Cafe Palestine 25   Saturday 12 June 3.45pm (UK time) / 5.45pm (Pal time) Chaired by Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Occupied East Jerusalem “Testimonies from Palestine: Between Debilitation and Liveability: Part 1 Voices from Gaza” https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84668905421?pwd=aG80Q05VU2dtQXA1TWlPUVVoWWRJdz09

Café Palestine this coming Saturday, 12 June will lay bare the harsh realities of those witnessing settler colonial state violence through an alternative way of knowing, building on a critical Palestinian perspective that insists on its refusal to erase memories of past and present brutalities. In this series of meetings, we hope to expose the brutality of the Zionist state’s constant debilitations and attempts at dispossession, while evidencing Palestinians’ power to open new alternatives of liveability, against oppression and the assault on hope. In bearing witness, we shall refuse the attempt to nullify Palestinian lives and to silence Palestinian voices. Testimonies from Palestine Part 1 will feature colleagues and activists from Gaza narrating the latest assault on our Gazan community.

We shall hear from:
Serena Awad, a young activist; 
Dr. Mohammed Omran Abu Shawish, Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Lecturer at Clinical Psychology Department, El- Esraa University; 
Sofyan Bader, Director of the Markaz Rusul, Community Center; and 
Basma Abu Amra, Psychologist GazaCommunity Mental Health Programme.

Testimonies from Palestine will be chaired by Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Occupied East Jerusalem.The Cafe will open with music at 3.45pm (UK time) / 5.45pm (Pal time)
The discussion will start at 4.00pm (UK) / 6.00pm (Palestine)
The whole event is expected to finish at about 5.30pm (UK) / 7.30pm (Palestine)

نوفر خدمة الترجمة إلى اللغة العربية في مقهى فلسطين لمن يحتاجون إلىها، سيكون هناك  ملخص حصري ومتداول باللغة العربية للعرض والأسئلة والإجابات
إذا كنت تحتاج إلى الترجمة إلى اللغة العربية، أرسل رسالة إلى الإيميل التالي
ukpalmhn@gmail.com
ستتوفر الترجمة من خلال الانضمام إلى مجموعة في تطبيق الواتساب.

ARABIC TRANSLATION AT CAFE PALESTINE: Throughout Cafe Palestine there will be a rolling Arabic text summary of the presentation, questions and answers available via Whatsapp. Please contact ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the Whatsapp Arabic translation group.

Articles by leading Palestinian colleagues responding to the recent aggression.  

1.      Dr Yasser Abu Jamei: A New Mental Health Crisis Is Raging in Gaza
“Have you ever seen a six-month old baby with exaggerated startle response?”

One of my colleagues who works on our telephone counselling service was calling me for advice on how to respond to several distraught mothers asking her how to help their babies who had started showing such distressing symptoms of trauma during the recent bombing….

“The continuous bombardment and shelling … meant that no one really could feel any moment of safety. All of us had our nervous system at its very highest alarm level for more than 25 and up to 40 minutes. I can say that this is the most fearful experience that I have had throughout four large offensives over the years.”

2.      Dr Samah Jabr: ‘Resistance to Israel’s occupation is an essential element in the recovery of the occupied mind’

“Resistance has a humanising influence, acting against the dynamic of objectification at both the individual and the collective level. It is perceived by Palestinians as a legitimate human right and a moral duty. We may argue about what forms of resistance we should take and at what times it should be enacted, but this argument must be an internal Palestinian debate that cannot be decided for us by others, especially those who have never supported us or defended our rights.”

Other links

3.      Palestinian Feminist Collective: “Freedom within Reach: Palestine Action Toolkit”
Full of resources, information and support for solidarity activities.

4.      The Anti-Empire Project: “Anti-Palestinian Racism: A resource”

“… anti-Palestinian racism deserves its own categorization. It should be a separate item on the list of oppressions. It has its own unique dynamics and its pervasiveness is the very reason it has been impossible to name. It is a racism that cloaks itself in anti-racism. It is a racism that bullies and intimidates. It is a racism that pervades the structures of power in the West and runs so deep that it cannot be coherently opposed until its name can be spoken out loud.”