On 28 November 2011 the Political Science Department at BZU in collaboration with the Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies (MADAR) held a seminar on the consequences of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and Oslo Accord. The seminar was attended by a large number of BZU students and interested individuals.

 

Sameeh Hammoudeh, a faculty member at, a faculty ,    the BZU Political Science Department and Antoine Shalhat, journalist and researcher at MADAR, were the keynote speakers.  Hammoudeh addressed the responsibility of academics and intellectuals, as well as that of well-informed individuals in the community, to exercise self-criticism, leaving emotions aside and discarding slogans and hypocrisy, in order to pursue a process that can lead to progress, liberation and state-building.

 

 

 

Hammoudeh adopted an analytical approach in talking about the consequences of the Oslo Accord, stressing that the Israeli occupation neither wants nor seeks real peace, but rather intends that the Palestinians surrender to the Zionist project, in alliance with the Western imperialist powers, particularly the United States of America. He added that the USA is fully biased toward Israel, and joins the latter in denying Palestinian rights. He further commented that Palestinian leadership, since Haj Amin al-Husseini, has failed in building Palestinian decision-making institutions.

 

Shalhat presented an Israeli understanding of the outcomes of Oslo, based on published testimonies given by participants in the negotiations that led to the Accord. He overviewed the different Israeli stances toward the idea of reaching an understanding with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and toward seeking resolution to the historical Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

 

In his intervention, Shalhat concluded that the essence of Zionism cannot admit a real peace with the Palestinians. He added that what Israel expects is a Palestinian admission of Israeli sovereignty over historic Palestine, and an acceptance of living under the Zionist authority as well as recognition of its ideology. He concluded: "Israel is satisfied with the transfer of the Palestinian representation from the PLO to the Palestinian Authority, which can be pressured and besieged.”