Following two successful events called “Children of Abraham,” UPF-Slovakia together with the Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) and the Embassy of the State of Palestine organized a “Palestinian Evening” in Bratislava on June 12.
Slovak media reports almost exclusively focus on the conflict and strife between Israelis and Palestinians. There is almost no information about the people and their culture. For these reasons we offered the Palestinians living in Slovakia a chance to introduce themselves to the public. The UPF core team with WFWP president Ester Calovkova and Dorota Simekova started to invite people with great zeal.
The event was announced one week in advance via OTS, the Slovak press agency TASR, and the websites of NGOs. Ambassadors for Peace, friends, embassy staff, and NGOs received personal invitations by email. The Embassies of Germany, Turkey, Poland, and Bulgaria called our office to say that they would send representatives. Even some representatives of the Embassy of Israel came. The press agency TASR sent one reporter and a cameraman.
At the beginning, the Counsellor of the Embassy of Palestine, Dr. Ahmad El Sayed, welcomed the audience and gave a short introduction about the current situation in Palestine. This was followed by a presentation by the Embassy of the State of Palestine and Palestinian students studying in Slovakia, showing video images of Palestinians cities, nature, traditions, music, and dance.
During the discussion, the Ambassador of Palestine, H.E. Hafez Al Nimer, answered many questions from the audience. Also the former President of Slovakia, Mr. Michal Kovac, who came together with his wife Prof. Emilia Kovacova, asked several questions.
At the conclusion of the program, the audience was invited to the next event, which will present the other side – Israel.
A tasty buffet prepared by the Embassy of the State of Palestine concluded the evening. Over Palestinian specialties, participants engaged in lively discussions.