PROGRAM FOR THE “BALFOUR PROJECT” IN EDINBURGH
Britain’s historic responsibilities for the Israel-Palestine conflict:
starting an honest conversation
0930-1700 Friday November 2nd 2012
Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2JL
Space in the hall is limited, 3 places still available at 25 Oct.
The Balfour Project, in association with the Church of Scotland, is organising a one-day conference on the British involvement in Palestine in the first half of the last century. This is a first step in exploring how to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration in exactly five years on 2nd November 2017.
The Balfour Project has been created by a group of academics and activists who believe that this anniversary should not pass unremarked. Mindful of Britain’s responsibility for what has come to pass in the Middle East, the Balfour Project will encourage understanding of what led to the Balfour Declaration, and what flowed from it. Through our website, we plan to facilitate a network of educational, political, religious and humanitarian groups who share this conviction. We aim to stimulate conferences, cultural exchanges and the production of multimedia resources. Above all, we believe that the search for the truth of what took place, and the acknowledgement of wrong-doing, can contribute to justice, peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
In the morning Dr Mary Embleton, whose special interest is Britain’s involvement in the Middle East, will outline the contradictory promises Britain made to Arabs and Jews, and their consequences for all parties before and during the British Mandate in Palestine. This will be followed by keynote papers from Rev Dr Stephen Sizer, who will talk about the ideas that shaped this period, Professor Mary Grey will talk about the main players and Dr Imad Karam will talk about the consequences for Palestinians today. In the afternoon John Bond OAM, former Secretary of Australia’s Sorry Day campaign, will use the 2008 national apology to Aboriginal Australians to discuss the impact of acknowledgement and apology.
This will be followed by workshops where you can both interact further with the main speakers and pool ideas on how we move forward. How can we create a momentum over the next 5 years towards an acknowledgement of our responsibilities? Can there be a cascade of events, not centrally organised, but all working to the same ends?
Registration is £20 which includes lunch and refreshments. Space is limited so please book your place on the attached registration form. We hope you will find it an informative and stimulating day.
Steering Group: Dr Mary Embleton, Professor Mary Grey, Dr Imad Karam, Peter Riddell, Rev Dr Stephen Sizer , Dr Monica Spooner, Professor Roger L Spooner OBE,
The Balfour Project is grateful for help from the Church of Scotland, Scottish Palestinian Forum, and Initiatives of Change, in money and gifts in kind, in organising this conference.
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