Conference on: “Between Dependence and Independence: What Future for Palestine?”

The Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies (IALIIS) announces the holding of a conference at Birzeit University entitled: “Between Dependence and Independence: What Future for Palestine?” The conference builds on the Findings of previous workshops held by IALIIS on the “Political Economy of Dependence and Independence in Palestine,” and seeks to identify and assess future policy options for the Palestinian leadership going forward.

Where:  Development Studies Building, First Floor, Room number 104.

When:  Saturday March 9^th, 2013

 

(Simultaneous translation is available)

8:30-9:00	Registration
9:00-10:00	Confrence Opening and Keynote Address
	Kim Vanderborght: Professor of International Economic Law at the Centre for Economic Law & Governance (Vrije Universiteit Brussel): Moderator.
(10 Minutes)	Samia Halileh, Vice President for Community Outreach: Words of Greeting.
(10 Minutes)	Abdul Karim Al-Barghothi, Director, IALIIS: Words of Introduction.
(40 Minutes)	Ghassan Hage, Professor of Anthropology and Social Theory; University of Melbourne: Keynote Speaker.
10:00-10:15	Break
10:15-11:25	First Session: Loss of Natural Resources – Water and Land
(10 Minutes)	Alex Kouttab, Researcher and Lecturer at IALIIS: Moderator.
(20 Minutes)	Ahmad El-Atrash, PhD Candidate at TU-Dortmund University: Speaker.
(20 Minutes)	Clemens Messerschmid, Independent Researcher: Speaker.
(20 Minutes)	Open Discussion
11:25-11:40	Break
11:40-12:50	Second Session: Displacement and Exile – Demography and Refugees
(10  Minutes)	Asem Khalil, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Public Administration at BZU: Moderator.
(20 Minutes)	Yousef Courbage, Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques (INED): Speaker.
(20 Minutes)	Aiko Nishikida, Assistant Professor of Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies: Speaker.
(20 Minutes)	Open Discussion
12:50-14:00	Lunch Break
14:00-15:10	Third Session: Economic and political Crisis – West Bank and Gaza
(10 Minutes)	Samir Abdullah, Director General of The Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS): Moderator.
(20  Minutes)	Said Haifa, Professor of Economics at BZU: Speaker.
(20  Minutes)	Abdullah Abdullah, Lecturer at the Geography department at BZU: Speaker.
(20 Minutes)	Open Discussion
15:10-15:30	Concluding Remarks
	Reinhard Steennot: Professor in Banking and Consumer Law at Ghent University. Moderator
	Ghassan Khatib, Vice president of Development and Communication at BZU: Concluding Remarks.

 

Concept Note

“Between dependence and independence: What future for Palestine?”

This conference follows a series of five specialized workshops hosted by the IALIIS in 2011 and 2012 under the general rubric “Palestine: Dependence and Independence.” Involving both local and international experts, academic specialists and practitioners, the workshops addressed prospects for Palestinian independence against the backdrop of Israel’s continuing occupation, as viewed through the prism of such specialized issues as development, demography, water, refugees, migration, and the Gazan tunnel economy. Individually, the workshops highlighted the different ways in which the status quo created after the signing of the 1993 Declaration of Principles and the 1995 Interim Agreements has deepened the roots of Palestinian dependency and further entrenched Israeli occupation and control. Collectively, they bring into sharp relief what seems to be an inescapable paradox that largely defines the last two decades: namely, that Palestinian moves towards independence and statehood as per the interim agreements negotiated with Israel, are actually leading towards greater dependence on Israel and heightening Palestinian insecurity. The structure of Israel’s occupation has changed, but not weakened or receded. 

“Between dependence and independence: What future for Palestine?” seeks to explore this paradox more fully – in which the promise of independence has led to greater dependency and vulnerability – and to assess its consequences in shaping possible Palestinian futures. Do the terms dependence and independence still have currency in helping to frame Palestinian aspirations? Do realities on the ground demand that we revisit our sense of what is politically possible and what is politically desirable? What are some of the strategic opportunities as well as challenges that lay ahead for Palestinians, and what impact, if any, will the Arab Spring likely have in shaping both? More immediately, what are the possible implications of Palestine’s upgraded status as a non-member observer state at the United Nations? Does UN recognition herald the beginning of the end for the Oslo paradigm, or mark a radical departure from the status quo, or will it be a continuation with the same track? What strategic options are available to both the PLO and PA, and how will both likely respond?