Trump and Palestine: Renowned Historian Talks at Georgetown

At a recent talk at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), historian, social activist, and author Professor Ilan Pappé discussed the opportunities and challenges facing Palestine during the term of President Donald Trump. The lecture, which was free and open to the public, was held on Tuesday 16 January at GU-Q’s Education City campus.

Pappé is a professor of history and director of the European Center for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter and an internationally recognized researcher focusing on the modern Middle East and Arab-Israeli conflict. His lecture aimed to offer insight into the current and future impact of the Trump presidency, including opportunities that may arise from the recent controversial decision to move the location of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

“The talk will explain why the Trump decision was not all bad news, as it will force anyone involved in the Palestine question to rethink the peace process and the basic ideas underlining it, as Trump is taking out the U.S. from any mediating and meaningful role in the so-called peace process,” explained Pappé before the event. “I hope the audience would open up after the talk for new thinking on the origins, essence, and possible future of the Palestine question.”

Pappé holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and previously taught at Haifa University before joining the faculty at the University of Exeter in 2008. He is the author of more than 20 books on Palestine and the Middle East, with titles including The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (which has been translated into 15 languages), A History of Modern Palestine, and On Palestine (with Noam Chomsky). His last book is The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Israeli Occupation.