Professor Manuel Hassassian at ‘Jerusalem: Legalising the Occupation’ conference

Address by Professor Manuel Hassassian at MEMO’s ‘Jerusalem: Legalising the Occupation‘ conference held in London on March 3, 2018.

Professor Manuel Hassassian has served as executive vice-president of Bethlehem University and representative for the university at the Ministry of Education and at the Association of Arab Universities. Between 2000-2005, Hassassian acted as Advisor on Jerusalem at the PLO’s Negotiation Affairs Department. Since late 2005 he has been the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic representative to the United Kingdom.

Negotiations and the Impact of Trump’s Declaration

After the Oslo Accords designated Jerusalem a final status issue, Israel used the interim period to create what it deemed irreversible facts on the ground. Two decades on, the US has decided to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise the city as Israel’s undivided and eternal capital. This, according to President Trump, is merely “recognition of reality”.