The Growing Subversion

Haifa Conference for the Right of Return And the Secular Democratic State in Palestine
June 21-22.

[in where?]

Friday and Saturday, June 20-21, 2008
Haifa, Al Midan Theatre, Khouri St 2
The Program
Friday June 20th, 2008
Memory of the Nakba and dreams for the future, return of the refugees, preserving ties amongst various parts of the Palestinian people, and message to Israeli society

17:00 – 19:00
Young People's Encounter
Youth Struggle, Manifesting Return, Democracy and Secularism
Workshop Facilitator : George Ghantous
The workshop aims to explore the meaning of the expression "right of return and democratic secular state", through examining the components of 1) right of return, 2) secularism and the interrelations of religion and politics, 3) democracy, 4)
Palestinian identity, 5) pluralism within one society.

17:00 – 19:00
Youth Meeting
Youth Struggle, Manifesting Return, Democracy and Secularism
Workshop facilitator: Lana Khaskia

19:00 – 22:00 Opening Session
• On behalf of the Initiating Committee – Rajaa Zo’abi O’mari
• Ayman O’deh – Secretary General - Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH)
• Awad Abed El-Fatah – Secretary General - National Democratic Alliance (BALAD)
• Muhammad Kanaa’ne – Secretary General - Abnaa elBalad Movement (The movement is part of the coalition that constitute the Initiating Committee )
• Palestinian speakers from the post-1967 occupied territories and the Diaspora
• Dr. Anat Matar
• Prof. Bhim Singh from Kashmir
• Greetings to the Haifa Conference.

Saturday, June 21
9:30 – 10:00 Reception and registration in the lobby
10:00 – 10:20 Greetings and dividing into workshops – large hall
9 workshops in three cycles: 3 simultaneous workshops in each cycle 3 workshops
10:30 – 12:00
12:00 – 13:30
13:30 – 14:30 Lunch Break
14:30 – 16:00 3 workshops
16:00 – 16:15 Coffee Break
16:15 – 18:00 Concluding Session
First workshop cycle: 10:30 – 12:00
(1) Aspects of the Conflict in Palestine Facilitator: Hisham Naffa
Dr Massoud Eghbarieh 1. The Palestine Question, from understanding the conflict, to
defiance: theory and practice 2. Between national and class levels – the history and horizon of the Wehbe Badarneh trade union struggle in Palestine
3. The racist separation wall and the World Monetary Fund's policy Doud Hamoudi
4. Israeli economic hegemony – variations in a one complementary Prof. Leila Farsakh
colonialist economic order throughout Palestine
5. The Jewish question and the Jewish state, in view of resisting Eli Aminov
imperialism in Palestine
(2) Zionism and the Borders of Ethnic Cleansing; facilitator: Dr. Johnny Mansour
1. Ethnic cleansing in Zionist ideology and practice Dr. Mahmoud Muhareb
2. The Negev – ethnic cleansing here and now Atiya el-A’assam
3. Cleansing without borders – ethnic cleansing in the Golan and Dr. Taysir Mara’i
failed attempts in South Lebanon
4. Separation as a new form of transfer Jonathan Cook
5. Ethnic cleansing in Palestine, a crime against humanity – who Attorney Walid Al-Fahum bears the responsibility?
(3) Right of return and the democratic secular state in human rights perspective;
facilitator: Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein
Attorney Hassan Jabareen
1. Democratic regime throughout Palestine: expanding the borders of the state of all citizens, and the return of the refugees 2. Right of return of the internally displaced and refugees – between Attorney Wakim Wakim positive law and natural right
3. Return of the refugees as a condition for humanizing the Israeli Michael Warshavsky entity – criticism of recognizing the right of return in exchange for
an actual return
4. The democratic secular state – the right to self-determination and Omar Barghouti
de-Zionisation of historical Palestine
Second workshop cycle 12:00 – 13:30
(4) Partition of Palestine: Solving the problem or complicating the solution?
facilitator: Rawiya Shanti
1. Palestine – a one united continual history and geography across the Dr. Ibrahim El-Fanni eras.
2. The colonization and racist separation regime – comparing South Dr. Amneh Badran
Africa and Israel
3. The right of return between the two-state and the one-state solutions Badil - Bethlehem
4. Concluding the one-state solution from international law and Dr. Uri Davis
legitimacy
(5) Palestine towards freedom and return – Philosophical, pedagogical and political perspectives; facilitator – Salman Natur
1. Dialectics of homeland and Diaspora, and resisting the misleading Prof. Ilan Gur-Ze’ev temptation of the 'return home'
2. Scenes of the tragedy – notes at the sides of the catch Dr. Ismail Nashef
3. Secularism – supportive environment for the national and cultural Abed Anabtawi
freedom project
4. An optimistic look at the return of the refugees – from an anarchist Eyal Rosenberg point of view
(6) The Crisis in Israeli Society; facilitator: Ranin Giryes
1. Who's afraid of the return of the refugees? Developing practical Eitan Bronstein
ideas about the return of the refugees to Palestine
2. An optimistic perspective: "Despairing of the state" as a leverage to Ofra Yeshua-Lyth end the religion/state fixation
3. Jewish Arabs in Israel: will they facilitate the way to the 1 state? Reuven Aberjil
4. Anti-Zionism as a Zionist belonging, and alternatives to a Jewish Yana Knopova
collective identity

13:30 – 14:30 Lunch Break
Third workshop cycle 14:30 – 16:00
(7) Different Perspectives of a One-State Palestine; facilitator Muhammad Kayal
1. A bi-national state for Palestinians and Israelis Dr. As’ad Ghanem
2. A democratic secular republic of all its Palestinian citizens Prof. Yehuda Kupferman
3. The democratic secular state in the context of a liberation vision Muhammad Kana’aneh of the Arab world
4. The catch and the escape Ahmad Katamesh
(8) Boycotting Israel and Solidarity of Nations; facilitator Samieh Jabbarin
1. Lessons to be learned from South Africa – boycott from without Melissa Hall and popular struggle within
2. The European civil society’s support of the struggle for return and John Rose
against racism
3. Boycotting Israel – Resisting the normalization of Occupation and Yael Lerer
Apartheid
4. How to comply with the Palestinian call to boycott Israel? Roy Haroush/Kobi Snitz
5. Boycott: civil resistance is the most effective in face of a Omar Barghouti
complicated Zionist Colonial oppression
(9) Approaches to freedom and enlightenment in the activity of civil society
organizations; facilitator Subhi Zgheir
1. Feminism: resisting hegemony in theory and in practice Leila Jaroushi / Areen Hawari
2. The dialectics of the self and the other, and the formation of Awni Kreim a belonging youth Palestinian identity
3. Towards liberation of the Israeli Society of Hegemony and Dr. Mary Totari the Nakba denial
4. The Palestine 48 struggle against discrimination and racism, Muhammad Zidan
differs but completes the struggle of the Palestinian people
16:00 – 16:15 Break

16:15 – 18:00 Concluding Plenary; facilitator Makbula Nassar
Presentation of workshops conclusions;
discussion on what to do tomorrow, and how to define the tasks at hand?
16:15
17:00 Proposal for a concluding public statement
17:15 Discussion with audience participation
Joining the Follow-up Committee for ongoing activity
(defining timetable for the final formulation of public statement)
17:30
18:00 Closure