Friday, 13 November 2009The Zionist movement and the Israeli state are in the last stages of achieving effective sovereignty over all historic Palestine. The Israeli nomenclature, “Judaization” of the land, first entered general public discourse in 1976. We must acknowledge that we are witnessing the Judaization of what remains to Palestinians of historic Palestine (with the possible exception of the Gaza Strip). Failure to understand the process of Judaization, on one hand, and the concomitant erasure of Palestinian wujud (existence) in all its forms, on the other hand, dooms all of us to continue granting Israel and its supporters the power to accomplish the process of negating Palestinian identity and nationhood.
It is the intention of this conference to underscore the reality we are facing by: first, examining and illuminating current Palestinian existence in historic Palestine; second, by truthfully and candidly pursuing the historical process of the Judaization of the country; and third, by exploring the roles available to people seeking justice for the Palestinian people.
Register Today! Attendance is by pre-registration only. Guests without registration confirmations will not be admitted. We encourage you to register early as registration may be cut off as space is limited. Registered participants should plan to arrive early the day of the conference to secure parking and seating.
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Or, watch it online live here during the conference.
2009 Conference Agenda
9:00-9:10 Welcome Remarks
Dr. Subhi Ali
Chairman, The Jerusalem Fund Board of Directors
9:10- 9:30 Introduction and Rationale
Dr. Naseer Aruri
Conference Program Chair
9:30-10:45 Panel I: Erasure Before and After 1967
Chair: Ms. Nadia Hijab
Senior Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies
A. Gaza and Israel's Long-term Objective
Ms. Jennifer Loewenstein
Faculty Associate of Middle East Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B. The Erasure of the Palestinian State Project
Dr. Leila Farsakh
Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts-Boston
Ms. Phyllis Bennis
Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies
10:45-11:00 Break
11:00-12:30 Panel II: Shrinking Space and Colonization
Chair: Dr. Eid Mustafa
Treasurer, The Jerusalem Fund Board of Directors
A. Bantustanization: The Wall, Settlements and Colonization
Dr. Laurie King
Adjunct Professor of Popular Culture, Georgetown University
B. Greater Jerusalem: What Is It?
Mr. Will Youmans
New Media Consultant, The Jerusalem Fund
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-3:00 Panel III: National Fragmentation and Cohesion
Chair: Dr. Halim Barakat
Scholar of Sociology and Novelist
A. Identity Card: Darwish and National Assertion-Presence in the Shadow of
Erasure
Dr. Elliott Colla
Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Georgetown University
B. Palestinian Existence (wujud): Grassroots Activism and Solidarity
Mr. Ali Abunimah
Author and Journalist
3:00-4:15 Final Remarks: The Role of the International Community in the Erasure
Chair: Ms. Phyllis Bennis
Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies
A. The Role of the United Nations and International Law
Ms. Susan Akram
Clinical Professor of Law, Boston University
B. United States Policy and Palestine: Oslo, the Intifada and Erasure
Dr. Naseer Aruri
Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
4:15-5:00 Discussion
