Conference Program

Second International Conference on Palestine

 

Challenging Apartheid in Palestine: Reclaiming the Narrative, Formulating A Vision

 

Day 1 – Friday – June 18, 2021

Opening Session: 18:30-19:45  

Session Chair: Prof. Sami Al-Arian, CIGA, IZU, Turkey

Prof. Mehmet Bulut, Rector, Istanbul Zaim University, Turkey

Mr. Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (Mutawalli) İlim Yayma Foundation, Parent Foundation of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University

Fr. Manuel Musallam, Former Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Palestine

Sh. Ekrima Sabri, Imam, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islamic Supreme Committee, Jerusalem, Palestine

Ms. Belkıs İbrahimhakkıoğlu, İrfandan Medeniyete Derneği, Association for Wisdom and Civilization, Küdüs Platformu, Istanbul, Turkey

Dr. Muhammad Akram Adlouni, Executive Director, Global Coalition for Quds and Palestine, Beirut, Lebanon

Prof. Ilan Pappé, Director, European Center for Palestine Studies (ECPS), University of Exeter, UK

Prof. Nader Hashemi, Director, Center for Middle East Studies (CMES), University of Denver, USA

Mr. Na’eem Jeenah, Afro-Middle East Center (AMEC), South Africa

Program: Prof. Sami Al-Arian, Director, Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Turkey


Session I: 20:00-22:15             
The Palestinian Struggle and the Case Against Apartheid Israel

Session Chair: Prof. Sami Al-Arian, CIGA, IZU, Turkey

The Palestinian Nakba: Decolonizing History, Reclaiming Memory

Dr. Salman Abu Sitta Palestine Land Society, UK

Israel and the Question of Apartheid

Prof. Richard Falk, Princeton University (Emeritus), USA, Queen Mary University, London, UK

Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution: What does the HRW Report Reveal?

Mr. Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch, USA


Day 2 – Saturday – June 19, 2021

Session II: 17:30-19:45             The Reality of Occupation and Meaning of Resistance

Session Chair: Prof. Abdalrahman Migdad, CIGA, IZU, Turkey

The '48 Palestinians and the Palestinian National Project: Examining their Role and future Prospects

Prof. As’ad Ghanem, University of Haifa

The Gaza Story: An Account of Determination and Resistance

Ms. Laila El-Haddad, Author, USA

Palestinian Women in Grassroots Mobilization

Prof. Maha Nassar, University of Arizona, USA

Political Prisoners: Recounting the Human Toll

Dr. Ramzy Baroud, Palestine Chronicle, USA, CIGA, Turkey

The Forgotten Prisoners: Targeting Palestinian Activism in the US

Mr. Amith Gupta, Coalition for Civil Freedoms, USA


Session III: 20:00-22:15            
The Dialectics between Zionist Settler-Colonialism, Racism, and Palestinian Decolonization          

Session Chair: Mr. Uveys Han, CIGA, IZU, Turkey

Zionism, Anti-Semitism, Colonization

Prof. Joseph Massad, Columbia University, USA

Palestine, Islamophobia, and Global Decolonization

Prof. Salman Sayyid, University of Leeds, UK

A Century of Colonization and Resistance: What Does it tell us about the Future?

Prof. Ilan Pappé , University of Exeter, UK

The Youth Movement in the Palestinian Struggle

Prof. Loubna Qutami, University of California, Los Angeles, USA


Day 3 – Sunday – June 20, 2021

Session IV: 17:30-19:45             Recounting The Palestinian Story

Session Chair: Ms. Lamis Jamal Alayan, Al-Awda Coalition, USA

Decolonizing Knowledge on Palestine

Prof. Ahlam Muhtaseb, California State University, San Bernardino, USA

The Search for Truth: Examining The Zionist Narrative

Mr. Josh Ruebner, Author and Political Analyst, USA

The Struggle for Freedom and Human Rights

Mr. Sha’wan Jabarin, Al-Haq, Palestine

The Inviolability of Jerusalem

Prof. Abdallah Marouf Omar, Istanbul 29 Mayis University, Turkey


Session V: 20:00-22:00            
Exploring A Framework for Dismantling Israeli Apartheid

Session Chair: Mr. Na’eem Jeenah, Afro-Middle East Center, South Africa

Dismantling Apartheid: Learning from the South African Struggle

Mr. Ebrahim Rasool, World for All, former Diplomat, South Africa

Confronting Israel's Settler Colonialism and Apartheid System: An Equal Rights Approach

Dr. Ghada Karmi, Former Research Fellow, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, UK

Challenging Apartheid in Palestine: Examining Israeli Imperatives and Structural Factors

Prof. Sami Al-Arian, CIGA, Istanbul Zaim University, Turkey


Session VI
: 22:00-22:45            A Conversation on Palestine after the recent Gaza War/HRW Report

Guest: Prof. Norman Finkelstein, Academic and Author, USA

Moderator: Prof. Nader Hashemi, Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver, USA


Day 4 – Monday - June 21, 2021

Session VII: 17:30-19:45           Examining How the Apartheid Industry Functions

Session Chair: Mr. Ubeyd Ruff, CIGA, IZU, Turkey

In Academia and Education

Prof. Rabab Abdelhadi, San Francisco State University, USA

In the Law

Ms. Huwaida Arraf, National Lawyers Guild, USA

In the Media

Mr. Rami Khouri, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

In Culture

Ms. Rawan Damen, Media Consultant and Filmmaker, Jordan


Session VIII
: 20:00-22:15          Israel, the US, and the Apartheid Industry

Session Chair: Ms. Laila Al-Arian, Al Jazeera English, Washington DC, USA

US Foreign Policy and its Impact on Palestine and Palestinian Rights

Dr. Phyllis Bennis, Institute of Policy Studies, USA

Understanding the Struggle Against White Supremacy and Zionism

Mr. Vincent Warren, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York, USA

Unholy Alliance: Exposing US Right Wing Movements in Supporting Israeli Apartheid

Ms. Estee Chandler, Jewish Voice for Peace, USA

Policing and the Security State: Unmasking Israel’s Role

Mr. Eran Efrati, Researching the American-Israeli Alliance, New York, USA


Day 5 – Tuesday - June 22, 2021

Session IX: 17:30-19:45   Reversing Apartheid: The Role of the Law, Politics, Economics, and Popular Mobilization

Session Chair: Ms. Nora Barrows-Friedman, Electronic Intifada, USA

The Law and the Struggle Against Apartheid

Prof. John Quigley, Ohio State University, USA

The Politics of Apartheid and its Resistance

Dr. Osama Abuirshaid, American Muslims for Palestine, USA     

The Role of Economics in the struggle against Occupation and Apartheid

Prof. Taher Labadi, University of Aix-Marseille, France

Narrative Unravelings: A Tripartite Personal Assessment of the Nonprofit, Academic and Grassroots Role in Challenging Israeli Apartheid Propaganda 

Dr. Omar Zahzah, Palestine Youth Movement, USA


Session
X: 20:00-22:15             The Future of the Palestinian Struggle: Analysis and Prospects

Session Chair: Mr. Fadi Zatari, CIGA, IZU, Turkey

Examining the Realities on the Ground: A Hard Look at the Facts

Prof. Helga Baumgarten, Birzeit University, West Bank, Palestine

The Future of the Palestinian National Project: Exploring the Palestinian Options

Mr. Moin Al-Taher, Arab Center for Studies, Jordan

The US Administration and the Question of Palestine

Mr. Mouin Rabbani, Co-Editor, Jadaliyya, The Hague, The Netherlands

Arab Normalization with Israel and its impact on Palestine and the Region

Dr. Mohammad Makram Balawi, Union of Palestinian Academics, Istanbul, Turkey


Day 6 – Wednesday - June 23, 2021

Session XI: 17:30-19:45    Dismantling Apartheid: Requirements and Criteria   

Session Chair: Ms. Zeenat Adam, Afro-Middle East Center, South Africa

The Role of the Youth and University Campuses

Ms. Nerdeen Kiswani, CUNY-SPJ, New York, USA

BDS and Popular Resistance

Mr. Miko Peled, Author and Public Intellectual, USA

Building Political Alliances

Prof. Berdal Aral, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Turkey

On Forming A Global Solidarity Movement

Mr. Na’eem Jeenah, Afro-Middle East Center, South Africa


Session XII: 20:00-22:00    
The Role of Film and the Arts in the Palestinian Struggle: A Conversation with Palestinian Artists

Moderators: Mr. Frank Barat, Independent Film Maker, Belgium, and Prof. Abdullah Al-Arian, Georgetown University in Doha, Qatar

Panelists:

Ms. Susan Abulhawa, Novelist, USA

Mr. Saleh Bakri, Actor, Palestine

Ms. Annemarie Jacir, Filmmaker, Palestine

Ms. Farah Nabulsi, Filmmaker & Human Rights Advocate, UK


Session XIII
: 22:00-22:45          A Conversation on Dismantling Israeli Apartheid in Palestine and the Way Forward

Guest: Dr. Azmi Bishara, President, Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Doha, Qatar

Moderator: Prof. Sami A. Al-Arian, CIGA, IZU, Turkey