Prof. Dr. Walid H. Al-Mudallal, a faculty member at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at the Islamic University, participated in a scientific trip to several European countries as part of joint international projects sponsored by the European Commission, including the project “Strengthening of National Research Capacity on Policy, Conflict Resolution, and Reconciliation,” funded by Erasmus Plus. The project was implemented in partnership with the Arab American University, the Islamic University in Gaza, Hebron University, Friedrich Schiller University in Germany, and the University of Granada in Spain.
The respected Prof. Al-Mudallal began his trip with a visit to Spain, where he visited the cities of Madrid and Granada and met with faculty members at the University of Granada and the Institute of Conflict and Peace Studies, led by Professor Diego Chec Hidalgo and his colleagues in the department. They discussed an evaluation of the joint program and explored future cooperation prospects between the two universities.
During his visit to Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena in Germany, the esteemed Prof. met with the project team, led by Professor Martin Liner and Dr. Eyad Dajani. They submitted a new project proposal to the European Commission under the names of the two universities and other partners as part of the ongoing cooperation between Palestinian and European partners.
The trip also included a visit to Norway and arranging a number of events in the city of Oslo, the most important of which were a visit to the University of Oslo and meetings with the faculty in the Middle East Studies and Peace and Conflict Resolution departments, including Professor Brynjar Lia from the Middle East Studies department at the University of Oslo and some doctoral students. A visit was also arranged to the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution (NOREF), which are specialized centers at the international level in this field. Multiple meetings were held with the center’s faculty, and they were invited to visit the Islamic University.
In the Swiss city of Basel, the respected Prof. met with the Swiss partner, the Swisspeace Foundation, which is part of the University of Basel and the Swiss Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities. This meeting was part of a joint project between the two parties called “Strengthening Palestinian Universities’ Capacity for Peace, Conflict Transformation, and Reconciliation” (PALUNI PEACE).
Prof. Dr. Walid H. Al-Mudallal and Engineer Amani Al-Maqadmah from the Islamic University participated in a two-day workshop held in Basel, Switzerland. Meanwhile, from the Swisspeace Foundation, the director, Professor Laurent Goetschel, Dr. Metka Herzog, Roland Dittli, and Flavia Eichmann also participated. The workshop discussed and exchanged ideas about the work plan of the joint project for the period of 2021–2022, as well as the work plan and implementation requirements for the current year 2023.
It is worth noting that the trip included diverse field visits to many historical, cultural, and architectural landmarks.