To commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is convening a half day seminar in London on 1st June with prominent writers, academics and Israeli parliamentarians.
 
The seminar seeks to revisit the historical period immediately before, during and after the Nakba (Catastrophe) which took place in 1948.
 
It also sets out to examine the ongoing threats posed to present day Palestinians living, not only in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but in Israel as well. Israel's ongoing attempts to create new facts on the ground; to change the nature of religious and historical sites, as well as its enactment of discriminatory laws are all major threats to Palestinian life and national aspirations. MEMO wants to explore all these issues with a particular focus on the condition of Palestinian Arabs in Israel.
 
The socio-economic and political conditions under which Palestinians in Israel are forced to live are too often overlooked. They are largely excluded from negotiations relating to a final settlement of the conflict, despite the fact that many of their problems emanate from the events of 1948. The treatment of Palestinians living within Israel calls into question both its democratic credentials and its commitment to universal standards of human rights.  Our seminar will address all these issues.
 
 
SUBJECTS AND SPEAKERS 

• The 'Jewish character' of the state; its meaning and significance; political discrimination - Talab El-Sana (Member of the Israeli Knesset)
  
  
• The Jewish National Fund - Dr Salman Abu-Sitta (Palestinian author and member of the Palestinian National Council)
  
  
• An eyewitness account - Ben White (Freelance journalist, author and expert on Palestinian-Israeli relations)
   
• Facts and realities - Dr Jamal Zahalka (Member of the Israeli Knesset)
  
  
• The continued ethnic cleansing of Palestine - Professor Ilan Pappe (Professor of History at the University of Exeter)