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 Palestinian Viable State Conference
at Stanford UniversityThe need to develop the foundations for a viable democratic Palestinian state is one of the main concerns of IPCC. In this connection, IPCC was invited in 2005 to participate in a conference at Stanford where we presented our view and vision of how a democratic Palestine should be achieved. This visit to Stanford allowed IPCC to benefit from the expertise of academics and professionals teaching and researching at the institution especially regarding state failures and the ways to secure democratization processes. The IPCC presentation "The clock is ticking" laid out the need, vision and interests of building a viable democratic Palestine. Indeed,a viable democratic state will be needed to achieve personal and civil security in both societies, a precondition to re-establishing a level of trust needed for the peace process between the two nations. The vision is one of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state as a participatory, transparent, accountable democracy which will serve as a bridge for stability and democracy in the entire region of the Middle East. As such, it will serve Palestinian interests by responding to their national aspirations but it will also help diffuse tensions and thus normalize relations with Israel and the Arab world. In order to achieve this goal, IPCC suggested in this presentation immediate plans of actions to be taken by the Palestinians themselves but also by international stakeholders to help the transition to democratic processes. The research done during this conference and also through lectures generated five articles written by IPCC: The direct questions of post disengagement (2005) argued that unilateral actions towards peace and democracy on the Palestinian and Israeli sides are imperative to the sustainability of both nations. It equally called for Palestinians to assume responsibilities and have strong commitments to the success of their own future. Palestinian State Contiguity: Functional Viability or Territorial Viability? (2005) brings to light the question of the relationship between Gaza and the West Bank after the Israeli disengagement process from Gaza and argues that the lack of timetable for this issue a real danger for the future of Palestine. Reverse the logic of Territorial Functional Viability (2005) highlights that the process of DDR is indispensable to the normalization of the Palestinian society and democratic process since human security is at the very core of Palestinian democratization and peace. An interactive model for peace and stability in the Middle East argues that peace will have to arise from constructive bilateral relations, regional cooperation and a viable democratic Palestinian state. Towards achieving a Viable Palestinian state: Issue for discussion opens the door to debate on how to go about building a viable Palestine that will sustain the pressure of the peace process during its future developments.
The Stanford conference ultimately culminated in the publication of a paper called Is a Viable Democratic Palestine possible? Future Scenarios for Palestine written by the head of the IPCC and published by the Floersheimer Institute for Policy Studies. This publication explores the reasons that led Palestine to be so politically fragmented and outlines 3 potential scenarios for the future of Palestine: total collapse, national consensus and building a viable state and the impasse. The conference itself has promoted internal dialogue between Palestinian academics and professionals and will help to establish guidelines that will take Palestine from its present situation to a more peaceful future. |
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