On October 4, 2018, TRT World Research Centre held a roundtable meeting on the developments taking place in Palestine. This was part of a series of roundtable meetings forming part of the two-day TRT World Forum 2018, which included eight public sessions and 11 closed sessions. This roundtable meeting was held in English under the Chatham House Rule. This rule stipulates that ‘when a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.’ This session aimed to discuss the question of Palestine in light of the most recent developments. While there has essentially been a de-facto acceptance of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories by world powers, local Palestinian opposition and resistance in various forms have remained. The internationally recognised two state solution – originating in 1974, UN Resolution 3236 – has seemingly lost its relevance. Most recently, the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his so-called ‘deal of the century’ has severely complicated the peace process and effectively eliminated any hope for the two-state solution. The situation in Palestine continues to be neglected, particularly in light of more immediate regional and global crises. The crisis continues to deepen and needs to be addressed unequivocally. This session seeks to address the current fault lines of the question of Palestine and aims to provide a platform for balanced discussion.
The Fate of Palestine: The Crisis Deepens
