The Jerusalem Declaration’s Fatal Flaw
LAST MONTH, an international group of scholars released the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA), a proposal meant to challenge the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “working definition” of antisemitism, which conflates certain criticisms of Israel and Zionism with anti-Jewish discrimination. The JDA, which has been endorsed by more than 200 scholars, offers a definition of antisemitism that recognizes the importance of protecting advocates for Palestinian human rights from accusations of antisemitism when criticizing Israel. Pushing back on the IHRA definition is an urgent task, given that it continues to be adopted by Western governments, universities, and cultural institutions, and is actively used to stifle pro-Palestinian activism. But while the JDA represents a significant improvement over the IHRA definition for instance, in its explicit recognition of the legitimacy of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment,
Jehad Abusalim (American Friends Service Committee)
In this session we examined the situation in the Gaza Strip, including how the Gaza Strip came to be isolated from the West Bank and besieged by Israel, the role of Hamas and related Palestinian political dynamics, and the humanitarian situation in light of repeated Israeli military campaigns, more than a decade of blockade, and now COVID.
Part 5 – Palestinian Refugees and the Role of UNRWA
Featuring:
Gwyn Lewis (UNRWA),
Diba Abu Nejila (humanitarian professional)
In this session we focused on Palestinian refugees – one of the core issues of the conflict and which under the Olso Accords was to be resolved in the context of permanent status talks between Israelis and Palestinians. We will examine how Palestinians became refugees, the role and development of UNRWA as the organization responsible for Palestinian refugees, and the debate around the continued status of many Palestinians as refugees today.
It s a mistake to believe that Biden will be a friend of Palestine
US President Joe Biden at the White House Washington, DC on 26 January 2021 [Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images] January 27, 2021 at 4:08 pm
Palestinians are eager to turn a new page after four years of the Trump administration in Washington, which undermined the whole Palestinian cause. Trump let Israel s right-wing government do as it pleased, and gave its illegal activities a veneer of acceptability.
Joe Biden s election win was thus welcomed, not least by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who saw it as a step towards advancing a peaceful solution for Palestine-Israel. However, Dr Yara Hawari, senior analyst at the Palestinian Policy Network, Al-Shabaka, pointed out that Trump s policies were really just Washington s traditional stance on Palestine, with full and unconditional support for the state of Israel.