“Palestinians cannot hope to get a fair deal in negotiations with Israelis,” claims philosopher Sari Nusseibeh in response to Israel’s desire to become an Empire in the Middle East. The former President of Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, Nusseibeh is well-known for having had a major role in the Arab-Israeli peace process. Considered a Palestinian moderate, Nusseibeh was deeply invested in some of the organizing during the first intifada, and he was also the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) representative in Jerusalem from 2001-2002. Some of Nusseibeh’s positions, however, were unpopular with the Palestinian populace. For example, his suggestion for Palestinians to drop the demand for a full right of return drew so much outrage that Al-Awda network petitioned for Yasser Arafat to relieve Nusseibeh of his position as the PLO’s representative in Jerusalem. In addition to his peace efforts, Nusseibeh has published widely, especially on topics such as Islamic philosophy and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Together, these factors contributed to Nusseibeh previously being recognized as one of the world’s most influential intellectuals. Recently, I had the chance to interview Nusseibeh. While understandably pessimistic due to both perpetual Israeli escalation across the Middle East and the current genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, Nusseibeh nevertheless delivers indispensable insight on topics such as student advocacy, the two-state solution, and the peace process. To eventually achieve peace, Nusseibeh claims, we must recognize our common humanity.
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