On The Issues Episode 81: Hanna Siniora

On the Issues with Alon Ben-Meir

Today’s guest is Hanna Siniora, former co-CEO of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information and publisher of the Jerusalem Times. He has been a member of the Palestinian National Council since 1990, and has officially represented the PLO in several negotiations. A Palestinian Christian living in East Jerusalem, he served as editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language daily Al Fajr for 20 years, and was the founding editor of its English-language weekly publication. He has served as chairman of both the European Palestinian and Palestinian American Chambers of Commerce. In 2007 he was awarded the Peace Prize of Honor from the Order of the Knights of Malta in recognition of his commitment to Palestinian-Israeli peace. He was also awarded the Papal Silver Olive Branch for Peace. In this episode, we discuss the concept of an Israeli-Palestinian confederation from a Palestinian perspective, including the aspects of security, both Israeli and Palestinian and the status of Palestinian refugees. We also discuss the Palestinian political environment, including the Palestinian people’s loss of confidence in Abbas and who could emerge among younger Palestinians as a trustworthy leader.