Last Wednesday, Harvard Law School Alliance For Israel co-sponsored a lively discussion held at Harvard Hillel on the subject: "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Challenges of Moderation." The featured speakers were Sari Nusseibeh, President of Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem, and Benjamin Pogrund, INSPIRE Fellow at the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University.
Nusseibeh has been a prominent advocate of Palestinian rights and peace with Israel for several decades. After earning his PhD in Islamic philosophy from Harvard in 1978, he returned to the Middle East and went on to become an important underground leader in the first intifada. Most recently, he authored a two-state peace plan with Israeli warrior-turned-politician Ami Ayalon.
Pogrund was one of the most important journalists in South Africa during the apartheid era, serving as deputy editor of the Rand Daily Mail, one of the most important anti-government newspapers. Today he lives in Jerusalem and directs the Yakar Center for Social Concern, where he brings Israelis and Palestinians together in mutual efforts at conflict resolution and relationship-building.
About ninety students, faculty and community members packed Harvard Hillel's Beren Hall for the discussion, which was chaired by Hillel director Dr. Bernie Steinberg. Pogrund spoke first, contrasting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with apartheid South Africa but saying that he drew inspiration and hope from the way in which South Africans had resolved their seemingly intractable differences.
Nusseibeh recalled how each side had historically suppressed its moderate voices, creating a climate in which supporting peace carried heavy political risks. When asked by a member of the audience to comment on the rights of Palestinian refugees, he suggested that Palestinians had the right of return but that it might have to be sacrificed in order to fulfill the right to freedom and independence.
The Harvard Society of Arab Students and Harvard Law School Justice For Palestine had both been invited to co-sponsor the event, but they declined while leaving the door open to future cooperation. Nusseibeh and Pogrund implored American students to build bridges between Jews and Arabs in diaspora communities; hopefully, we will find ways to fulfill that aspiration at HLS.
Joel Pollak is President of Harvard Law School Alliance For Israel.
My wife's father is hessaby as in www.hessaby.com (they stole his cash and put it there) and my mother-in-law family is related by marriage tot the Pakravans., who headed the SAVAKPan Am was nicknamed PanIran as the Shah's family was the largest shareholder. I have extreme amount of details of exactly was going on
from the Iranians wanting him to return their assets to other coup attempts to 6 months before the Shah son pretended he was bankrupt in a public trial, to my wifes relative coming to our house talking about the coup and we did not know they were in Washington DC, to the Iran Contra hearings trial that was going to start Feb 20 th, 1989 to the tipping of the coup to the Iranian govt, ,to something in writing I can prove the coup to the Salamon Rushtie Feb 14th insult to islam to get the people on the street to avoid the coup to the Iranian govt announcement of a coup by 'dissent mullahs' announced at the time to the negiotations between the Bush people involved pretending they were going to make a deal to the 'nice' stories plant in US newspapers at the time (including the Post) as part of the negotation to the fact the bomb had to placed out of London based on the flight path as I worked at USAir at the time creating the flight plans for the 'planes to fly themselves' to overt CIA agents around me at the time to the fact that Bollier, the guy who made the timer for the bomb's wide was IRANIAN and the Libyans told me and said they were not allowed to say... there were 3 witness only.. the main one was trashed.. Bollier and a guy whom said he soldm the Libyan a suitcase in Malta.. hence, one the suitcase guy would be left.. the Libyans did not put up a defence in exchange for evidence to trash the main witness on the stand to what an overt CIA agent told me in the US 4 years later.. etc. etc and the details of several coups to the new World bank (my wie's cousin involved who used to work at the work bank)and US loans starting May 1990 to Iran to the fact that PANAm was shut down 18 months later as they thought it would be targeted again because of the Shah connection (the US airlines go in and out of bankruptcy all the time - this was the one of the first US airlines - an ICON) etc
I also know where the Iranian govt officials have money in the US, Canada and UK; the back door dealing etccall me for details.. Barry Lanza 00 44 1786831554.. My father-in-law was a convicted spy given amnesty