shai Piron, Chancellor of Texas A&M University Prof. John Sharp, Chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee of the Council for Higher Education Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, and CHE director-general Dr. Avital Stein.

Texas Governor Rick Perry: "Israel and the University of Texas are a great match, built on family values, commitment and tradition - those very values ​​upon which the university will be based. We view the Nazareth campus as a means of sustaining peace and understanding between cultures. We want to see students and faculty from a variety of religions and nationalities in our classrooms where they will have the opportunity to learn about the world and its possibilities."

Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp: "We have been working for years to promote this project, and it is an achievement of which we are very proud. We are committed to make this university one of the world's best international universities, open to all."