The Arab Center for Research and Political Studies, Paris (CAREP Paris) will hold a conference titled “Palestine and Europe: The Weight of the Past and Contemporary Dynamics” on 13–14 November 2025 in Paris. The event will bring together a distinguished assembly of scholars and researchers representing universities across France, Europe, the United States, and the Arab world.
Salam Kawakibi, Director of CAREP, will deliver the keynote address of the conference, to be followed by Henry Laurens, Chair of Contemporary History of the Arab World at the Collège de France, who will examine the historical trajectory of Europe’s engagement with the question of Palestine. The opening session will also feature a public lecture by Azmi Bishara, exploring the origins of the Palestinian question within the European context and its broader intellectual and political ramifications.
Over eight panel sessions, the conference will explore the historical evolution of relations between Europe and Palestine. Distinguished scholars and researchers will present studies tracing this relationship from the British Mandate to the present day. The conference will conclude with a session dedicated to examining the future of Europe’s engagement with the Palestinian cause, bringing together eminent academic and diplomatic figures to discuss how contemporary developments in the Palestinian question are manifested in European policies toward Palestine and the broader Arab region.
The conference was initially scheduled to be held in the auditorium of the Collège de France. However, the institution’s administration decided to withdraw from hosting the event following direct pressure from the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, pressure that was exerted for political rather than academic reasons.
In response to this decision, the Chair of Contemporary History of the Arab World at the Collège de France and CAREP issued a joint statement condemning the minister’s actions as an intrusion into academic and research affairs, and as inconsistent with the ministry’s fundamental duty to safeguard academic freedom.
The minister’s interference in the internal affairs of the Collège de France provoked widespread criticism from numerous French academics, research institutions, and universities, including the Association of French Universities, which denounced the move as an unprecedented act of political intervention that threatens academic freedom and endangers the autonomy of universities and research bodies.
The world’s four largest Middle East Studies associations – DAVO, BRISMES, SeSaMO, and MESA – issued a joint letter addressed to the President of the French Republic, the Minister of National Education and Youth, and the Chairman of the Collège de France. The letter calls for the protection of academic freedom in light of the Collège de France’s withdrawal from hosting the “Palestine and Europe” conference and urged that a formal apology be extended to the event’s organizers and participants.
Conference Agenda (English)
Conference Agenda (French)
