Middle East Monitor announces London Conference: Jerusalem: Is President Trump Legalising the Occupation?

Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is to host a Conference titled ‘Jerusalem: Is President Trump Legalising the Occupation?’ in London on 3rd March 2018.

Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is a UK based not-for-profit media research institute that provides research, information and analyses of primarily the Palestine-Israel conflict.

The one-day Conference will bring together influential speakers from the fields of journalism, politics, academia and the diplomatic world to assess the impact of the unilateral decision by US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Download the press release

Speakers will include:

• Donald Macintyre, Award winning journalist and author of ‘Gaza: Preparing for Dawn’
• Kevin Chamberlain, Former legal advisor to the FCO & Palestinian Authority
• Dr Ahmad Tibi, Member of Knesset, Israel
• Prof Manuel Hassassian, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK
• Prof John Quigley, Professor at the Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University
• Dr Ghada Karmi, Associate Professor, University of Exeter
• Dr Nasharudin Mat Isa, Al Quds International Foundation, Malaysia
• Sawsan Al Keilani, Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs, Jordan
• Dr Munir Nuseibah, Al Quds University
• Dr Salman Abu Sitta, Chair of the Palestinians Abroad Conference
• Prof Nicolas Boeglin, Professor of International Law, Law Faculty, University of Costa Rica
• Daniel Levy, President of the US Middle East Project
• Nadia Hijab, Co-founder of Al-Shabaka: the Palestinian Policy Network

President Trump’s decision puts Jerusalem once again in the international spotlight and has been widely condemned as disregarding the final status negotiations of the 1993 Oslo Accords and violating United Nations Security Council resolutions.

International law has thus far proved ineffective in curtailing these developments, nor has it been able to mitigate the impact of house demolitions and the rescindment of residential permits on the city’s inhabitants.

This raises the question: what role can international negotiations play in any future decision on Jerusalem?

The Conference will place current developments in Jerusalem in a broader historical context and foster deeper understanding of the legal framework within which negotiations have taken place thus far.

It will explore the potential ramifications of the USA’s recent decision on Jerusalem and the response of the international community.

Speakers will analyse the continuing role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in maintaining the status quo arrangements of Jerusalem’s holy sites.

Dr Daud Abdullah, Director of MEMO said:

President Trump’s support for Israel’s attempt to annex the city of Jerusalem has created an opportunity to initiate a global conversation about the legal status and future of the city.

Middle East Monitor has brought together world-renowned scholars, diplomats and legal experts who will not only shed light on the historical origins of the current impasse but also share their vision of how to protect the international consensus on Jerusalem and the fundamental human rights of its indigenous inhabitants.