Professor Dajani Discusses the Hopes and Challenges Presented by the Planned Summit Between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
February 07, 2005For Immediate Release - February 7, 2005
Contact: Janet Konttinen, 916.739.7047
or Professor Dajani directly, 916.739.7018; odajani@pacific.edu
Pacific McGeorge Professor Omar Dajani, who served as legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team during the last phase of peace talks with Israel (1999-2001), sees a summer of opportunity for Mideast peace hopes.
“This summer, two important events will take place: Palestinians will elect a new parliament for the first time since 1996 and Israel will withdraw its forces and settlements from the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank,” Dajani says. “U.S. policy in coming months will help determine whether these critical steps reinforce or undermine each other.”
“We must build on the momentum of recent events by helping the parties move quickly to final peace talks at summer’s end,” Dajani says. “The time has come to move beyond ‘small steps’ and vague vision statements toward a principled and coherent framework for peace.
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