Head of the PLO General Delegation to the U.S. tackles closure of PLO offices in Birzeit symposium

Head of the General Delegation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization to the United States, Dr. Husam Zomlot, led a symposium on the closure of the PLO General Delegation in Washington and its impacts on Palestinian-American relations, on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at Birzeit University.

Prior to the symposium, Dr. Zomlot met with Dr. Abdullatif Abuhijleh, president of Birzeit University, and discussed matters pertinent to the Palestinian cause and its latest developments.

The symposium, organized by Birzeit School of Government in the Faculty of Law and Public Administration and supported by H.H. Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Chair in Constitutional and International Law, was attended by Birzeit University students, faculty members, researchers, and representatives of civil society organizations.

Dr. Yaser Amouri, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Public Administration, stressed the importance of such public lectures and symposiums, noting that they figure greatly at such a crucial time for the Palestinian cause.

Dr. Asem Khalil, Vice President for Community Affairs and holder of the H.H. Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Chair in Constitutional and International Law, gave a brief overview of the Palestinian mission’s closure and its impact, and gave the floor to the Palestinian ambassador.

In his address, Dr. Zomlot gave some background information on the decisions of the American administration, such as moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, cutting aid to UNRWA, and closing the Palestinian General Delegation in Washington. He noted that these decisions presented an opportunity to disengage from the biased mediator - the United States.

Dr. Zomlot reaffirmed the need to hold fast to the Palestinian positions and Palestinian rights, despite the U.S. administration’s biased decisions, and pointed to the importance of communication with the rising generation of American youth in universities and institutions, as they have the power to influence the broader society.

The event was held by the Birzeit School of Government, an institute that seeks to build the capacity of students and practitioners to lead in public sector institutions and apply evidence-based tools and best practice to contemporary problems in the Palestinian and Arab public sectors. The BSG strives to become the center of policy debate and development in Palestine and beyond, and focuses on four pillars: education/teaching, short- and long-term training, academic and policy- oriented research, and public lectures.