On the occasion of the centenary of the San Remo Conference, ELNET hosted a special video conference “100 Years After the San Remo Conference: The Prospects for Israeli-Palestinian Peace”, featuring distinguished speakers from Europe, U.S., and Israel:
- Jason Greenblatt, former U.S. President Trump Special Envoy to the Middle East; one of the architects of the U.S. Peace Plan
- Amb. Dore Gold, President, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA); former Director-General, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)
- Christophe Farnaud, Director for North Africa and the Middle East at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
- Anna Azari, Deputy Director General of European Affairs at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The San Remo Conference, which was convened in 1920 by the post-World War I members of the Allied Supreme Council to decide the fate of former Ottoman Empire Territories, is one of the key events in the history of international recognition of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in the only place which had ever served as their ancestral homeland.
A hundred years on, the virtual conference brought together European, Israeli, and U.S. policymakers and experts to reflect on the San Remo conference against the background of a thriving, democratic state of Israel, providing historical, diplomatic, and political perspectives. With the Trump Peace plan and a new Israeli government contemplating applying sovereignty in parts of the West Bank, issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict such as borders and sovereignty are taking the centre stage and casting a shadow over Europe-Israel relations. It seems essential today, when reflecting on the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, to review old paradigms and to develop new pragmatic policies based on the reality on the ground and significant shared interests in view of enhancing Europe-Israel cooperation.
Watch video highlights from the conference:
