Professor Rashid Khalidi sent a message of support regarding the Peace and Democratic Society Process initiated by Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s call on February 27.
The message as reads follows:
"I fully support a peace process in Turkiye that will give the Kurdish people their rights in a fully democratic republic, and that will end the strife that has afflicted the country for so many years. This is an opening not to be missed, and I fervently hope that all parties will act with good faith and seize this opportunity for peace."
Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian born in New York in 1948, is the Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Arab Studies at Columbia University. He has authored a number of books, including The Hundred Years' War on Palestine and Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness; has served as president of the Middle East Studies Association; and has taught at the Lebanese University, the American University of Beirut, Georgetown University, and the University of Chicago.
Following Columbia University’s agreement with the Trump administration to restrict activities critical of Israel’s policies toward Palestine, he decided not to teach as an emeritus professor at Columbia starting in the fall of 2025.
22 September 2025