Co-sponsored by the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies:
Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Foundation Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies at UCSB
David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and Director of Project Middle East Peace Process, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Ghaith Al-Omari, Senior Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
“Israelis and Palestinians: A New Paradigm?”
Wednesday, February 24 / 5:00 p.m. / Free
UCSB Campbell Hall
Event Description:
As the Mideast chaos has focused elsewhere, the Israeli and Palestinian issue has been largely sidelined. Negotiated peace, the classic paradigm for the last few decades, has been put aside. What will take its place? What new paradigm can offer peace to both sides and put aside this tragic conflict? What can the US do?
Profile of David Makovsky:
David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is the co-author with Ambassador Dennis Ross of the 2009 Washington Post bestseller, Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East. His 2011 maps on alternative territorial solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were reprinted by the New York Times in the paper’s first interactive treatment of an op-ed. He is also an adjunct professor in Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He served as a Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations (2013-2014). He regularly contributes to The New York Times, The Jerusalem Post, and Foreign Policy.
Profile of Ghaith al-Omari:
Ghaith Al-Omari, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, previously served as Executive Director at the American Task Force on Palestine. He held various positions within the Palestinian Authority, including Director of the International Relations Department in the Office of the Palestinian President, and advisor to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. In these capacities, he provided advice on foreign policy — especially vis-à-vis the United States and Israel — and security. He has extensive experience in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, having been an advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team throughout the permanent status negotiations (1999–2001). In that capacity, he participated in various negotiating rounds, most notably the Camp David summit and the Taba talks.