The Carter Center Forum 

Held periodically in Palestine, The Carter Center Forum provides a venue for guest speakers to share their insights on the daily challenges facing Palestinians, address obstacles impeding the right to Palestinian
self-determination, and explore prospects for a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on international law. Speakers and participants are invited to join in these critical discussions.

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The Carter Center Forum in East Jerusalem - July 6, 2010
On July 6, 2010, The Carter Center hosted Haneen Zoubi, the first Palestinian woman elected to the Israeli Knesset as a representative of the National Democratic Assembly (Balad) party, for a talk titled "The Struggle for Democracy: A Threat to the Israeli State." Speaking at the Legacy Hotel in East Jerusalem, Zoubi addressed the condition of Palestinian citizens in Israel, stating that 50 percent live below the Israeli poverty line. She highlighted discrimination against the Palestinian community in Israel, citing institutional biases.

Zoubi referenced her experience as a Palestinian member of the Knesset, noting that some fellow Knesset members have asked her to identify herself as an "Israeli Arab," rather than as a Palestinian. Zoubi rebuked the notion that her membership in the Knesset legitimizes Israeli policy, stressing that she serves to represent her constituents and their needs. Also, she provided an eyewitness account of the Israeli commando raid aboard the MV Mavi Marmara and called for the establishment of an international investigative committee into the incident.

The Carter Center Forum in Ramallah - April 20, 2010
On April 20, 2010, The Carter Center hosted its third forum, Palestinian Civil Struggle for Freedom and Rights: The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement. The speakers included Mr. Hazem Jamjoum of Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights and Ms. Hind Awwad from the BDS National Committee. Around 50 participants took part in this event. The panelists shared background on the growing Palestinian BDS Movement. Jamjoum gave a historical overview of the international solidarity movement underlining that before the 1993 Oslo Accords, boycotts were common. He described the post-Oslo period as one of internal confusion, which reflected negatively on the international solidarity movement.

Awwad enumerated the recent global successes of the BDS movement in the United States and Europe. Trade unions in Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, South Africa, Italy, and Australia have adopted BDS guidelines. Some unions are reviewing their ties with the Histadrut, Israel's organization of trade unions. Divestment campaigns are also gaining momentum on U.S. college campuses. Examples include the University of California Berkeley, University of Arizona, University of Michigan Dearborn, and Hampshire College. The speakers stressed the inclusiveness of the BDS movement, which represents the three major components of Palestinian society: the Diaspora, Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and those living in Israel.

The Carter Center Forum in Ramallah - March 3, 2010
On March 3, 2010, a discussion was held on the topic Israeli Movement and Access Policies Toward Palestinians and Internationals: What are the means employed? What are the implications? What are the human costs? The four speakers were Anita Abdullah of the Campaign for the Right to Enter the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Martha Myers of CARE International, Azza El-Semeiri of Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, and Hekmat Besissu from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.  

Seventy people attended and the audience was informed about those whose entry was denied, including Palestinians from the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the Diaspora, as well as international educators, clergy members, and NGO staff members.  They also discussed Israeli visa policies for internationals and where access and movement prohibitions most often occur.  Finally, the speakers addressed the effects of access and movement restrictions on the work of the international donor community in the occupied Palestinian territory.  They explained how bureaucratic permit authorization procedures, coupled with the increased transportation costs necessitated by the network of Israeli checkpoints, result in millions of Western aid dollars wasted every year while vulnerable Palestinian communities remain underserved.

The Carter Center Forum in Ramallah - Jan. 25, 2010
On Jan. 25, 2010, The Carter Center hosted its first forum: Palestinian Perspectives on Jerusalem. The speakers included Dr. Mahdi Abdel Hadi, director of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) and Rifat Kassis, director of the Palestine branch of Defense for Children International. Approximately 40 participants joined the discussion at the Friends Meeting House.

Dr. Abdel Hadi spoke about the importance of Jerusalem in the Palestinian context. According to the 1947 U.N. partition plan, Jerusalem includes the Old City, East Jerusalem in its entirety, and parts of West Jerusalem. Mr. Kassis spoke about the Kairos Document, which calls on Western churches to address the plight of Christian and Muslim Palestinians living under Israel's occupation. The document declares the Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian land to be a sin against God and humanity because it deprives Palestinians of their basic human rights, he said.