Conversations with Israel and Palestine: Sam Bahour

Conversations with Israel and Palestine: Sam Bahour

“The Palestinian leadership has returned to the venue of the United Nations and the international community to rebound from the failed Oslo peace process. They have embarked on getting third states to recognize the State of Palestine, while at the same time using the newly-acquired toolbox of statehood to hold Israel accountable for its continued military occupation. Is this high-profile international effort a negotiating tactic to better their hand at the negotiating table or a totally new strategy to gain freedom and independence?” – Sam Bahour

Today we spoke with Sam Bahour, a prominent Palestinian-American based in Al Bireh/Ramallah, Palestine who relocated with his family to Palestine, from the United States in 1995, to assist in the building of a future Palestinian state. He has been instrumental in a variety of state-building projects, including: the Arab Palestinian Investment Company, Palestine Telecommunications Company, Applied Information Management, and the Arab Palestinian Shopping Centers. In addition, Sam is a regular political commentator and writer.

I have spent my entire life hearing the mantra of “there is no partner on the Palestinian side.” Of course, this is not true. This conversation demonstrates how much there is to gain from a negotiated settlement. There are partners on the Palestinian side who are willing to make sacrifices despite having done so for decades. It is up to us to empower voices like this.

This talk is not to be missed.

5 Comments

  1. Ellen R. Robinson June 10, 2015 at 3:34 pm - Reply

    Bringing these folks together is so important. I presume you are all in contact with JVP and Students for Justice in Palestine, eh?

    • Jean December 28, 2016 at 5:21 pm - Reply

      Good to see a tanlet at work. I can’t match that.

    • http://www./ March 1, 2017 at 5:55 am - Reply

      I think you’ve just captured the answer perfectly

  2. Ellen R. Robinson June 10, 2015 at 3:36 pm - Reply

    Yes, something may be accomplished, eh? We presume your partners include JVP and Students for Justice in Palestine.

    • Ralph Seliger June 10, 2015 at 5:43 pm - Reply

      I’m not empowered to speak for PPI officially, but I’d say that our partners might include these two organizations if they were to support a two-state solution. But not otherwise.

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