The International Research Conference currently held in Germany organized by the Jena Center for Settlement Studies at the University of Frederick Schiller has announced the launch of the Academic Alliance for Settlement and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East and North Africa, including the major important universities, research and conflict centers in those areas. Which Vice President for International Relations of Arab American University Dr. Dalal Erekat and Political Science Professor at the University, Dr. Ayman Yousef have participated in.

Arab American University was selected to be the representative for Palestine state to be a part of the academic alliance for settlement and conflict resolution in the Middle East and North Africa.

Dr. Erekat presented at the international research conference entitled " Reconciliation in the Middle East and North Africa: multidisciplinary research", a research entitled: Diplomacy in the Perspective of Peace Building: From Coercion to Dictation

Diplomacy in the Perspective of Peace Building: From Coercion to Dictation.  

Professor Yousef, CEO of the Policy and Conflict Resolution Studies Center at Arab American University, also presented a research entitled:

“Reconciliation and Peace building in the Palestinian context: perspectives by civil society organizations”

In which he addressed the roles played by civil society organizations in Palestine to achieve national reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas through direct meetings with political and party leaders, launching initiatives, writing petitions, organizing demonstrations and other tasks, activities and responsibilities. The paper also tackled the obstacles and frustrations that prevented real sustainable reconciliation, especially the structural problems in the civil society composition and the role of official authority in internalizing, containing and seducing the elite of civil society.

The Conference organizers will choose the best researches and collect and publish them in a universal book that contains settlements, reconciliations, and conflict resolution issues in the Middle East and North Africa

On the sidelines of the conference, the representatives of the University held a meeting with the University of Frederick Schiller and the Center of Gina to follow up the enhancement and development of the cooperation between the two universities through the agreement signed between them in July last year. As a result a cooperation between the Gina Center for Settlement Studies of the Frederick Schiller University, and the Policy and Conflict Resolution Studies Center at Arab American University was established and the two sides agreed to increase research and scientific publishing, which will gather professors of the two universities in addition to exchange programs for students and professors.