Haifa: 2nd Conf for Return & One State

The preparatory committee is welcoming all those interested in participating in the conference.

As preparations to the conference are progressing, we update our welcome letter with more details of the program and the procedures. This dispatch was last updated on 10/5/2010.

This update is written to highlight both the progress in the preparation of the program and the growing interest in the conference, as many international delegations are signing up.

We are still working on the program of the conference, but we are able to publish a tentative outline that may help you make your plans.

We recommend international guests to make their travel plans to arrive in Haifa by Thursday 27/5, so that we will be able to care for their accommodation in due time and they will have time to rest and participate in the whole program. For this purpose we formed a special welcome team. You are invited to contact them on the following address:haifa2welcome@yahoogroups.org.

We expanded the Friday program to allow the best utilization of the time of the international delegations for networking with local activists and organizations.

10:00 Special interest networking meetings, according to prior coordination: Political parties, Feminist organizations, Religious dialogue, Social science, Physicians for Human Rights, etc.

13:00 Lunch

14:00 Walking tour in Haifa.

14:00 Youth meeting: The role of the Palestinian youth in support of the right of return (Arabic).

16:00 Workshops: Getting to know the participating delegations (in the big hall) + Homage to Haifa (in the small hall).

18:00 Reception: Films, Food

19:00 Opening Session: Key political speakers, Cultural program

Between the speaker: Ghada Karmi, Ilan Pappe, Muhammad Kana’ane and a speaker from the 67 occupied territories. Special greetings from guest delegations from five continents.

09:00 – 10:00 Gathering and registration + Breakfast

10:00 – 10:30 General meeting – Welcome + Distribution to workshops

10:30 – 12:15 Three parallel Workshops

12:30 – 14:15 Three parallel Workshops

14:30 – 15:30 Lunch

15:30 – 17:15 Three parallel Workshops

17:30 – 18:30 Presentation of workshop results in plenum

18:30 Dinner

19:00 – 22:00 Cultural Event

10:00   Trip to the Galilee: The destroyed villages and the unrecognized villages.

10:00 – 15:00 – Consultations for the establishment of an international coalition.

The program contains the following workshops:

1.      The return of Palestinian refugees: Refugees in their homeland, Planning for the return, Legal views on the right of return and property rights, 62 years of struggle for the return.

2.      Different views about the conflict and the road toward Democratic Palestine: Democratic perspective, The Bi-National state proposal, Islamic perspective, Socialist perspective.

3.      The political role of Palestinian prisoners’ movement and participation from the prisoners in formulating the conference’s positions.

4.      The vision of a democratic secular Palestine.

5.      The Democratic solution to the Palestinian cause and the struggle for the future of the Arab World: The Lebanese example, Social and National struggle in Egypt, Confronting imperialist hegemony, Arab Unity,

6.      Criticism of Zionist Colonialism and support for the Secular Democratic alternative – Different methodologies: Human Rights, International Law, Struggle and Liberation.

There will be three special workshops for activists to participate in discussing experiences and building together the coalition and the global campaign for the return of the Palestinian refugees and for the democratic secular state:

Partial list of the workshop speakers

Details of some workshop are still under construction and discussion. Because of technical problems, we are forced to publish a partial list of speakers.

With our full apology and respect for every participant and speaker.

Lawyer Wakeem Wakeem:  Refugees in their homeland

Eytan Bronstein: Planning for the return project 

Lawyer Suhad Bishara:  The legal aspect of the return and property rights

Rajaa Zo’abi ‘Omari: The puzzle of a "single state" option, in view of Regional Settings for a deadlocked global system

Shir Haifr: The economy perspective of one state

Samah Idris: The Lebanese experience

Eli Aminov: A critical comparison between the different solutions of the conflict

Abed Anbetawi: The importance of 'the secularity' in the one state proposal

An Alexander: The working class in Egypt

Omar al Barghuthi: The Democratic vision

Raja Aghbaria: The Democratic Secular state as a political struggle project  

Hisham Nafaa': A Socialist approach concerning the conflict and its resolution

Noel Ignatiev: Zionism as an ideology of race.

Willhelm Langthaler: The struggle in the West against Imperialism

Dr. Haidar A'id: The experience of South Africa

Languages: All major discussions will be held in Arabic, Hebrew and English with simultaneous translation.

·        Registration

-     You are invited to contact us by email to haifa2welcome@yahoogroups.com to let us know that you are coming. Soon there should be a registration form in the conference site to help in the preparations.

-     There are no registration fees to the conference. Participation is open to the public       (registration is not a precondition).

-     All the conference is paid for by donations. Your contributions are essential for the success of the conference and will be most appreciated. Donations may be transferred to the bank account as published on the site or paid directly in the conference.

·        Accommodation

-         Activists from Haifa and the region will host guests from other areas.

-         We request guests to inform us of their interest in accommodations.

·        Tours

-         Guests from abroad interested in tours to familiarize themselves with other aspects – political and social – of the struggle, are requested to inform us. We will be ready to help in organizing guided tours and more political encounters.

-          

The Preparatory Committee ror1state@gmail.com

      Yoav Bar yoav_bar@mail.com

      Sahar Abdo  sahar_abdo@yahoo.com

·        Participation in absentia

Unfortunately the conference dates could not be suited to the schedules of all those who found interest in it. Even worse, many of those people that are most interested in participation, Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza and from the Diaspora, are prevented by Israel from coming to Haifa. We welcome participation in absentia in the following ways:

THE HAIFA CONFERENCE WEBSITES:

www.awda1state.org - Site of the 2nd conference.

www.ror1state.org - Site of the 1st conference.