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The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, affirmed that the two brotherly peoples of Jordan and Palestine meet together in a number of commonalities that have brought them together throughout history, thus forming a solid unity that is strong and powerful. This came during Massad’s participation in the blood donation campaign organized by the Deanship of Student Affairs, in cooperation with the Faculty of Law, under the slogan “Whoever saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people” to support the people of Gaza and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people. Massad said that the Yarmouk supports the wise Hashemite leadership and its honorable stance in supporting the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and advocating them against the brutal massacres they are subjected to by the Israeli occupation forces. He also stressed that Yarmouk will not hesitate to help the families in Palestine and will remain keen on promoting the national values among the University students and creating a conscious generation that believes in the issues of its homeland and nation. Massad also praised the willingness of students and employees to donate blood remarking their keenness to carry out their humanitarian and national responsibility.
It is noteworthy that the organization of this campaign was supervised by the Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Law for Student Affairs, Dr. Diala Al-Ta’ani and Dr. Safaa Al-Suwailami from the Faculty, in coordination with the Imprint of Hope Association from the local community and the blood bank at the Ministry of Health.
There is a broad consensus regarding the adverse impacts of the Israeli occupation forces' war on Gaza, both on the Palestinian economy and the economies of the surrounding region. Similar to economies worldwide, this region has faced a series of successive shocks in recent years, starting with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the effects of climate change, and even extending to the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, the blockade imposed on Gaza seventeen years ago has been particularly devastating, leading to the collapse of its economy. Similarly, the economy of the West Bank has faced significant challenges due to the obstacles imposed by the occupation.
A report, jointly published two decades ago by several reputable international organizations (including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations Trade and Development Organization (UNCTAD)), sounded the alarm about the dire consequences of allowing the Palestinian territories to plunge into crises and poverty. Unfortunately, over the years, the living conditions in both the West Bank (around 3.1 million individuals, including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip (2.2 million people) have deteriorated significantly. The situation in the Gaza Strip, in particular, has worsened due to the imposition of an Israeli blockade after the Islamist group Hamas took control in 2007.
Therefore, it can be said that prior to the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance against Israel on 7/10/2023, coupled with the subsequent declaration of war on Gaza, the economic situation in the West Bank, particularly in the Gaza Strip, was very difficult. As per the findings of the World Bank, the economy of Gaza experienced a contraction of 2.6% in the first quarter of this year. This decline can be attributed to a substantial downturn in the agricultural and fishing sectors, where a decrease of 30% was observed, resulting from the occupation authorities' decision in August 2022 to impose restrictions on the sale of Gaza fish in the West Bank.
Examining the employment situation in Gaza, all metrics present a cause for great concern. Data provided by the World Bank reveals an unemployment rate of 46.4% (equivalent to approximately 245 thousand individuals), among the youth, this rate reached an alarming 60%. Moreover, a staggering 83% of the working population in Gaza receive wages below the minimum acceptable threshold. As a result, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line, while two-thirds of households in this coastal enclave battle food insecurity. In comparison to Gaza, the situation in the West Bank can be characterized as relatively less severe. The unemployment rate in the region stands at 13%, and approximately 23% of the population experiences food insecurity. However, the West Bank's economy faces significant challenges due to restrictions imposed by the occupation forces, including the presence of numerous checkpoints and laws that curtail the freedom of movement for individuals. Israel accounts for 70%-80% of the West Bank's exports and imports, further exacerbating its economic dependency.
One can easily anticipate the impact of the war of extermination and starvation on Gaza's people's livelihoods and the reality of the aforementioned figures. Mr. Khaled Al-Assili, the Minister of National Economy of the Palestinian Government, noted that according to the statistics of 2022, the number of industrial and commercial establishments in the Gaza Strip reached 50,000 establishments, varying from factories to shops in local markets. Unfortunately, these establishments have become targets of Israeli missile attacks, resulting in unprecedented losses in the history of military operations in the region.
Mr. Al-Asili highlighted that since 7/10/2023 factories have closed their doors, while the Palestinian Ministry of Economy lacks any statistics on the extent of the destruction, due to the ministry's limited mobility. Al-Assili, further stated, "Streets no longer exist, nor do sewage networks, and, most significantly, Israel targeted the deteriorating electricity infrastructure. Gas and fuel supplies have depleted, while the labor force struggle to secure shelter for their families."
The latest assessment of the Israeli aggression on Gaza (as of Friday, 27/10/2023) indicates unprecedented figures that depict the scale and the magnitude of killings and destruction. The number of martyrs reached 7,028, with 18,484 injured individuals. Furthermore, the number of displaced individuals reached 1,500,000, partial damage was incurred by 190,000 residential units, while 29,000 units became uninhabitable. Additionally, 189 schools were damaged, 38 mosques were completely destroyed, and three churches suffered significant damage (Source: Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Gaza Government Office).
In conclusion, it is of paramount importance for this savage war, whose objectives extending beyond military targets to the destruction of the social and economic infrastructure and render the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, to cease. In this regard, his Majesty King Abdullah II reaffirmed Jordan's unwavering position in rejecting any attempt to displace the Palestinian people from their lands. His Majesty considered the denial of food, water, and electricity to innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip as a "war crime" that the international community must reject. His Majesty also stressed the necessity of opening humanitarian passages to facilitate the urgent medical and relief assistance to the Strip, calling for stopping the war on Gaza and preventing its spread to the West Bank, to mitigate their destabilizing consequences on the broader regional security landscape.
Representing the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Ziyad Zureikat, Assistant President of the University, sponsored the opening of the Learning Difficulties Treatment Unit in the presence of the representative of the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the diplomatic attaché at the embassy, Abdullah Al-Khashab. The Unit, which was established as a part of a three-stage project titled “Designing Compensatory Programs for Learning Difficulties for Syrian Students”, was implemented by the Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Forced Migration Studies Center in partnership with the International Islamic Charitable Organization in Kuwait, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Solidarity Fund, and the Humanitarian Excellence Society.
Zureiqat stressed that Yarmouk University, since its inception, has always been involved in all activities and projects that would serve the Jordanian and Arab community, calling for strengthening research partnerships and consolidating relations with institutions and research centers in the region and the world. He also said: “Yarmouk University, through its various units, scientific centers, and research projects, seek primarily to advance society and improve the services. Thus, Yarmouk believes in the necessity of developing the educational system at the local and Arab levels in light of the difficult circumstances of the region.” Zureikat continued: “from this standpoint, Yarmouk University sought to embrace such a major humanitarian project, which aims at diagnosing the learning difficulties of Syrian students in the basic stages, passing through building the necessary tools to address such difficulties, and building the capabilities of male and female teachers to implement all strategies to mitigate learning difficulties.”
Engineer Badr Samit, the Director General of the International Islamic Charitable Organization, gave a speech in which he said that one of the most prominent qualitative educational projects in recent years is the “Project to Design Remedial Programs for Learning Difficulties among Syrian Refugees and Displaced Persons,” where 38 academic and technical teams, including 164 academics, from Kuwaiti, Jordanian, Egyptian, and Lebanese universities participated in developing sustainable solutions for about 15,000 male and female students and about 2,000 male and female teachers. He added, the work teams formulate the project and began laying its foundations and rules mid-2021. He also explained that the project seeks to address the educational loss resulting from conditions of asylum, displacement, or emergency crises, by building compensatory programs and producing educational materials and curricula to address students’ problems, reduce the phenomenon of school dropout, qualify teachers, and support educational institutions in emergency situations.
The Project Director, Dr. Shaker Al-Adwan, reviewed the first three stages of the project explaining that the first stage called “Diagnosis” began by conducting a comprehensive desk survey that included reviewing more than 100 scientific studies to diagnose the learning difficulties theoretically and applying diagnostic tests to more than 1,000 Students in 20 schools inside the Syrian refugee camps at Mafraq, Azraq, and Irbid schools. It also included conducting 100 interviews with male and female teachers to identify the learning difficulties experienced by Syrian students in the first six grades and distributing 500 questionnaires to male and female teachers for the same purpose.
He added that the second phase called “Construction and Composition,” is to identify all learning difficulties experienced by Syrian students in the Arabic language, English language, science, mathematics, and social curricula. Also, it aims at providing an inventory of the psychological and social difficulties challenged by Syrian students. Based on this, guides for addressing learning difficulties got composed and reviewed with the participation of experienced, specialized, and highly trained professors from the Faculty of Education at Yarmouk University. For the third phase, Al-Adwan stated that it represented the “training” aspect of the Project and that it involved forming a team of trainers, facilitators, and coordinators from the project team leaders and team members to provide training services for 300 male and female teachers working in schools at the Syrian refugee camps and evening schools for Syrians.
The technical director of the project, Dr. Ali Al-Jamal, explained that the Project is considered an Arab educational task that addresses an educational problem facing the Ministries of Education as well as refugee education in terms of educational weakness, educational loss, dropout, and psychological and social problems. Moreover, the representative of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Ashraf Khaddam, gave a speech in which he stressed that the Bank participated in supporting and financing such educational projects to fill in the gaps and enhance scientific excellence in Education, training, and skill programs, based on its vision of empowering people for a sustainable future.
For his part, the representative of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, Muhammad Al-Jawabra, gave a speech in which he said that the Solidarity Fund is considered the poverty-fighting strategy of the Islamic Development Bank. It is, he said, an endowment fund with a sustainable impact that works on the basis of investing the contributions made to its capital from the member states and the Islamic Development Bank in Islamic Sharia-compliant investment tools for generating revenues that will be used to support various programs and projects to combat poverty in various sectors.
In addition, the member of the Humanitarian Excellence Society, Hamed Al-Rifai, gave a speech in which he reviewed the foundation of the Society and its deep belief that charitable work is an essential tributary for any society that is qualified to carry out its mission in reconstructing the land and instilling and developing a passion of volunteer and humanitarian work. Al-Rifai also reviewed the projects implemented by the Society in this field, pointing out that this Project reflects the Society’s role in human relief.
Noteworthy here is that the President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, had confirmed, during his meeting in his office with representatives of the supporting bodies and partners in implementing the Project, that Yarmouk University is one of the leading regional institutions in conducting studies and international projects concerned with refugee issues. He also said that Yarmouk has always been providing educational services to students and that it is the first Jordanian university to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in an attempt to facilitate refugee students’ access to higher education.
The Dean of Student Affairs at Yarmouk University, Dr. Moatasem Shatnawi, confirmed that the University provides its international students with the utmost care and follow-up deploying all its capabilities to enable them to continue their studies and succeed in the labor market after graduation. During his meeting with representatives of the Indonesian community students studying at the University, Shatnawi said that the Deanship of Student Affairs is always trying to provide all the services needed by its international students, create an attractive university environment for them, and provide them with the opportunity to participate in various student activities and implement their own activities in coordination with the deanship. Al-Shatnawi also expressed the University’s pride in being the home for Indonesian students known for their academic excellence and good morals, expressing the University’s wishes for them to succeed in their studies and enjoy their life experience at the University.
In return, the representatives of Indonesian students studying at Yarmouk appreciated the University’s interest in helping international students and its keenness to provide them with much care in all matters related to their study and stay in Jordan. They also extended their thanks and appreciation to the University administration and the Deanship of Student Affairs, expressing their wishes for Jordan and its people to keep progressing and achieve prosperity.
The meeting was attended by the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for international students, Dr. Yari Al-Nimri, and the Director of the Student Welfare Department at the Deanship, Mohammad Al-Saad.
Armed conflicts threaten not only civilian populations, but also cultural property. Although cultural heritage is protected by several legislation, for example the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954 AD, this did not prevent the Zionist entity from targeting Palestinian cultural heritage, as those who do not respect the lives of children and innocent civilians will not respect the integrity of cultural heritage.
The Israeli offense forces launched its aggression against Gaza Strip several times. Its new series began in late 2008, late 2012, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022, and most recently 2023. This led to widespread damage in all aspects of the Palestinian life, including economic, social, and urban life. Its impact on the urban heritage represented by archaeological sites and architecture has a broader impact, and every time the Palestinians were subject to death and thre heritage was subject to theft and destruction. Even the intangible cultural heritage, such as customs, traditions, foods, and fashions, was not spared from Israeli tampering, and they attributed much of it to themselves.
Gaza is full of many places of cultural significances, such as museums and important archaeological and cultural sites. All of these places and sites have suffered and are suffering from the effects of the Israeli aggression, especially with the aggressor’s use of white phosphorus bombs, which are banned internationally, as well as seismic bombs.
Gaza Museums
Gaza includes 12 museums containing approximately 12,000 artifacts, all of which were built through personal efforts from the desire of the people of Gaza to preserve their heritage. These museums were subjected to varying degrees of damage as a result of the Israeli bombing, in addition to leaving some of them unguarded or followed up, either displacing those in charge of them or killing some of them, which led to the theft of many of their exhibits, which in many cases appear again in Israeli museums.
The Israeli bombing caused great damage to the Khan Yunis Museum, destroyed many artifacts, and severely damaged the museum building. Among the most prominent museums in Gaza that were subjected to damage ranging from cracks in their walls and cracks or destruction or breakage of some collectibles is the Akkad Museum, which was established 44 years ago and includes 2,800 artifacts from prehistoric to modern times, as well as the Pasha Palace Museum, was built in the Mamluk era and was transformed to a museum in 2010, it was subjected to damage that required urgent intervention.
Archaeological Mosques
Al-Sayyid Hashem Mosque, which is the mosque that was built over the tomb of the Prophet’s grandfather; Hashem bin Abd Manaf. It was destroyed in World War I in 1917, and was rebuilt again, but the continuous bombing around it led to some of its walls cracking, and the same was true for the Sheikh Zakaria Mosque in the Daraj, which was established in the fifth century AH/11th century AD.
The Al-Shamaa Mosque in the Al-Najjarin neighborhood, the Sheikh Abdullah Mosque, which is an old mosque in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, where Sheikh Abdullah Al-Aybak is buried, who was one of the Mamluks of the Mamluk Sultan Izz Al-Din Aybak, and the Ibn Othman Mosque, which was built in the eighth century AH, were not spared from destruction due to the of the Israelis aggression.
The Great Mosque of Gaza, also known as the Great Omari Mosque, is the largest and oldest mosque in Gaza Strip. The site was originally the site of an ancient Palestinian temple that was later used by the Byzantines to erect a church in the 5th century AD. After the Islamic conquest in the seventh century AD, it was converted into a mosque. The mosque was restored and rebuilt several times by the Mamluks and Ottomans, respectively, in the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries AD. This mosque is located in northern Gaza, where the brutal occupation forces are intensifying their aggression, so it is currently not possible to accurately know the degree of destruction that occurred to it.
Ibn Othman Mosque is a historic mosque located in the Shuja’iya neighborhood in Gaza City, and it is considered one of the most beautiful examples of Mamluk architecture in Palestine. The mosque was built during the Mamluk era in the fifteenth century AD by Sheikh Ahmed bin Othman.
The Shrine of Ibrahim Al-Khalil
It is located in the large village of Abasan, and directly to the south of the shrine, there is a floor made of beautiful colored mosaics with drawings that varied between birds, plant leaves, decorative scrolls, writings, and the “Mafruka” swastika decoration. This floor dates back to the year 606 AD.
In addition, there are many ancient mosques that carry many cultural values, such as the Al-Maghribi Mosque and the Al-Makma Al-Bardabek Mosque.
Among the archaeological facilities that were damaged by the Israeli bombing of Gaza is the Sabil of Sultan Abdul Hamid, or what is known as the “Sabil of Al-Rifa’iyya,”. It is one of the oldest monuments known in the Ottoman era, and it is the only remaining Sabil. The Sabil was built in 1570 AD, and is located in Al Wahda Street in the Daraj neighborhood near the Pasha Palace Museum, and to this day it still maintains the old form of its building.
The Port of Anthedon or the archaeological site of Balakhia is an archaeological site located northwest of the ancient city of Gaza in Palestine. The site is a port dating back to the Hellenistic period, which continued to exist until the Byzantine era.
Qaisaria Market
It is located in the Al-Daraj neighborhood and is adjacent to the southern wall of the Grand Al-Omari Mosque. The building of the market dates back to the Mamluk era and consists of a street covered with a pointed vault, and on both sides of this street are small shops covered with intersecting vaults. It is called the Al-Qaysariyya Market or the Gold Market in reference to the gold trade in it.
Barquq Castle
The construction of the castle was completed in the year 789 AH - 1387 AD. It was built in the form of a complete government complex. It is a sturdy fort with high walls. It contains a mosque and a well. An guesthouse was built to receive travelers, and a stable for horses. On the walls of the castle there are four watchtowers and protection towers. A garrison of knights resided in the castle, and until recently, until 1956 AD, most of the castle’s internal buildings were present, but they gradually disappeared, and one of the gates, the minaret, and parts of the castle wall remained a witness to the greatness of this important historical monument.
In conclusion, it can be said that as a result of the continued Zionist aggression against Gaza, it is difficult, or even impossible, to estimate the extent of the destruction that occurred to the Palestinian heritage, especially its architectural heritage.
Stanford University in the United States has listed nine Yarmouk University researchers among the top 2% of the most influential scientists in the world. The list includes Dr. Idris Al-Momani, Dr. Mohammad Al-Rifai, and Dr. Mahmoud Al-Qudah from the Faculty of Science, Dr. Muwaffaq Al-Amoush, Dr. Zaid Muhammad Al-Batayneh, and Dr. Hazem Al-Shakhatra from the Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, Dr. Alaa Al-Jabali from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Dr. Muawiya Khatatbeh from the Faculty of Medicine, and Dr. Bilal Abdel-Ghani from the Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science. This classification considers authors’ scientific citations and h-index, which takes into account the scientific production of the researcher, the number of authors in published scientific papers, and the citation of scientific papers.
On the other hand, Yarmouk University ranked fourth among the top ten Arab universities and scientific institutions in terms of the number of citations obtained by its affiliated authors according to the results of the ARCIF Labs report for the year 2023, with 4,778 citations in 1,131 articles. The list of ARCIF includes three faculty members from the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Yarmouk, namely Dr. Faisal Al-Rabie, Dr. Muawiyah Abu-Ghazal, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Sharifin.
In the same context, a number of journals issued by the Deanship of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies at Yarmouk University got included in the impact factor and reference citations database of the Arab reference ARCIF for 2023. These journals are the Jordanian Journal of Educational Sciences with an impact factor of 1.0938, the Jordanian Journal of Arts with an impact factor of 0.275, and the Jordanian Journal of Physics.
The Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Yarmouk University, Dr. Amjad Al-Qadi, participated in the second edition of the World Media Congress held in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. During the scientific session titled “Artificial Intelligence and Media Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges,” Al-Qadi presented the experience of Yarmouk University represented by the Faculty of Mass Communication in dealing with academic challenges and advancements related to the technological and industrial transformations in media industries. He stressed that media faculties and journalism teaching programs in Jordan understand their responsibilities for involving their current academic programs, teaching staff, and infrastructure into the technical development and rapid transformations witnessed by the press and media industry market, which demands for using artificial intelligence techniques.
In the same session, which was moderated by the former Dean of Mass Communication Faculty in Yarmouk, Professor Khalaf Tahat, the latter indicated that Yarmouk University decided to embed the concepts of digital transformations and artificial intelligence within its elective courses, thus providing the opportunity for every academic program to introduce artificial intelligence applications that suit its educational outcomes. However, the session also included a group of prominent academics and deans from Arab and international universities, including Dr. Hussein Amin from the American University in Cairo, Dr. Abdullah Al-Kindi from Sultan Qaboos University, Dr. Ahmed Al-Zahrani from King Abdulaziz University in Jaddah, Dr. Wei Lu from Zhejiang University of China, and Dr. Ahmed Al Mansoori, the Head of the Media Department at the United Arab Emirates University.
Noteworthy here is that the World Media Congress titled “Shaping the Future of Media” included an exhibition in which the most prominent international and local brands revealed the latest technologies, products, and services in the media sector. The conference also hosted international media pioneers discussing the latest topics and trends in the sector. On the sidelines of the conference, sessions were held covering various topics of the press, radio, television, the Internet and social media, which makes the Congress an excellent opportunity for media professionals to learn about the latest trends and challenges in the sector.
During his meeting with the Director of the Global Engagement Office at the Canadian University of Alberta, Dan Fredrick, the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, stressed the importance of strengthening academic and research cooperation between the two universities in a way that serves the educational process on both sides. He emphasized the importance of student exchange programs between universities in various countries of the world as this provides students with knowledge and experience in their field of specialization, expands their awareness, and introduces them to different cultures. Massad also pointed out the importance of consolidating the cooperation with the Canadian University of Alberta, one of the best five universities in Canada, through renewing the memorandum of understanding concluded between the two universities. He also indicated the readiness of the Language Center at Yarmouk to prepare an integrated program to teach the Arabic language for non-native speakers coming from the University of Alberta and other Canadian universities as well as those coming from Canadian schools.
In return, Fredrick affirmed the readiness of Canadian Alberta to consolidate cooperation with Yarmouk University in areas that would support the educational and research process in both universities, praising the distinguished academic level of Yarmouk students studying in Canadian Alberta and calling for building bridges of permanent communication between these students and their supervisors. He then reviewed the history of the University of Alberta, stating that it is one of the most important public universities in Canada at the academic and research level and is distinguished by its international reputation in the field of humanities, information technology, computer science, engineering, and health sciences.
Two graduates of Yarmouk University in the field of Health Services Administration, namely Hindiya Al-Maqableh and Sarah Al-Ajlouni, won a grant for the best research project on the digital health sector at the Fourth Forum for Women in Scientific Research, which was organized by the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates under the slogan “Power: Towards Sustainable Empowerment of Women”. The prize got granted to Al-Malqableh and Al-Ajlouni in light of their scientific study titled “the Role of Technology Acceptance, Anxiety, and Demographic Factors in Jordanian Healthcare Decision Makers’ Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence.” This study, as the researchers stated, aims at understanding the attitudes and behaviors of decision-makers in the field of healthcare in Jordan towards the artificial intelligence by providing results and insights to healthcare institutions and decision-makers regarding the factors that affect the acceptance of smart technology and potential areas of intervention and support. The study also aims at translating the survey tools into Arabic, which contributes to further research on the attitudes of the Arabic-speaking population towards artificial intelligence.
