BEYOND OSLO
Thirty Years of the Peace Process in the Middle East: Results and Challenges
This panel is brought to you by PSU's Middle East Studies Center and the departments of Politics and Global Affairs.
Israel and the Palestinians mutually recognized one another in 1993 as part of the Oslo peace process. The interim agreements called on Israel to begin withdrawing from the West Bank and for the Palestinian Authority to cease violence to create a path toward the negotiation of final status issues within five years (such as Palestinian statehood, border, refugees, and Jerusalem). Thirty years on, many feel that the Oslo process can no longer result in a viable Palestinian state due to Israel’s continued settlement building in the West Bank and worsening violence by HAMAS and other actors. This panel draws on research from the social sciences to consider the results and challenges facing those who are committed to the search for a durable peace agreement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
PANELISTS:
Dr. Lindsay Benstead, Professor of Politics and Global Affairs, Director of the Middle East Studies Center (MESC) at PSU
Dr. Jehad Alayasa, Assistant Professor in Public Administration and Public Policy at Birzeit University, West Bank, Palestine
MODERATED BY:
Dr. Joshua Eastin, Associate Professor and Chair of Politics and Global Affairs, PSU
SUGGESTED READING:
Beinin, Joel and Lisa Hajjar, “Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Primer.” (Washington, DC: Middle East Research and Information Project, 2014).