By: WYTV Staff

The permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations paid a visit to the Valley Saturday night.

Dr. Riyad Mansour — a Youngstown State University alumnus — spoke to a small crowd at the Arab American Cultural and Educational Center.

The State of Palestine is located in the Middle East. Despite years of hardship, Mansour said he wants our two countries to continue a conversation with all sides involved to work toward peace between the two.

“I want to share some of the observations made by the secretary general during this last visit. Our message is peace. We are interested in peace and we hope that all those who are interested in peace in the United States of America [come] to help us accomplish that objective,” he said.

Mansour originally moved to Youngstown when his father got a job at Youngstown Sheet and Tube.