A special brown bag talk and discussion with;

Rashid Khalidi: Director of the Middle East Institute and Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies, Columbia University.

and

Sara Roy: Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University.

The recent Palestinian elections resulted in a decisive victory for Hamas, the political party that has been branded a terrorist organization by the United States, Europe, and Israel. In light of its electoral victory, will Hamas change its position on peace talks with Israel? Will Hamas be able to form a working government? What do the election results mean for Israeli-Palestinian relations, and for relations between the Palestinian Authority, the U.S., and Europe? Addressing these and other questions, Rashid Khalidi, Director of Columbia's Middle East Institute, and Sara Roy, Scholar in Residence at Harvard's Center for Middle East Studies, will probe the complexities underlying Palestinian politics and the implication of the 2006 elections for peacemaking, politics, and security in the Middle East.