Additional Information on Sari Nusseibeh
- In an effort to lay the groundwork for a future Palestinian government, Nusseibeh, during the First Palestinian Intifada, helped to create some 200 political committees and 28 technical committees. Moreover, he sought to strengthen the influence of Fatah in the Occupied Territories, by coordinating that organization’s activities with those of the academic negotiating class.
- The June 2002 anti-terrorism statement which Nusseibeh signed called for “a cessation of the bombings that target Israeli civilians inside Israel” — but not necessarily for reasons of morality. Rather, the statement noted terrorism’s potential for turning world public opinion against the Palestinian cause and thereby “imped[ing] the … development of a resistance movement inside Israel against the occupation and the settlements.”
- In January 2004, Nusseibeh candidly acknowledged that his willingness to bargain away the Palestinian “right-of-return” was a “tactical” move based on “pure self-interest” and was not indicative that “we … suddenly believe that the Jews have a right to this land.”
- In January 2010, Nusseibeh characterized Israel as a “Machiavellian” state that “goes against any concession,” “no longer see[s] the need for a compromise,” and believes that “force is the only thing that matters.”
- In the past, Nusseibeh was the founder and leader of the Palestinian Consultancy Group. He was also a co-founder and member of such Palestinian institutions as the Jerusalem Friends of the Sick Society, the Federation of Employees in the Education Sector in the West Bank, the Arab Council for Public Affairs, the Committee Confronting the Iron Fist, and the Jerusalem Arab Council.
- Nusseibeh currently serves on the advisory board of the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life at Brandeis University. He is also a board of trustees member with the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.