Wednesday, November 30, 2011 The Irish lecturer, Ian Bell, delivered a lecture at An-Najah University under the title “The Unfinished Conflict in Northern Ireland: A Comparative Reading with the Palestinian Case”. The event was organized by the International Youth Exchange Program (Zajel) and the Office of the University President Assistant for Graduate Affairs.

In his lecture, Bell spoke about the issue of identity, the rise of religious and national tendencies in Northern Ireland, the contemporary Irish history, and the prospects of political stability after the peace march; he also presented a comparative study of the Palestinian cause.

Moreover, Bell spoke about the misunderstanding and presuppositions about Northern Ireland. He also explained how the Irish worked on changing this image about their country.

The lecture aimed to introduce students at An-Najah to some of the world’s most critical issues and offer them a chance to get acquainted with the challenges that other communities face.

Bell has worked in the field of international education and in supporting human rights and civil rights institutions in Ireland, Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. Bell lived in a divided Irish society where the Irish and British cultures were in continuous conflict for more than four centuries.