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Seminar and Conference
program
Each year Muwatin
organizes a series of seminars and public forums to initiate discussion about
issues of major public importance (10-12 per year).
The Public Forum
series intends to introduce a process of accountability within the Palestinian
public sphere through initiating open public debate as a form of intervention to
encourage the formation of a body of public opinion that can impact policy
choices at the decision making levels.
Internal seminars
held at Muwatin within the Research program and the reform and governance
program. The seminars examine various issues that can facilitate or hinder
democratization processes, developments in the political process in Palestine
and Israel, as well as address the need to explore different possible strategies
in the struggle for democratization. The seminars explore ways to develop
common platforms and policy orientations, with other organizations, in order to
address specific issues engendered by developments within Palestinian civil
society.
Research seminars
to present ongoing or completed research projects will also be held. These
seminars provide a way to evaluate and provide critical feedback for the
different research projects.
Televised Symposia
presents topical political issues concerning the
reform agenda through the local television stations in an attempt to reach a
wider Palestinian public and thus break the spatial fragmentation and isolation
imposed on Palestinian communities.
Achievements: 1. Providing for the meeting and
interaction of political, intellectual and cultural experts who are influential
in shaping public policies and perceptions. 2. Promote the development of
consensus around key political, social development issues that can feed into
public policy. 3. Development of public and research programs of Muwatin.
Assessment: 1. Number of seminars held. 2. Number
of people participating. 3. Feedback whether in the press or informal. 4.
Development of Muwatin's programs in response to issues raised.
A. Seminars
2007
1- “The
European Union and peace making in the Middle East”. The speaker in the
symposium was Christian Sterzing, Director of the H.Boell Foundation’s Regional
office and former member of Parliament and author and political analyst. The
speaker gave a brief overview of the development of EU policies in relation to
the Middle East since the mid-seventies. The role of the EU in peace-making in
the Middle East grew gradually, perhaps at a slow pace. At the Madrid conference
the EU only had an observer role. Only after the year 2000 and the formation of
a common security policy did the EU gain a more prominent role leading to the
formation of the Quartet in 2002. The speaker explained that given that the EU
is composed of 27 countries, it is difficult to agree on a common policy in
relation to the Middle East. Internal and external factors have to be taken into
account in the formulation of policy for each state, and as a result only the
common elements are often the basis of decisions by the EU. Nevertheless, the
EU has been the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, giving around 500
million Euros per year in aid. February 22, 2007. (attendance by gender:
women: 7, men :4)
2- “The Human
development Report for the Arab World for 2006”. Speaker at this symposium
was Dr. Islah Jad from Birzeit University and co-editor of the report. She
explained that it was a complex project involving several teams which at times
was organizational headache. In addition, there were often differences of
analytic approach and also point of view given that the general topic of the
report dealt with the status of women in the Arab world. Reactions to the
report were generally positive. Even Islamists said that it was an
“improvement” on other reports dealing with women since it seems the report was
not hostile to them, at least as compared to other years and given that a
majority of the writers in the various teams were secular. March 29, 2007.
(attendance by gender: women 12, men 6)
3.“Azmi Bishara as Novelist.”
This symposium was held jointly by Poetry House, an independent cultural center
based in Ramallah that concerns itself with poetry and literature and publisher
works of local and other writers, and Muwatin. The event was advertised in local
papers and the invitation was open. Bishara had published two novels in the last
four years, on entitled Love in the Shade, the other entitled The Barricade,
which contains reflections on everyday life of Palestinian in the West Bank,
written as reflections and observations in a literary style. Representing
Muwatin on this occasion was Abdul-Rahim al-Shaykh, who is a literary critic and
researcher at Muwatin, and also teaches in the Department of Philosophy and
Cultural Studies at Birzeit University. April 30, 2007. (attendance: around 100
people)
4.‘The meaning of citizenship
and the debate on equality from the perspective of Palestinian inside Israel.”.
This was an open symposium advertised in the local papers. Drs. Mamdouh al-Aker
and George Giacaman chaired the meeting and gave brief presentations. This was
followed by a talk by Azmi Bishara from Qatar via satellite link as he was
unable to be present given that he might stay for an indefinite period outside
Israel until legal matter surrounding his case are cleared. Around 300 were in
attendance, a witness to the importance of the issue from the perspective of
Palestinians in the West Bank, and also in solidarity with Azmi Bishara. The
background to the main issues was covered by Bishara including the reaction
inside Israel to the three documents that appeared stating the position of
Palestinians inside Israel, that were sponsored by various institutions and
local Arab authorities. He also explained that the demand for full equality is
a basic requirement of democracy towards the citizens of the state.
Nevertheless, there is resistance to this demand in some quarters inside Israel
since the state defines its identity on religious grounds in addition to being
democratic, thereby creating an implicit internal contradiction. May 15, 2007.
(attendance: around 300 people)
5.“Is there a new Jordanian
Option?” Speaker at this symposium was Jibril Rjoub, former head of the
Preventive Security Apparatus in the West Bank. He played a prominent role
under Arafat, and was in charge with among other things, coordinating with the
security establishment in Israel. Many expect him to play a similar role in the
PA in the future. The speaker emphasized that three factors will affect the
future relations between Jordan and the West Bank: geography, demography, and
history. This means close relations but the nature of which cannot be
determined accurately at present... He also referred to statements by the prime
minister of Jordan as well as various spokesmen that the idea of a
confederation with Jordan will not be discussed until a state in established in
the West bank and Gaza. Nevertheless, if a Palestinian state is ever
established, confederating with Jordan is a realistic possibility. June 7,
2007. (attendance by gender: women 6, men 14)
2006
1- “The
role of the media and columnists in the local press during the present internal
conflict.” This symposium took place two-and-a-half weeks after the
take-over of Gaza by Hamas in a bloody confrontation with segments of the
security forces of the Palestinian authority. The purpose of the symposium was
to shed light on the role of Palestinian media given the clear bias in most
reporting in favor of one side or the other Objectivity was thrown by the way
side and the media on both sides aligned themselves clearly with one side or the
other. The national interest in such a context took a back seat and objectivity,
to the extent possible under such circumstances, was thrown out of the window.
What is the duty of the media in such circumstances? This was the question to be
addressed. Various media personali6ties were invited including press and
television. The symposium was moderated by George Giacaman and the participants
had a vigorous discussion on the role of the media in times of internal crises.
A broad agreement was reached that the media should not simply become
mouth-pieces for the various warring parties even if it is difficult to be
completely detached.. July 3, 2007. Twenty-four attended, 16 males and 8
females.
2. “The role
of the security forces in the Palestinian political system”. The symposium
was meant to get feed-back from various representatives of the security forces
concerning proposed new laws governing the relation between the political level
and the security forces under the PA. Several representatives from varied
security forces attended and it was clear from the discussion that there is
concern among about any changes in the laws governing their work, principally
being merged or integrated into other structures. They all agreed that naturally
all should be answerable to the political level, but their main concern appeared
to be the respective positions in the hierarchy. September 4, 2007. Attendees
were 14, 3 females, and 11 males.
3. “An
assessment of the Parliamentary elections in Jordan.” Dr. Taleb Awad, PLC
coordinating officer at Muwatin, who was in Jordan for the purpose of observing
the Parliamentary elections that took place in late November, 2007, led the
discussion. He gave a brief overview of the elections law and how it may have
possibly affected the results. But given the loss that the Muslim Brother’s
slate experienced, and the reduction of the number of seats in the new
Parliament, compared to the previous one, other explanations were in order. Two
appeared to carry some weight: the take-over of Hamas of Gaza in mid June may
have left a negative impact on the Islamists in Jordan, and internal divisions
in the movement, especially the rivalry between the moderate and more radical
wings. December 17, 2007.Sixteen attended, 10 males, four females.
2005
1- "Dreams
of Freedom: Aspects of Life of Aisha Odeh." Aisha Odeh is one of the first
women political prisoners to serve a long sentence in Israeli jails. She was
released several years ago and wrote a book about her experience during and
after her release which was published recently. Her presentation was based on
the book which focuses on the personal and human dimension of her experience.
She described how she devoted herself to reading extensively in prison, but
never thought of herself as a potential writer. But after release from prison
she found herself in a "changed world", not exactly like the one that froze in
time in her memory. She described the urge she felt to write and externalize
her feelings, primarily for herself as a form of catharsis which she felt as a
pressing urge. Some friends encouraged her to publish what she wrote, but she
hesitated a great deal given the personal and reflective nature of the book, and
the fact that she did not think of herself as a writer. The book was a best
seller and was widely reviewed in local papers. The audience responded with
empathy and compassion during the symposium especially since her style and
character is modest, unassuming, and direct without being aggressive. The
events, open to the public, and held in collaboration with the Sakakini Cultural
Center very well attended. February 10, 2005.
2- "A
comparative look at the work of the Islamic women's organizations in Palestine."
Symposium was led by Dr. Islah Jad of Birzeit University based on the extensive
research she did on the subject for her Ph.D. at the University of London.
Muwatin will publish her work in early 2006. It will be available in English
and Arabic. The speaker briefly sketched the history of development of Islamist
women's organizations during the last two decades. She distinguished between
traditional Islamic organization, whether women's or men's, and Islamist ones.
The difference lies in that the former focused on charity work as a narrow
agenda, while the latter's work may involve relief and charity work, but there
are also clear mobilizational aims in an Islamist, i.e. political direction.
This has a two-fold purpose: the traditional aim of the Muslim Brother's
movement in Jordan, Palestine and elsewhere, focusing on the Islamization of
culture. The second involves mobilization support for Islamist political
parties. Their primary target is the population under thirty, which is no
surprise given that fully 70% of the population in Gaza and the West Bank is
under thirty years of age. The speaker noted that these organizations have
emulated the methods of work developed by women's organizations that were tied
to PLO groups two decades ago, but now suffer from the lack of a mass following
resulting from the weakness of secular political parties. April 23, 2005.
3- "The
relation of the intellectual to political authority: Mahmoud Darwish as a case
in point." Dr. Abdul-Rahim al-Shaykh led this symposium focusing on the
role of the intellectual in society with a focus on the best known Palestinian
poet, Mahmud Darwish, whose poetry is widely known outside the Palestinian
cultural context. The speaker gave a general overview of different types of
intellectuals referring in the process to different writers on the subject, from
Ibn-Khaldun to Gramsci and Said. He argued the Darwish went through different
phases including two that should be distinguished carefully: the period when he
was still living in Israel, and the period when left to live in exile. It was no
surprise once he was out of Israel that the PLO and Arafat specifically should
seek to "adopt" him with his increased fame. Political authority always needs
intellectuals that may give some form of legitimacy to it. In the Arab
tradition, the poet played an important societal and political role given the
place of poetry in Arab culture. The speaker sought to show that Darwish played
such a role referring to a speech he gave in Yemen in the mid-eighties as
indicating the beginning of his "cooptation" by political authority. The
following discussion was spirited since several discussants contested the
speaker’s interpretation of the role of Darwish. May 12, 2005.
4- “Human
rights in the present Palestinian context". Symposium was led by Dr. Aryeh
Nier formerly Director of Human Rights Watch, and lecturer on International
Humanitarian Law at New York University. He is also President of the Soros
foundation. The speaker stressed the increased importance of human rights in
international affairs. He agreed that states use human rights instrumentally and
are not above double standards. Indeed during the last decade we have witnessed
human rights evolving into an extension of the foreign policy of various
governments. It is also true that state interests should not be explained by
reference to high ideals and sublime values. Nevertheless, Palestinians stand
much to gain from observing international humanitarian law which protects
civilians in time of conflict, in addition to the respect of human rights
internally. Respect for the latter at this formative stage of Palestinian
political development, will influence the nature of the state that Palestinian
hope will one day be established. And even if that day does not appear to be
coming soon given the raging conflict, the internal moral dimension among
Palestinians as a community, with or without a state, ought to be of concern to
them. And in spite of the extreme right-wing policies of the present US
administration and its rhetoric on democracy and human rights, nevertheless
these two slogans are far from empty since they reflect the zeitgeist,
the spirit of our time, even if governments use them instrumentally. May 19,
2005.
5. "A
revisionist look at Palestinian historiography of the 1948 war." Speaker at
this symposium was Dr. Saleh Abul-Jawad of Birzeit University and researcher at
Muwatin working on a book on the subject. The speaker noted that unlike
"revisionist" historians in Israel investigating this same period, there arose
no school of Palestinian or Arab historians to critique the official history of
the conflict, which students are taught in Palestine and in the Arab World. Many
Palestinian mistakes took place in the two decades preceding the 1948 war and
during. For instance, the British White Paper of 1939 was rejected by most Arab
governments at the instigation of Hajj Amin al-Husayni, then in exile outside
Palestine. Acceptance of this Paper would have virtually annulled the Balfour
Declaration. The speaker called for a concerted effort on the part of
Palestinian historians to study with a critical eye various facets of
Palestinian history, especially the role of their political leadership at
various junctures. August 6, 2005.
6- "The
emergence of a Palestinian globalized elite and negotiations over agendas."
Speaker was Dr. Sari Hanafi, a Muwatin researcher and lecturer at the American
University of Beirut. His talk was based on the results of the three-year
research he did with Linda Tabar on the relation between donors and NGO's in
Palestine. The book appeared in late 2005 in English and also in an Arabic
translation. The main argument of the book focuses on the ability of Palestinian
NGO's to negotiate with donors concerning agendas. The research shows that the
results were mixed in that in some cases, NGO's were able to influence donor
agendas on priorities for support, but there were some failures as well. He also
noted that during the last decade especially, there emerged a globalized elite
among various sectors in Palestinian NGO's, largely as a result of increased
regional and international contact, including the various meetings of the World
Social Forum. This, by and large should be looked at as a positive phenomenon
since Palestine does not exist in isolation from globalized currents that
influence various Palestinian policies. September 12, 2005.
7- "An
evaluation of the results of the third round of municipal elections." This
symposium was held at a hotel in Ramallah since the expected turn-out was
between 50 and 80. Three speakers took part: Mr. Jamal Shoubaki, the head of the
governmental committee organizing elections, Mr. Adnan Awdeh, head of the
research unit at the PLC, and Dr. Taleb Awad, coordinator of the elections and
reform program at Muwatin. Given the considerable victories that Hamas gained
in the larger towns in the West Bank, the results were a considerable defeat for
Fatah, the ruling Palestinian Party. All speakers agreed that that the record of
Fatah and the PA internally (mismanagement and corruption) and the deadlock in
the political process are the two main factors affecting the results. Questions
were raised by some in the discussion as to whether the same two factors will
also affect the voting in the elections for the PLC planned for late January
2006. Some argued that they may leave an influence but the dynamic for
municipal elections is different from national elections since local
considerations play a more important role in the former. Nevertheless, Fatah
should work harder to improve its standing if it were to beat Hamas in PLC
elections.
8- "Opinion
polls and elections for the PLC". Speaker at this symposium was Dr. Nader
Said, of the Development Studies Program at Birzeit University, where regular
polls are conducted to gauge public opinion on political and other issues. Three
main issues were discussed: How accurate are opinion polls if used to predict
possible results; do opinion polls influence voters; what is his personal
assessment of the possible results of the elections for the PLC, not only based
on the polls, but added to it his personal "guess" as well given possible voter
change on the day of elections. Dr. Said admitted that polls may on occasion
influence voters but it is difficult to say when, given the many variables that
affect voter choices on the eve of elections. He also stressed the fact that
polls only measure opinions on the day they are conducted and should be treated
carefully in terms of predicting results. The closer the polls are to election
day the better they are as indicators of possible results. His personal
assessment was that Fatah and Hamas were running close, aside from what any poll
may show. December 29, 2005.
2004
1- "A
Critical Look at Palestinian and Arab Media". This symposium was held on
the occasion of the publication of the first book containing papers by media
students at Birzeit University. The book was published by Muwatin as a
cooperative project with the Faculty of Media Studies at Birzeit. Papers by
students were done under supervision of faculty members as part of their
graduation project for a seminar for fourth year students. The symposium was
meant to assess the results reached in the book and to compare developments in
the Arab media especially television, during the last decade, with Palestinian
media. The symposium was led by Dr. Samih Shabeeb, a lecturer at Birzeit and
editor of the book. It was noted that Arab satellite television stations in
particular have opened up a much wider sphere for critical debate than was the
case before. This holds true in relation to political issues, as well as social
and cultural issues that were closer to taboo subjects in the past. Issues
related to women, domestic violence, problems of youth among others were often
discussed frankly from different perspectives. Palestinian media still trail
behind especially the official Palestine television. There was consensus on the
need for reform in Palestinian media if it aims at gaining credibility with the
intended audience, a credibility that it lacks at present. January 26, 2004.
2- "Public
Opinion and Elections". This symposium was a live broadcast on Watan
Television and Al-Quds Educational Television. The two stations broadcast the
program simultaneously. Dr. Taleb Awad and Dr. Ahmad Majdalani participated
focusing on public opinion polls held recently showing a very high degree of
support for elections both at the local and national level. Also discussed were
the results of a study co-authored by both participants and published by Muwatin
on the expected results of national elections if held without any change in the
present elections law. One main result of the study was that the present
majoritarian electoral system which divides the West Bank and Gaza into 16
electoral districts, favours larger parties.
Thus it is to
be expected that the main contest will be between Fatah and Hamas. And with
Hamas gaining ground during the last three years, there is a possibility the
Hamas will have a majority in any future parliament if elections are held in the
near future. It was argued that this will lead to a polarized representative
council with very limited room for alliances on specific issues, and the council
will not reflect the desire of large portions of the public, as appears in
opinion polls, to see new parties or groups representing them other than Hamas
and Fatah. Opinion polls during the past six years show a range of 30 to 50%
preferring an alternative other than these two parties. March 14, 2004.
3- "Development
under Occupation and under the Palestinian Authority: Myths and
Realities." This symposium was held on the occasion of the publication of a
book on this subject by Dr. Khalil Nakhleh who worked for several years as a
consultant on development, first for the Welfare Association in the 1980s and
for the European Union under the PA. Two discussants also participated: Eileen
Kuttab, director of the Women's Studies Institute at Birzeit University, and
Sari Hanafi a sociologist and director of Shaml, Institute for Refugee Studies.
Several
arguments were made by the speakers on issues related to development during the
past two decades. These include the fact that developmental initiatives under
occupation were restricted in their success partly because the policies of the
Welfare Association, a major developmental donor especially under occupation,
which favoured specific institutions over community-based initiatives. In
addition, the Israeli occupation authorities gave priority in agriculture, for
instance, to products Israel can export, such as flower-growing in Gaza, thus
making different aspects of the Palestinian economy subservient to Israeli
economic needs. Some of these restrictions remained under the PA given the
negative results of the Paris Protocols on trade relations, which the PA came to
regret signing after they found out what they meant in practice. March 18,
2004.
4- "Palestinian
Options in Light of Sharon's Plan for Withdrawal from Gaza." Speaker at
this symposium was Dr. Azmi Shuaibi, PLC member. The symposium was held at a
time when the PA was still not quite sure how to react to this plan, and was
taken by surprise by it. The main concern of the PA, argued the speaker, is that
they were not formally a party in this plan. Their dilemma lies in the fact
that they could not take the position that they were opposed to the withdrawal,
yet on the other hand the fact that no coordination with the Palestinian cabinet
took place meant for them that Sharon views them as being irrelevant
politically. The PA is eager to continue the political process and never tires
from repeating the refrain that the road map should be pursued, yet this plan
puts the road map in a state of limbo, and with it the political fate of the
PA. May 13, 2004.
5- "US
Foreign Policy in the Middle East." Speaker at this event was Professor
Rashid Khalidi, formerly Director of the Center for International Studies at the
University of Chicago, and at present Director of the Center for Arab Studies at
the University of Columbia in New York. Professor Khalidi noted the background
for present US policy towards the region and the shift that took place with the
Bush Administration. He also explained that the Administration is on the
defensive as a result of problems in Iraq, a situation that will influence the
political process in Palestine as well. He also noted that he expects that
there will be movement in the political process in Palestine after the elections
in the US whether Bush wins or loses. This need not be anything radical but
most likely an attempt to go back to the road map, in part because of the
expected increased need of the US for European support in Iraq. June 9, 2004.
6- "The G8
Plan for Reform in the Arab World." Izzat Abdul-Hadi led the discussion on
the topic which created considerable discussion and worry on the part of
governments in the Arab World before the plan was amended and changed by the G8,
which started as an American plan with many gaps in it from a European
perspective. The speaker noted that internal mechanisms for change in Palestine
and the Arab World are weak, and that one must keep some degree of scepticism in
relation to what reforms have a priority from the perspective of the G8, given
that states ultimately base their policies on interests rather than lofty ideals
and sublime values. Still, this might be an opportunity to push for reform
based on a domestic agenda that accords with national interests as seen by
activists and reformers whether in Palestine or the Arab World. July 2, 2004.
7- "Division
of authority between the Presidency and The Cabinet". This was a public
event held at the Best Eastern Hotel in Ramallah before an audience of around
180, and was taped and shown on five local television stations in different
towns in the West Bank. Three speakers took part: Sakher Habash, member of the
Central Committee of Fatah and a close associate of President Arafat, Mamdouh
Nawfal, author and political commentator, and Azmi Shuaibi, member of the PLC
and a vocal critic of the PA on issues related to reform. The discussion
focused on the last crisis between the Palestinian Prime Minister and the PLC on
the one hand, and President Arafat on the other hand. This was not the first
crisis of its kind involving issues related to reform and change in ministerial
positions that Arafat did not approve of. Since the creation of the position of
prime minister in late 2002 under external pressure, a continuing contestation
over the limits of authority of the new position had taken place. All three
speakers agreed on the nature of the problem given Arafat's long history in
centralizing decisions in his office. It was also agreed that there is no quick
solution to this problem and more crises are to be expected in the future. This
was before the death of Arafat which changed the situation radically. July 29,
2004.
8- "Proposed
changes on the elections law." Two symposia were held on the reform
proposed on the elections law under discussion by the PLC for nearly two years.
Given Muwatin's involvement in this project, Dr. Taleb Awad and Dr. George
Giacaman took part in these two symposia held for students of the MA program in
Democracy and Human Rights at Birzeit University. This was also part of a
continued effort to network with university students at Palestinian universities
who constitute an important constituency for Muwatin's work, including its
publications. A comparative analysis was offered on different elections systems
in various countries, and the reasons and justification of proposed reform of
the elections law was discussed. Students showed considerable interest in the
topics covered and some expressed interest in further follow-up through papers
and reports for some of the courses they take in the program. October 11 and
October 14, 2004.
9- “On the
transition to a post-Arafat era." This symposium was held while Arafat was
in hospital in France five days before he died. It was clear by then that his
absence may be for an extended period and the possibility of his death cannot be
ruled out. Hence issues related to the post-Arafat era were close enough
including whether fears expressed at various times in the past about a possible
chaos in the PA would be realized. Three speakers led the discussion: Dr. Ali
Jarbawi, political science professor at Birzeit University, Mr. Hani Masri,
political columnist at Al-Ayyam Newspaper, and Mr. Hassan Khader, political
analyst and managing editor of al-Karmel quarterly. A spirited discussion
followed their presentation with general consensus that if Arafat passes away
there will be major changes in the Palestinian political system and that Fatah
will face the possibility of fragmentation unless a reform process is started
within Arafat's own party. November 6, 2004.
10- "Reforming
the PA and reforming Fatah." This symposium was led by Mr. Ahmad Ghuneim, a
prominent member of Fatah's "Young Guard" who have been calling for reform in
Fatah and for elections within the party for several years. The event took
place two weeks after the death of Arafat and while the process of transition of
authority to the "new leadership" was still in process. From the perspective of
Ghuneim, the new leadership was an extension of the old with no room still for
the younger generation within Fatah, who mostly come from the "inside", as
opposed to those that came from Tunis. It was clear from his remarks that unless
there are major reforms within Fatah, there is a real possibility that Arafat's
party may not remain cohesive after his departure. The frankness with which he
addressed the issues left a considerable impression on the audience who showered
him with questions for nearly three hours. November 27, 2004.
B. Annual
conference
2007
The conference
was entitled “The Democratic Experiment and the Crises of the Palestinian
Political System.” The conference dealt with different topics focusing on
the present crises in the political system and the dangers it poses given the
resulting fragmentation of the system after the control of Gaza by Hamas.
Various participants stressed the need to rectify this situation but it was also
thought that it may take more time than otherwise given the external factors
that are at play. One session was also devoted to the future of Islamist parties
in the region in light of the experience of Hamas. Most speakers thought that
there are several lessons that will be drawn by Islamists parties in the region
from the experience, including the fact that most Arab governments and the US
and Israel will not accept an Islamist party with a majority in Parliament, or a
majority in the cabinet, even if some representation in Parliament is
acceptable, perhaps even preferred, within limits, as a “safety valve”, so that
Islamist parties that run for elections are not driven in the direction of
globalized Jihadists. The conflict with Israel is one important reason given the
fact that the position of Islamist parties on Israel is not acceptable to the
US. This in addition to the autocratic nature of most Arab governments that do
not accept in principle and in practice, rotation of power through elections and
based on their results. Hence, elections are either forged, of manipulated in
such a way as to keep the opposition with limits acceptable to the regime, or
elections are not held at all as is the case in several Arab countries.
Other topics
included a broad analysis of the possibility of democratization in the Arab
World by Azmi Bishara speaking via video-conference from Amman, with the
possibility of interaction with the audience as well. The hall was full to
capacity during this session. Another session was devoted to a question that has
been debated recently on various web sites given the stalled progress in
negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, and the continued settlement on
Palestinian land, that is, whether the two-state solution is still viable. Two
speakers took part, one for and one against, and a third served as discussant,
followed by participation by the audience from the floor. It turned out that
this was a hot topic, and opinions were actually divided on this. But is clear
that if the process of colonization of Palestine continues, there will come a
time when it will be clear to all that the two-state solution has ended, and
Palestinians may well be asking for Israeli citizenship, a nightmare of
nightmares for many Israelis. If such a day were to come, it will be the result
of Israeli policies and US abdication of responsibility, and European weakness.
The weakness and subservience of Arab government is also to be taken for granted
as a factor in such a possible outcome. But most Palestinians have given up any
hope they may once had in Arab regimes.
2006
The annual
conference was held between December 1 and December 3, 2006. It was planned to
be a three-day event given the diversity of the topics to be covered. The
conference was devoted to a critical examination of the school curriculum work
on which had commenced nearly ten years ago. Since the work on revising the new
curriculum for various classes was completed recently, it was thought that this
is an opportune moment for a broad assessment of the effort of the ministry of
higher education in this regard. This was the first conference of its kind to
offer an open public debate on what students in the school system are taught.
The focus of
the conference was not technical dealing, for instance, with how best to teach
various subjects, but approached the curriculum from the perspective of the
degree it enhances the values of citizenship and equality, gender roles,
individual rights and the acceptance of diversity, in addition to the
requirements of modern education as opposed to traditional forms of learning.
A call for
papers was initiated through advertisements in local papers, and a
representative of the ministry of higher education involved in the preparation
of the curriculum was asked to present the ministry's point of view. Several
teachers involved in the preparation of the new curriculum attended, some of
whom put up a vigorous defense of their work in the face of some criticisms.
Spirited debates took place in most of the sessions, and the conference was also
shown on several local television stations. The opening session was also carried
live on al-Jazeera. Proceedings of the conference will be published in book-form
in the first half of 2007.
2005
The annual
conference entitled "Palestinian NGO's: Between the Civil and the Political"
was held on the 17th and 18th of December in Ramallah. The two-day event was
taped so that it may be shown on local television stations a few days after the
event, thus reaching a wide audience. Speakers were also asked to submit
written presentations shortly after the conference so that the proceedings may
be published in book form. A special issue of Parliamentary Horizons was
also in preparation giving detailed summaries of the various presentations to be
distributed with al-Ayyam Newspaper. The efforts were meant to insure reaching
the widest possible audience in the West Bank and Gaza. The conference was also
covered in local papers and some Arab satellite stations who interviewed some of
the participants.
Six sessions
were held during the two-day period and varied topics were covered ranging from
dependence on outside funding to agendas and who decides on what, and the role
of NGO's in Palestinian society. The most prominent common theme that more than
one presentation dealt with was the role of NGO's in relation to the role of
others especially the state. It was pointed out by more than one speaker that
there is a lack of a common understanding as to the developmental role played by
NGO's, and that in fact there are different models. What is lacking in the
Palestinian context is the shared understandings that may emerge as a result of
a continuing dialogue that may be spurred by this conference.
Representatives of two Islamic NGO's also participated in the conference, one
representing an Islamic women's NGO. Part of the aim of the conference was also
to engage Islamic NGO's in a dialogue. Their participation in the conference
could be built upon in other activities. There is much to discuss with them and
many agreed that secular and Islamic NGO's should not inhabit two separate
worlds with no communication between them.
2004
The annual
conference planned for the end of 2004 was held over a three-day period, between
February 4 and 6, 2005. Since the death of Arafat in November 2004 heralded
major changes in the Palestinian political system, it was decided to devote the
conference to the changes expected to take place, including the removal of the
freeze on elections in force during the Arafat era. It was clear that this by
itself will introduce new players on the political scene, and will lead to the
reduced hegemony of Fatah over the political system. It addition it was thought
that the process of reform might now possibly begin since Arafat operated a
system of patronage and clientelism that was based on various forms of
corruption. The conference was held jointly with the International Studies
Institute at Birzeit University given that they were also planning a conference
on similar topics, in the interest of removal of duplication of efforts and
topics. The conference was well-attended since it was the first public event to
assess the implications of the death of Arafat. The three-day event was taped
and shown on local television thus reaching a wider audience than those
attending in person. The proceedings will also be published in a book by the
Institute at Birzeit.
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