TITLE: New Conversations For A Pluralist Future

AUTHOR:

ORG: Open Tent Middle East Coalition

DATE: April 20, 2001

For Immediate Release Contact: Nikki Turk (310) 475-9171   Open Tent Examines Israeli/Palestinian Crisis With "New Conversations For A Pluralist Future" May 20   [Los Angeles] A diverse cross-cultural group of Arabs/Muslims, Jews and others, Open Tent Middle East Coalition is organizing an international conference at UCLA on Sunday, May 20, 2001. "The Israeli/Palestinian Crisis: New Conversations for a Pluralist Future" is a non-governmental conference featuring six roundtables, including "How Do We Rebuild Trust on Both Sides?"; "Israeli and Palestinian Women on the New Middle East"; "The U.S. Role and Policy in the Conflict"; and "End of The Occupation/Fate of the Settlements?" With a total of 24 panelists and a plenary session, the conference proposes to represent the full range of Israeli and Palestinian positions. It reaches beyond academia with the intent to inform and empower both the public and the media. The plenary is "Solving the Crisis: The Future of Co-Existence" with keynote speakers Rashid Khalidi, Palestinian historian and Director of the University of Chicago's Center for International Studies, author of Palestinian Identity, The Construction of Modern National Consciousness"; and Ella Habiba Shohat, an Israeli/Iraqi author and Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at CUNY. Shohat's keynote address will be "Contested Memories: Toward a Multicultural Vision." In addition to the keynotes are such distinguished educators and activists as Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, Salam al-Marayati, former Knesset member Marcia Freedman, and Dr. Mahmood Ibrahim. Open Tent's goal in organizing the conference is to examine "what" in fact the Oslo/Camp David proposals were offering the Palestinians; "why" Clinton, Barak and Arafat failed; and "how" to proceed to avert all-out war, returning to negotiations for a just and secure peace for both sides. The Coalition plans to publish conference findings and recommendations, and speed them to members of Congress, the Knesset, the Palestinian Authority, and media editors/producers. An additional desired outcome from the conference will be the creation of a strong coalition of Israelis/Palestinians and Jews/Arabs in the United States to lobby together for a permanent resolution to the conflict. Cosponsors of this conference to date include Americans for Peace Now, Cal Poly Pomona, Center for Near Eastern Studies at UCLA, Hillel Council at UCLA, IslamiCity at IslamiCity.com, Casey Kasem, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Progressive Jewish Alliance, the Puffin Foundation, the UC Irvine Center for Global Conflict and Peace Studies, Workmen?Äôs Circle and others. In the spirit of coexistence and reconciliation, the May 20 conference at UCLA concludes with a concert of Middle Eastern music and dance organized by Ivri-NASAWI, the Sephardi/Mizrahi arts organization. Pre-register with Open Tent, (323) 650-3157. For further press info contact Nikki Turk, (310) 475-9171. END top