Dr. Suheir Daoud discusses the resistance led by Palestinian women citizens of Israel during different phases since Israel’s establishment. She talks about her her recent research on women in the Islamic movement and the challenges they face from within the Palestinian society and from the implications of the recently imposed ‘nation state law’.
Jafar Farah and Nabila Espanioly, co-founders of the Mossawa Center discuss the advocacy work and programs of the center. Their presentation highlights how Al Mossawwa Center develops programs to promote a democratic society, and acts against all forms of discrimination based on race, nationalism, religious affiliation, social status, gender, and disabilities.
What is required of a saint is a radiant reflection of the holy and a capacity for miracles. What is required of a political saint is an intimate familiarity with the interrogation room. Ayman Odeh, the foremost leader of Israel’s Palestinian citizens, has read deeply in the lives of the political saints—Martin Luther King, Jr., especially—and he is not shy about suggesting comparisons, if only as a matter of aspiration. The Shin Bet, the Israeli internal intelligence agency, first pulled him in for questioning when he was a kaffiyeh-wearing teen-ager in the thick of an uprising. He is now a middle-aged politician in a suit, a legislator preaching the coexistence of Arab and Jew in a time of dashed hopes, almost daily acts of terror, and regional chaos.
Israel still portrays itself as a Jewish and democratic state. Yet in practice, as its Palestinian citizens can attest, it functions as a Jewish ethnocracy, leaving small margins of freedom for its Palestinian citizens that have been steadily shrinking in the past few years. Now the Israeli state has come under the complete control of the far right wing, which sees no need even for such limited margins of freedom. This is evident in the wave of discriminatory legislation and the use of the Emergency Regulations against established non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and movements such as the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel.
Heightened tension which began in mid-September 2015 in the Old City of Jerusalem, increased significantly from 1 October throughout the oPt and Israel, characterized by widespread confrontations with Israeli forces, alongside almost daily attacks on Israelis. In this context, serious protection concerns have been raised including related to deliberate attacks on Israeli civilians by Palestinians and excessive use of force against Palestinians by the Israeli military and police, including possible extra-judicial killings.
MK Ayman Odeh has served as Secretary General of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) political party since 2006. As leader of the Joint List—an alliance of four predominantly Palestinian parties—he represents Israel’s Arab Palestinian citizens. He currently serves on the Knesset House Committee and the Knesset Committee on Labor, Welfare, and Health, and is chairman of the Cultural Affairs Caucus.
Lawmakers seem to compete against each other to the racist nadir, as Netanyahu is practically egging them on; and with such weak-kneed opposition, that’s hardly a surprise.
Haneen Al Zoubi, a Palestinian lawmaker and Member of the Israeli Knesset, talks about the newly empowered alliance of the Joint List and its potential in improving the human, civil, and political rights of the Palestinian citizens of Israel. She discusses the recent elections and the ramifications of the Likud party winning another term.
Nadia Hijab describes the limits on the Palestinian struggle for justice due to the paralysis and fragmentation of the Palestinian national movement. She also addresses the dilemmas this prevailing disarray poses to Palestinian activists, as well as the international solidarity communities.
Through educational events, humanitarian support, and cultural preservation, the Jerusalem Fund is helping build the movement for Palestinian liberation.
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