H.E. Mr. Ilan Mor, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Republic of Croatia, held a lecture titled ”Opportunities and Challenges in the Middle East” on Monday, November 30, 2020. The lecture was organized by the Embassy of the State of Israel to the Republic of Croatia and the Student Council of the University of Rijeka.
After welcome speeches, Ambassador began the lecture with a brief historical overview and analysis of (un)friendly relations between the countries of the Middle East and the Mediterranean. He pointed out the Abraham Accords, a turning point in the politics of the wider Middle East and the Mediterranean.
After Israel normalized its relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan, Ambassador Mor commented on the current situation, explaining how Palestinian-Israeli relations are a problem because both sides are right. While Israel believes that peace is possible only with negotiations and a renunciation of control over the occupied territories, the Palestinians have different views and perceptions of the peace process.
Despite a long history of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, many statesmen and states (including the United States, Japan, countries of the Middle East) are trying to find peaceful solutions that would respect the rights of both peoples.
There is a large interest in this topic among the students, citizens, and members of academia, and this was underscored by the questions from the audience, which often included current events: the impact of the US presidential election on the Middle East conflict, the migrant crisis, the murder of an Iranian nuclear scientist, the effect of coronavirus on (in)equality in the world.
Ambassador Mor also referred to the changes in the diplomatic world, especially in this year in which the world underwent numerous changes, which also affected the manner of negotiations and diplomacy and interreligious dialogue in general.
Ambassador Mor expressed his gratitude on Twitter, thanking the hosts, Madam Rector Prof. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Ph.D., and the Student Council of the University of Rijeka.