São Paulo – The University of São Paulo (USP)’s Center for Arab Studies and Institute for International Relations will host the 2nd International Conference on the Palestinian Issue – Oslo at 25: The Elusive Peace. Discussions will address the peace agreements reached in Norway’s capital 25 years ago by then-Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) president Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, brokered by United States president Bill Clinton. The Conference takes place on October 22 and 23.
The goal is to trace back history, discuss the legacy and ponder the future of peace in Middle East. “We want to go over the problems and the shortcomings that have caused this agreement to fail,” said USP Arab History professor Arlene Clemesha, who’s one of the event’s organizers (pictured above on the right during the Conference’s 1st edition). According to Clemesha, speakers will deal with key issues relating to the agreements which ultimately culminated in the region’s current legal, political and social scenario.
The conference will see scholars, diplomats, government officials, NGO delegates and other players from Brazil and Latin America come together to ponder the last 25 years of the peace process.
Prominent figures have confirmed their attendance, including Palestine’s ambassador to Brazil Ibrahim Alzeben; UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic chairman Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) former chief Karen K. Abuzayd; Fundação Getúlio Vargas International Law professor Salem Nasser; and Palestinian diplomat and former PLO ambassador to Russia Afif Safieh.
“We wish to create a space for the sharing of information on the Middle East peace issue, with in-depth discussions, and to show people what really matters if we are to reach peaceful solutions. We’ll also see how the Brazilian society thinks and where it stands regarding this conflict,” said Clemesha.
The professor said politics and the election underway in Brazil are unavoidable. “The election issue is inescapable. We’ll need to consider what’s going to happen with foreign policy in Brazil,” she noted.
Simultaneous translation will be available in panels featuring international speakers. For the full schedule and to register free of charge, go to the event’s website or Facebook page.
The conference will also include an art show: Pop Art Exodus, by Lebanon’s Mohammad Bassyouni, organized by London’s P21 Gallery, which specializes in Palestine-related art. The event is held via a partnership by the US, London’s Middle East Monitor and Madrid’s Common Action Forum. Its first edition was held in 2016.
Quick facts
International Conference on the Palestinian Issue
‘Oslo at 25: The Elusive Peace’
October 22-23, 2pm-8pm
USP History Department – Nicolau Sevcenko Auditorium
Cidade Universitária – Professor Lineu Prestes 338 – Butantã
Registration open
Free of charge
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
