On Monday 10 March, under the patronage of HE Prof. Rami Hamdallah and the Palestinian Information Department at An- Najah University,  a conference was held on the subject of the Jordan River Valley and its cultural, political, and economic importance. The conference, entitled “The Guardians of the Valley: Jericho and its Two Coasts: the River and the Sea” took place at Zafir Al-Masri Auditorium.

Prof. Maher Natsheh, the Acting President of An-Najah, met with the Governor of Jericho Mr.  Majed Al-Fatyani and expressed his readiness for continued cooperation with the Jericho Governorate.

In turn, Mr. Al-Fatyani thanked An-Najah for organising the conference and emphasised the national role An-Najah plays in serving the Palestinian community. He also referred to the Governorate’s bond of cooperation with the Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Management Centre at An-Najah.

The conference began with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran followed by the Palestinian national anthem. Prof. Natsheh then presented on the historical importance of the city of Jericho, known as the oldest city in the world, and explained the special status of the Jordan River Valley.

Prof. Natsheh also explained the historical importance of the Dead Sea as revealed by the discovery of ancient artifacts in the area, as well as its valuable natural resources which are a crucial asset of income to the Palestinian state.

Gov. Al-Fatyani highlighted the reality of life in the Jordan Valley through a presentation of recent data. He stressed that the Jordan River Valley, as Palestine’s border with Jordan, has great political importance and is not to be annexed, sold, rented or swapped.

Furthermore, Al-Fatyani said that:

“We will continue to work together as servants of the Jordan Valley, Jerusalem and every inch of the Palestinian land, until the end of occupation and the expulsion of the herds of Israeli settlers”. 

Prof. Yahya Jaber then highlighted the importance of the conference, which aimed to reveal the facts of the region and present them to the public and researchers everywhere.

Notes:

-          The Conference was attended by: Prof. Maher Natsheh, the Acting President; Eng. Majed Al-Fatyani, Governor of Jericho; Prof. Yahya Jaber, Rapporteur of the Steering Committee; and a number of researchers and experts.

-          The Conference aimed to reveal the facts about this region, and offer such facts and truths to the general public and researchers everywhere; regenerating the region so that it is in harmony with its role in the cultural, historical and economic inventory; launching the region and its archeology to tourism; bringing to light the geography and history of the place, from its human and natural aspects; looking towards the future of the region and the fact that it will have a role in directing the events in the Eastern Mediterranean; manifesting the importance of the area economically, agriculturally, and geostrategically; and demonstrating the region’s oral and written presence in the holy books, and literary works and others.

-          During the Conference researchers presented various papers on the region and the Valley; which covered the natural structure, stages of formation in the successive geological ages, history of the region, social fabrics and life patterns, geography of the region: the terrain and climate, agricultural activity and natural resources, trends and factors of human movement in the Valley, Jericho in Zionist thought, the presence of the two sources of water in religious beliefs (the Jordan River and the Dead Sea), the archeological and tourist sites in the province, the presence of the region in the literary texts, and the region’s future, politically and economically.