Notice Board

The Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) presents a session examining the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

Is the Palestinian-Israeli struggle past the point of a peaceful and just solution?

Date:                   Thursday, October 11, 2018
Time:                   Doors open 11:30 a.m., Presentation 12 noon, buffet lunch 12:30 p.m., Q&A 1 – 1:30 p.m.
Location:             Royal Canadian Legion (north door) 324 Mayor Magrath Dr. S. Lethbridge
Cost:                   $14 buffet lunch with dessert/coffee/tea/juice or $2 coffee/tea/juice. RSVP not required

What will it take to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Why did the peace negotiations fail? Is the Palestine-Israel conflict beyond a negotiated solution? Is it time for a new approach?

In this talk, Mark Ayyash will give the history of the conflict and Fuad Abboud will talk about Israeli law and how it has impacted the Palestinians.

During more than 20 years of peace negotiations, not much has been accomplished. Through it all, Israeli settlements have escalated on occupied land and many Palestinian political adversaries are held behind bars. Palestinian rights – including Palestinian refugees’ right to return – are no closer to implementation. Arguably, conditions in the Gaza Strip can be likened to a prison camp with Israel controlling access from land, sea and air.

It can also be argued that Jews, for centuries, have been subjected to anti-Semitic sentiments all over the world, and particularly in Europe, which has created a deep-felt fear. Such Jewish fear is real and has been even more deeply felt since the Pogroms and the Holocaust and as such, Israel feels the need to exert its power on anyone standing in their way. This sad reality will have to be addressed in the context of negotiating for peace in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Speakers:             Fuad Abboud and Mark Ayyash

Fuad Abboud was born in Haifa, Palestine. His family fled to Lebanon during the fighting in 1948 and grew up as a Refugee in Lebanon.  He studied law at UBC and practiced law in Calgary until retirement. He lives in Calgary.

Mark Ayyash is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the John de Chastelain Peace Studies Initiative at Mount Royal University. He teaches and writes in the areas of social and political theory, the study of violence, decolonial movements, as well as culture and politics in the Middle East, particularly focusing on the Palestinian-Israeli struggle. He has published several academic articles and has a co-edited book on Protests and Generations. His forthcoming book is titled A Hermeneutics of Violence. In his capacity as Director of Peace Studies, Mark oversees and organizes the Annual Calgary Peace Prize Ceremony.

Moderator:         Trevor Page

For more information on the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs, please visit the SACPA website.