An NIF Zoom event discussion regarding the shortcomings of the Abraham Accords. Some of the countries who signed on to the agreement claimed that it would improve the daily lives of Palestinians and stop more illegal Israeli settlements. Let’s see the facts.

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Speakers

Diana Buttu, Palestinian-Canadian Lawyer and Analyst

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General and Co-Founder of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI)

Maha Hussaini, Strategy Director of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

Moderator

Khaled Saffuri, Founder and President of the National Interest Foundation (NIF)

About our Speakers: 

Diana Buttu is a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer who previously served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team and was part of the team that assisted in the successful litigation of Israel’s separation wall before the International Court of Justice at the Hague in 2004, which resulted in the indictment of the wall. She frequently comments on Palestine for international news media outlets such as CNN and BBC, is a political analyst for Al Jazeera International, and is a regular contributor to The Middle East magazine. She maintains a law practice in Palestine, focusing on international human rights law. Earlier in her career, Buttu worked on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, serving as the only female negotiator during her five-year tenure. She was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and at Harvard Law School. She also held a fellowship at the Stanford Center for Conflict Resolution and Negotiation and is an instructor at Harvard Extension School. Buttu received her undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto, a JD from Queen’s University in Canada, an LLM from the University of Toronto, a JSM from Stanford University, and an executive MBA from Kellogg Northwestern School of Management.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti is the secretary general and co-founder of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) – also known as al-Mubadara. PNI seeks to develop mass nonviolence and international solidarity as the preferred means of resisting the Israeli Occupation, and to mobilize public opinion by making the Palestinian story visible in the news media. A physician by practice, he has been a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) since 2006 and is also a member of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC). Dr. Barghouti is an advocate for the development of Palestinian civil society and grassroots democracy, and writes extensively for a local and international audience on civil society, democracy issues and the political situation in Palestine, and on health development policy for Palestinians living under occupation. In 2007, he served as minister of information in the Palestinian unity government. He ran for president in the 2005 presidential election, coming second after Mahmoud Abbas. Barghouti has worked extensively on defending human rights and internal democracy, and is the founder and chairman of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS).

Maha Hussaini is the Strategy Director of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and an award-winning journalist based in Gaza. She holds a master’s degree in political science – refugee studies. Maha started her career in the field of human rights and journalism in 2014, where she covered and documented violations during Israel’s military attack on the Gaza Strip.

About our Moderator: 

Khaled Saffuri is the Founder and President of the National Interest Foundation (NIF), a nonpartisan think tank and nonprofit organization established in April of 2018 which is focused on bettering relationships between the United States and countries across the globe through the promotion of smarter foreign policy. Mr. Saffuri has previously served as a Principal at Meridian Strategies providing international business and government clients with unparalleled strategic and public affairs consulting services, and also founded and ran one of the United States’ prominent and most active organizations to represent the Middle East and Muslim-Americans. He has worked for many years with Members of Congress and has testified in front of Congressional Committees, advising them on international issues and leading Congressional delegations to the Middle East. Due to his extensive background and expertise, Mr. Saffuri is a regular contributor to a number of important media outlets in the United States and internationally including CNN, CBS, and BBC and contributes articles and written publications to outlets such as The Washington Post and The American Conservative. 

Note: additional speakers may be announced later.