The European Leadership Network (ELNET) and The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation (thinc.) partner to offer a leadership training seminar to all organizations which advocate for Israel.
The objective of the course is to empower professionals and the leadership of civil society and non-profit organisations to discern lawfare from the fair application of international law to Israel and the Israel/Palestine conflict, and to defend Israel in the international political arena.
The program is open to anyone who wants to champion the fair application of international law to Israel, the Jewish people and the peoples of the Middle East generally.
The course will also make clear that the way Israel is treated, by the UN and others, has ramifications and implications for other peoples and territories in the Middle East and beyond – positive and negative.
This online program is developed by thinc. in cooperation with ELNET. It comprises 5 sessions. The first session took place on 23 September. Session 3 is scheduled for 10 Novemober. In each session, a panel of experts will give short presentations. These will be followed by Q&A and discussion.
All sessions start at 4 pm CET.
Duration: 90 mins.
Click here for a complete course overview including dates and speakers.
Course material
The program follows the outline of the book Israel on Trial by Dr Matthijs de Blois and Andrew Tucker. Participants may order the book directly by email to [email protected] for the special price of € 25 including postage.
Session 3, 10 November – Two States for two peoples?
We will discuss international law implications of the ‘two-state’ paradigm. When did the idea of two states in Palestine originate? What is its basis in international law? Why has it proven impossible so far to create an Arab/Palestinian state west of the Jordan River? On what basis do the Palestinians claim a ‘right to self-determination’, and does this amount to a right to statehood? What is the role of Jordan?
Topics include:
- The assertion of the Palestinian right to self-determination since 1973
- The PLO; denial of Israel’s legitimacy, the role of Islam
- The origins of the European Two-State solution – the politics of self-interest, neo-colonialism, and misunderstanding of the Middle East
- Is ‘Palestine’ a state?
SPEAKERS
Dr Einat Wilf is the co-author of “The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace” (St. Martin’s Press) and a leading thinker on matters of foreign policy, economics, education, Israel and Zionism. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010-2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge.
Dr Kobi Michael is a senior research fellow at INSS and editor of “Strategic Assessment”. Among his primary research interests are conflict resolution; strategy; national security; civil-military relations; socio-military relations; failed states and peace keeping and state building operations; and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Dr. Michael served as the deputy director general and head of the Palestinian desk at the Ministry for Strategic Affairs.
Mr Andrew Tucker (Canberra, 1963) studied law in Australia (BA/LLB), the United Kingdom (BCL) and The Netherlands. He was a Fellow of the Law Faculty of the University of Melbourne from 1994 to 2001, and Research Associate at the TMC Asser Institute in The Hague from 1996-1998.
Andrew was Legal Counsel to the European Coalition for Israel (ECI) from 2010-2019. Since 1988 he has worked as an adviser and consultant in various fields of international law. Based in The Netherlands, he is Principal of Tucker & Associates.
Andrew is co-founder and Director of thinc. (2017), and co-author of ‘Israel on Trial’, Soest (NLD), thinc. (2018).
MODERATOR
Dr Arié Bensemhoun has been the Chief Executive Officer of ELNET France since 2011. He is dentist by profession and made his career in the private sector as a consultant in communications PR and international relations dealing with Middle East and strategic affairs. Dr Bensemhoun plays a crucial role in the French-Israeli relationship through his commitment both at the community and political levels.
