Mr. Whitman explained how the Palestinian society has become an urbanized society, specifically in and around the Ramallah and Hebron areas, as a result of the designation of Areas A, B, and C in the Oslo Accords of 1993.

In this roundtable meeting, Professor Schmitter addressed the different modes of transition from an autocratic government  into a democratic one, with emphasis on the Arab Spring.  

 
The workshop opened with the speech of Dr. Asem Khalil, Director of IALIIS, who welcomed the audience and participants, and pointed to the importance of the suggested workshop. He also talked about the series of workshops the Institute is organizing, while emphasizing the reasons behind conducting this particular workshop.  He also thanked everyone who has contributed in making this workshop possible, from speakers to donors.

 
During this workshop the nature and importance  of the archive was presented, in addition to the significance of preserving these valuable documents which contribute to preserving and documenting Palestinian history.

 
The workshop opened with the speech of  Dr. Munir Qazaz, Vice President for Community Outreach, who welcomed the audience and participants and pointed the importance of the suggested topic. Following Dr. Munir, Dr. Asem Khalil, Director of IALIIS, gave a speech on the series of workshops the Institute is organizing, with emphasis on the reasons behind conducting this workshop, and the importance of the topic under discussion. He also thanked everyone who contributed in making this workshop possible, from speakers to donors.