Conference Theme: Balfour Declaration: Centenary of a Colonial Project.. What Future Awaits the Zionist Project ?!

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Conference Invitation: Balfour Declaration: Centenary of a Colonial Project..
What Future Awaits the Zionist Project ?!
Beirut, 17 November 2017

Conference Theme

The Balfour Declaration, the one hundred year anniversary of which falls this year, is a symbol of British colonial commitment to the creation of Jewish “national homeland” in Palestine. The British fulfilled their commitment when they occupied Palestine between 1917 and 1948, and opened the door wide to Jewish immigration and settlement, allowing their numbers to increase 13-fold.

The British also provided cover for efforts to build institutions and infrastructure needed for the project of a “Jewish State,” at a time when they reneged on their promises to the Arabs and on their commitment to the Palestinians as a mandatory power to develop their institutions and refrain from undermining their rights. The British even violently suppressed Arab popular uprisings. Thus, Israel was built on a sea of blood and aggression, and the dispossession of the people of Palestine whose rights, land, and holy sites were subsequently usurped.

In addition to engendering the tragedy of the Palestinian people, the implications of the Balfour Declaration and the establishment of Israel dragged the region into a cycle of violence and unrest. This entity failed to become a naturalized, acceptable one, and its military, technological superiority and overwhelming Western support failed to guarantee its stability and security, creating a perpetual crisis for Jewish people in the world.

While the regional Arab climate may be favorable for Israel, given its weakness, backwardness, divisions, and internal conflicts, and the presence of corrupt and authoritarian regimes… the peoples of the region have historically proven their vitality and refused to surrender, and have demonstrated a high capacity to confront challenges, which will continue in the long term.

Now, a hundred years after the Balfour Declaration, and about seventy years after the decision to partition Palestine and establish Israel, what future lies for the Zionist project?

Conference Objectives
1. Examining the historical backgrounds of the Balfour Declaration, and the emergence of the Zionist project.
2. Discussing the British-American-Western role in supporting the Zionist project and the continuation of Israel.
3. A critical reading of the Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and international behavior on the question of Palestine.
4. Foreseeing the future of the Zionist Project.

Conference Date
The Conference will be held over a full working day on Friday, 17 November 2017.

Conference Location
Crowne Plaza Hotel – Hamra, Beirut – Lebanon.

Working Papers
A number of prominent experts and academic figures will present a set of working papers discussing various aspects of the conference.

Registration

The registration form can be filled out here, click here