Students of the MA Democracy and Human Rights from Birzeit University, who are currently in the University of Palermo for academic exchange, were welcomed together with their Tunisian colleagues on 22 July 2020 by the Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando. The event was attended by several officials from the University of Palermo. Amongst them were representatives of the office of Academic Cooperation, the Development and Immigration Council, and the Youth Advisor and International Relations Paolo Petralia Kamasa. Professor Serena Marciano, the delegate of the President of the University of Palermo for International Relations and the coordinator of the Master Program in Cooperation, Development, and Immigration, who initiated the cooperation with Birzeit University’s Muwatin Institute for Democracy and Human Rights many years ago was also in attendance.
The Mayor of Palermo and other officials spoke about the human rights movement, migrant issues, the state of stability and security that Palermo was able to achieve. He greeted the students who participated in a semester during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency and indicated that Palestinian students who stayed in Italy despite the crisis gave a sense of coherence and strength between the two communities. The meeting was followed by a tour in the historic Palermo City Hall.