A Spanish delegation consisting of one hundred and twenty artists and activists from Spanish NGOs, visited An-Najah National University on Saturday 28th of February 2004. They first met the university administration, represented by Mr.Sami Al-Kilani , Director of the Public Relations Department, who welcomed the visitors of the university and thanked them for their solidarity and sympathy with the Palestinian people. He expressed his deep gratitude to the sympathy which was shown by the Spanish people, and thanked the delegation who faced similar troubles as Palestinians on the roadblocks. He highlighted the rich history of Spanish people and their struggle for freedom, mentioning Garcia Lorca and the importance of his poems to the Spanish people. He compared him to the Palestinian poet Fadwa Tukan, for whom An-Najah celebrated a memorial a few days ago, and who provided the Palestinian people with determination, courage and hope.
Prof. Musa Alayan, from the Journalism Department, made a speech in Spanish in which he explained the harsh conditions that the Palestinian people face: the siege, the curfews, and the separation racial wall. He described the impact of such conditions on social, economical and cultural fabrics of Palestinian society.
Mrs. Christine de Pagie, the head of the delegation, made a statement in which she expressed her gratitude for being hosted at An-Najah, as her warm feelings toward the Palestinian people and their sufferance. She said “Today we experienced some suffering on the roadblocks when we were asked to keep waiting for a few hours. This is nothing compared to your daily sufferance“ .The group also committed itself to deliver the Palestinian message to the Spanish people and to put pressure on their government and the European Union in order to encourage them to ensure justice in Palestine.
Mr.Sami Al-Kilani, the Representative of the university President and the director of the Public Relations Department, offered Mrs. Christine de Pagie the Plaque of the university Silver Jubilee. Some other artists and actresses from Spain made statement in which they expressed their profound emotions and support to the Palestinian people in their hard conditions.
A documentary movie translated into Spanish and illustrating the current Palestinian daily life was shown in the auditorium, after which the delegation was divided into small groups to discuss with the local volunteers of Zajel Youth Exchange Program the social life of the Palestinian citizens, and the impact of the imposed Israeli siege on their education.
It is worthy of noting that this Spanish delegation is one of many international delegation that takes the initiative to visit the Occupied Palestine Territories and witness the Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights and the daily sufferings the Palestinians people.