 "Photo: Emily Kinsolving")
UT economics professor Douglas Dacy said he is not surprised his former student, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, has had such a prestigious career in international finance, but he would not have expected Fayyad to be as politically active as he is.
"I'm a little surprised that he's prime minister," Dacy said. "I don't think he got involved in politics because he's a politician. He got involved in politics because of his smarts."
Fayyad spoke to an audience of about 200 at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum Thursday evening concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He received his Ph.D. in economics from UT in 1986. After graduation, he worked for the International Monetary Fund for more than a decade before serving as the Palestinian minister of finance. President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Fayyad prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in June 2007 due to a state of emergency.
"[Fayyad's] main job as minister of finance was related to the subjects I teach," said Dacy, who teaches macroeconomics.
Dacy said Fayyad had a reputation as a "straight arrow" during his service as the Palestinian minister of finance.
"[Fayyad] was incorruptible," Dacy said. "But that's how he was as a graduate student. He never would have thought he had to cheat on an exam."
Fayyad said that for Palestine to progress toward democracy, there needs to be greater transparency in the government, increased physical security for citizens and plenty of new jobs to improve quality of life for Palestinians.
"The only way to ensure the sustainable recovery of our economy is through the private sector," he said.
Fayyad also cited restrictions on movement of people and goods as an impediment to development. He said last year the number of Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank increased from 528 to 561.
Zaki Saadeh, a Palestinian computer sciences sophomore, said when was he growing up in Palestine, he had to pass through a checkpoint to get to school. Sometimes the checkpoint was closed, and he could not return home until the following day. He also said he cannot vote in Israel and does not have the same rights as Israelis even though he was born in Jerusalem.
"I think the current peace process is not the peace I would like to see," Saadeh said. "If I don't get equal rights, I wouldn't call that peace."
Fayyad said that in the past, the focus of the peace process was either on immediate needs like movement, water and the economy or entirely on politics. For the peace process to be successful, Fayyad said, the approach should consider both short-term and long-term needs.
"I remain cautiously optimistic about my people's future," Fayyad said. "Not all the power resides with us. Israel needs to partner with us and we need to partner with them."
Saadeh said he does not believe that Israel and Palestine will come to an agreement before the end of the year.
"I don't think the two peoples are ready for it yet," he said. "This can't happen overnight. Putting deadlines for making peace - I don't think that's a good idea."
Alan Kuperman, a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, said he believes one of the main impediments to peace is a lack of unity on the Palestinian side of the conflict.
"Currently the number one obstacle is the divide between Fatah and Hamas," Kuperman said. "There is no spokesperson on the Palestinian side because there is a civil war between Fatah and Hamas."
John Fournier, a public affairs specialist at the LBJ School, said Fayyad's visit to UT was a response to a personal invitation by LBJ School Dean James Steinberg, former deputy national security advisor to Bill Clinton.
In addition to attending UT for his doctorate, Fayyad got his Masters in Business Administration at St. Edward's.
"My doctorate in economics prepared me for the IMF, but Austin also made me a lifelong fan of Longhorn football," Fayyad said.
Vivian Leffler-Goldman, the graduate coordinator of UT's economics department, knew Fayyad in the early 1980s. She said he was funny, approachable, charming and sophisticated.
"We kept in touch for a while. I remember he wrote a letter to me telling me he got married. I wish I had that letter now," Leffler-Goldman said. "I had no idea he was going to become the prime minister of anything."
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