Dr. Dalal Iriqat, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the Arab American University, has participated as a keynote speaker in the Strategic Dialogue Conference between Japan and the Middle East, which was held at the University of Jordan in Amman over two days.
The conference brought together an elite group of experts from the Middle East and Japan with the aim of supporting academic scientific discussion that contributes to supporting peace and stability as well as strengthening international partnerships in the region.
The fifth session of the conference focused on discussing regional cooperation and Japanese efforts in reconstructing Gaza and envisioning a solution to the Palestinian cause. During the session, Dr. Iriqat gave a presentation on the Japanese-Palestinian historical relationship, and the support that Japan provides through the Japanese International Development Agency (JICA) to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) with the aim of supporting refugees, infrastructure projects, business and investment in the Palestinian territories.
Dr. Iriqat stressed the need for Japan to adopt a realistic political approach while presenting huge development projects towards development and prosperity. She said: "The focus on maintaining humanitarian support and aid, whether to the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, without clear and explicit recognition of the Palestinian state and without a clear political approach that includes holding Israel accountable for the legal violations and crimes it commits against the Palestinian people means a waste of financial resources and effort."
The conference was organized in cooperation between the Research Center for Advanced Science and Open Technology at the University of Tokyo and the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan to strengthen political, security and academic ties between the two sides and Japanese-Middle Eastern relations.
