About the Conference

Al-Jazeera Centre for Studies (AJCS) and the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) are pleased to host this unique joint conference in London. The conference coincides with the centenary of the First World War. It was during the War that the British government became instrumental in the Zionist project in Palestine by issuing the Balfour Declaration, which will be the background to many of the discussions atthe Conference.

Although these events took place up to a hundred years ago, an analysis of their consequences and significance can give rise to useful conclusions and recommendations in grappling with the Palestinian question as it exists today. This conference examines the impact of World War I on Palestine, starting with the role of the Ottoman Empire and the Zionist Movement.

It scrutinizes the various political agreements between different parties with an interest in the area, including the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence and the Balfour Declaration. Speakers explore the terms of the Peace Treaty as applied to Palestine, drawn up at the San Remo Conference and enshrined in the British Mandate, and analyse how British government support for Zionist aims, leading to the perception of a betrayal of the Palestinian right to self-determination, led to the emergence of a Palestine national movement in the 1920s and ‘30s, culminating in the Arab Revolt of 1936-9.

Conference Agenda/Speakers

.................................................................Day 1....................................................................................

Registration and Tea/Coffee reception: 9:00 –9:45

Opening Session: 9:45 to 10:30

Conference Chair: Mr. Nasim Ahmed

Speakers:»» Dr. Salah Eddin Elzein,Director of the Al Jazeera Centre For Studies.»» Dr.Yasin Aktay,Professor of Applied Sociology.»» HE Dr. Manuel Hassassian,Palestinian Ambassador to the UK.»» Mr. Majed Al Zeer,Chairman, Palestinian Return Centre, Palestinians in Europe Conference.

Session One: 10:40 to 12:00

Palestine Before World War I

Chair: Dr. Roxane Farmanfarmaian, POLIS - University of Cambridge.

Topic 1: Palestine in the Legacy of Ottoman Empire.

Speaker: Yasin Aktay, Professor of Applied Sociology.

Topic 2: The Zionist Movement and its relations with the parties to the conflict.(Germany, the Ottoman Empire and the Allies).Speaker: Dr. Jafar Hadi Hassan, Academic in Semitic Languages and Jewish Studies

Topic 3: Palestine and the Eastern Question.

Speaker: Dr. Mahmoud O. Al Haddad, Professor of Modern Arab & Islamic Historyat the University of Balamand.

Q & A: 11:40 -12:00Tea Break: 12:00 – 12:10

 Session Two:12:15 to 13:35

Palestine during World War I

Chair: Dr. Basheer Nafi, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies.Topic 1: The strategic importance of Palestine for parties to the conflict.Speaker: Mr. John Keay, Author of the ‘Sowing the Wind: the Seeds of Conflict in theMiddle East’.Topic 2: Promises to Palestine: from Sykes-Picot to Balfour.Speaker: Mr. Karl Sabbagh, British-Palestinian academic and author.Topic 3: How WWI led to the Balfour Declaration.Speaker: Dr Anthony Gorman, Senior lecturer in modern Middle Eastern history,University of Edinburgh.Q & A: 13:15 - 13:35 Lunch Break: 13:35 – 14:35

Session Three:14:40 to 16:00

Palestine after World War I

Chair: Tim Lewellyn, Journalist & former BBC presenter of Panorama.

Topic 1: Palestine from the San Remo Conference (1920) to the Mandate.Speaker: Dr. Ghada Karmi, Academic and author.

Topic 2: The Role of the Mandate in empowering the Zionist Project for a Jewish State.Speaker: Ms Lamis Andoni, Editor-In-Chief Al-Araby Al Jadeed - English

Topic 3: Struggling to Maintain the Mandate’s Iron Cage, 1930 – 1947Speaker: Dr. Peter A Shambrook, Independent Historian and Author.

Q & A: 15:40 - 16:00 Tea Break: 16:00 – 16:10 Closing Session: 16:15 – 17:30

Conclusion and RecommendationsSpeakers will be invited to the concluding panel for an open discussion with audience.

.................................................................Day 2....................................................................................

 Registration and Tea/Coffee reception: 9:00 –10:15

Session One: 10:15 to 11:35

Palestine and International Law Post WWI and WWII

Chair: Ms. Anjum Layla Dean, Human rights activist, founder of Basic Human RightsTopic 1: World War I and the Internationalization of the Palestinian QuestionSpeaker: Dr. Malath Al Agha, PhD in EU-Russia foreign policy towards the MiddleEast and the Palestinian question – Exeter UniversityTopic 2: The establishment of Israel, and Palestinian refugees’ struggle forprotection and recognition under international law

Speaker: Jeff Handmaker, LLM, PhD, senior lecturer in law, human rights anddevelopment, International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University (EUR)Topic 3: How the outcomes of WWI & WWII gave immunity to Israel.Speaker: Professor Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies andInternational Relations, SOAS

Q & A: 11:15 - 11:35Tea Break: 11:35 – 11:45

Session Two: 11:50 - 13:10The Future of Palestine 100 years after WWI

Chair: Ms. Shivani Jegarajah, International human rights expert and activist on thegenocide of Tamils within Sri Lanka.Topic 1: The developing stages of an International Communitystance on Palestine.Speaker: Mr. Oliver Miles, Former British Ambassador to Libya, Middle East Expert.Topic 2: A future Western stance on Palestine.Speaker: Mark McDonald, Barrister at Chambers of Michael Mansfield Q.C,and Labour Friends of Palestine co-founderTopic 3: A Hundred Years of Palestinian Struggle: Lessons for Chartingthe Future of Palestine.Speaker: Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Historian and Academic, Author of Palestine Atlas.

Q & A: 12:50 - 13:10Lunch Break: 13:10 - 14:10

 Session Three: 14:10 - 14:55

Palestine Retold Using the Latest Technology and Online Interactive VisualContent across All Platforms - 2014 Al Jazeera Network Initiative.

Palestine.

 Chair: Mr. Sameh Habeeb, Head of Media & Public Relation Department atthe Palestinian Return Centre.

Speaker: Dr. Arafat Shoukri, Manager of Corporate Relations & Communications AljazeeraMedia Network.

Speaker: Rawan Damen, Senior Producer and Director, Al Jazeera Network.Speaker: Dr. Ezzeddine Abdelmoula, Manager of Research at Al Jazeera Centre forStudies.Q & A: 15:00 - 16:00

Conclusion and Recommendations.Speakers will be invited to the concluding panel for an open discussion with audience.

Download Conference Programme/Agenda file from below.

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