A delegation from the University of Darmstadt in Germany visited the Media Development Center

^2012-09-16

A delegation from the University of Darmstadt in Germany visited the Media Development Center on Saturday, September 15, 2012.  The meeting was hosted by the Media Development Center and the Heinrich Boll Foundation. The director of the Center, Nibal Thawabteh, spoke to the delegation about the state of the media and press in the Palestinian territories and the Center's print and audio-visual media development. Dr. Wedad Barghouti shared a comprehensive history of Birzeit University and its important academic role in Palestine. In particular, he spoke about the Department of Media and its alumni who are considered the best media professionals from Palestinian universities. Birzeit media alumni hold a number of prominent positions in Arab and international television channels.

Dr. Ehab Bseiso, a professor in the Department of Media, and Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Haj Ibrahim, the head of the Political Science Department, both answered questions from the German delegation and their professors, about the political situation in Palestine. Students asked about the the effects of the wall and the occupation on Palestinians and the prospect of an independent Palestinian state.

Birzeit faculty spent over two hours answering the delegation's questions generated from their recent travels in the Palestinian territories.  The delegation received more information to add to their experiences in Nabi Saleh and their observations of the friction caused by the settlements and wall construction.  The delegation concluded that the wall is illegal and is not a solution. They felt that the wall brings division and collision where bridges for coexistence are needed instead.