Reconciliation between the rival Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah; after 10 years of conflict, an important step seems to have been taken in that direction. Hamas says it is prepared to dissolve its administrative committee in Gaza and cooperate in free elections. During this lecture, Middle East expert Mouin Rabbani analyzes these recent developments. What are they going to mean for the future of Palestine? And what role do Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran play in this?

The feud between Hamas and Fatah dates from 2006, when Hamas unexpectedly won the Palestinian elections. After a failed attempt by Fatah, supported by the United States and Israel, to seize power, Hamas is actually in charge of Gaza. Since then, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to a military blockade, resulting in a very serious humanitarian crisis. Fatah has called on Hamas many times to give up power and to agree to new elections. Now Hamas seems to comply with this.

Will the elections really come? What are the obstacles to sustainable inter-Palestinian reconciliation? And can the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) resume its traditional role as the umbrella national movement of all Palestinians? After the lecture by Mouin Rabbani we talk about this with Radi Suudi, political scientist and specialized in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and with Jan Keulen, director of The Rights Forum.

About the speakers

• Mouin Rabbani. Historian and independent Middle East analyst based in Amman, Jordan. He is a co-editor of Jadaliyya, a senior fellow with the Institute for Palestine Studies, and contributing editor to the Middle East Report.
• Radi Suudi. Dutch-Palestinian political scientist and journalist. Founder of the Foundation for Jewish-Palestinian dialogue. Author of the book ‘Right against Right. Israeli and Palestinians in a torn country’ (Recht tegen Recht. Israeli’s en Palestijnen in een verscheurd land’).
• Jan Keulen. Journalist and director of The Rights Forum. For a long time he worked as a correspondent, among others in Beirut, Cairo and Amman. Jan also worked as a lecturer in journalism at the University of Groningen and led journalistic training programs in the Middle East. From 2011 to 2014 he was director of the Doha Center for Media Freedom in Qatar.

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