Thursday, 10-12-2006

The Palestinian Quest for Statehood: Current Prespectives with Drs. Rashid Khalidi and Ellis Goldberg

The recent crisis in Lebanon has ignited tensions between myriad actors in the conflict in the Middle East ranging from Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to Syria and Iran. How have the bombings in Lebanon affected Palestinian aspirations for statehood? What are the issues surrounding the debate of a one versus two-state solution? What is the most appropriate role for the U.S. in the peace negotiations?

The World Affairs Council presents Dr. Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Chair of Arab Studies at Columbia University, and Dr. Ellis Goldberg, Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington, on Thursday October 12 to discuss their perspectives on the issues surrounding the formation of a Palestinian state.

About the Speakers
In addition to his position at Columbia University where he heads the Middle East Institute, Dr. Khalidi is also the author of several books and more than eighty articles on Middle Eastern history and politics, as well as op-ed pieces in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Nation. He was an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, is President of the Middle East Studies Association and is the editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies.

Ellis Jay Goldberg is Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington and former Director of the Middle East Center. He has been extensively involved in the Middle East and has written several books on the subject; some of his works include: Trade Reputation and Child Labor in 20th century Egypt, The Social History of Labor in the Middle East, Rules and Rights in the Middle East: Democracy , Law and Society, and Tinker, Tailor and Textile Worker: Class and Politics in Egypt. Some of Dr. Goldberg's awards include the US Institute of Peace (PI) to help Palestinian and Israeli trauma victims (2005-06), US Department of Education (PI), Title VI grant for Middle East Center (97-06), and he was also a visiting Professor of Transregional Studies and Near East Studies at Princeton University (97-98) and (2000-2001).

Khalidi and Goldberg's formal remarks will be followed by a brief Q&A session. Dr. Khalidi's most recent book, The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood, will be available for purchase following the event.

Sponsors:
Find Common Ground

Co-Presenters:
Arab-American Community Coalition
Arab Center of Washington
Saint Mark’s Cathedral