Italy Workshop Gives Students a Voice

February 12, 2008

As part of the workshop entitled “Voices Dialoguing: Approaches to Conflict Resolution” five Bethlehem University students gave presentations about Palestinians and the conflict with Israel to students from other conflict areas like Ireland and Bosnia .

The workshop proceeded through five days of group discussions and presentations given by students from Rondine, the University of Ulster in Ireland , the University of Mar Elias in Israel , and the University of Siena in Italy . Students also learned about the role of education, civil society and media in conflict resolution.

Marian Saadeh, a third year Social Science student at Bethlehem University who showed a slide show video and gave an oral presentation about the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, commented, “I feel that we benefited from the lectures about human rights and building peace, but we noticed that these methods do not work in Palestine.”

This workshop, which took place at the Rondine Citadel of Peace in Arezzo , Italy from January 28 th to February 2 nd , 2008 , is part of Rondine's annual program to host and engage students from conflict areas with the aim of giving a voice to young people affected by the conflict. The people of Rondine believe that dialogue and coexistence are possible if based on shared values. They also feel that young people who must endure these conflicts can offer much to the spirit of dialogue based on their own experiences.

Fr. Jamal Khader, Chairperson of the Religious Studies Department, accompanied the group and was responsible for giving a concluding presentation about the religious aspects of the conflict and the relationship between Hamas and Fatah. “The most beneficial aspect of the program is that it was centered on the students. They were responsible for everything, from deciding on the topics to deciding how they would present them,” Fr. Jamal said, adding, “It was also eye-opening for the students. Hearing about conflicts taking place in other parts of the world made us think more about how we perceive our own conflict.”

Raed Handal, who is in his second year in the Faculty of Business Administration, and Abdel Masseh Yunan, a second year Religious Studies student, showed a power point slide show about Bethlehem University. Both agreed with Fr. Jamal that they benefited greatly from interacting with students experiencing conflicts in other countries. Often the mere existence of the conflict was new to them.

Shatha Daqaq, a fourth year Business student, gave a presentation and power point about the holy places in Palestine, while Nariman Qumsieh, a third year Religious Studies student, gave a presentation about the daily life of Palestinians.

Following the presentations the participants divided into three groups to discuss three topics: violence and terrorism; political or religious conflict; future of the conflict. Each group was monitored by a Palestinian student from the University.

“The response to our presentations was very positive. The participants came up to us one by one and said that we did a really good job, especially because we gave them information in a way that was easy to understand,” Shatha said. “The media plays a large role in confusing the public about our situation,” she added. During her presentation, Shatha wore traditional Palestinian dress crowned with the well-known black and white Palestinian scarf.

The Rondine Citadel of Peace was created to promote a culture capable of resolving conflicts through the testimony of dialogue and peaceful coexistence. The L'Associazione Rondine Cittadella della Pace nasce attorno ad un'idea forte e originale:far convivere, in un luogo e un contesto neutrali rispetto alla provenienza, giovani da Paesi in conflitto e che nelle loro terre sarebbero potenziali nemiciT organization also sponsors scholarships for people living in conflict areas who would like to continue their education.