BU organization to host conference on Palestinian ‘right of return’ this weekend

Boston University will host a conference to address implementing Palestinian “right of return” this weekend in the BU Law auditorium.

Raed Habayeb, a member of the Right of Return Organizing Committee, said the conference aims to create a stronger conversation surrounding the plight of displaced Palestinians.

“The Conference will touch on the above issues but intends to expand the discourse relating to Palestinian rights by incorporating the practical methods and implications of the refugees’ return,” he said.

“The conference will also feature four Keynotes speeches by world-renowned academics and scholars with an expertise on Palestinian refugees.”

The debate surrounding “right to return” has long been fought and is highly political, Habayeb said.

“Over half the world-wide Palestinian population is composed of refugees and displaced people making it the largest refugee population in the world,” he said.

“The plight of these now approximately 5 million refugees has been unresolved since the birth of the Palestinian refugee tragedy. Israel has so far refused allowing the Palestinian refugees back to their land, and original places of inhabitance, making this a central issue behind the now-65-year-old Palestinian quest for justice.”

While the conference has not been met with open opposition, members from BU Students for Israel said they were displeased with the conference being held on campus.

Leora Kaufman, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Communication and co-president of BUSI said she was very displeased with the conference.

“If we were to try and prevent the conference it would cause even more of an uproar, but for me personally I do not like that the conference is happening on BU’s campus.”

Kaufman said the idea of “right of return” undermines the two-state solution and international law.

“This would completely disrupt the Jewish majority within the state of Israel — a state that was created so that the Jewish people would never be persecuted again,” she said. “Every nation deserves a home.”

Habayeb said more than 250 people are expected to attend and the conference itself has been met with little opposition.

“Most feedback and interactions with the BU student community, faculty and administration has been positive, and thus, the Organizing Committee did not experience any opposition that actively sought to prevent the Conference from occurring,” he said.