Dear friends,

In this issue:

1. Cafe Palestine no 35:
   Standing together: International activism and solidarity with Palestine
   Sat 3^rd Dec – hold the date!!
2. Suffering, Sumud & Mental Health in Palestine: The Impact of the Israeli Occupation on Palestinian women. Thursday 24^th November.
3. Two short videos from the Palestine Trauma Centre
4. Three responses to the results of the recent Israeli election
5. The Convivencia Alliance for a Just Peace in Palestine: a new initiative of Muslims, Jews and Christians committed to building a new society.
    

1. Cafe Palestine no 35: International Solidarity
Saturday 3 December at 15.45 (17.45 Palestinian time, 10.45 EST)

Café Palestine will now be an occasional, rather than a regular, happening. In this next event we share some international solidarity initiatives in support of Palestine from the Mental Health field.

The meeting will be dedicated to the memory of Eamon McMahon, Irish Psychotherapist and activist and will include contributions from the UK, USA, Palestine Global and Irish networks.

Further details of speakers and topics will be announced in our next mailing.


2. Suffering, Sumud & Mental Health in Palestine: The Impact of the Israeli Occupation on Palestinian women

The Scottish Palestine Forum hosts Dr Samah Jabr (Palestine Global MH Network) and Gwyn Daniel (UKPMHN) to speak: Thursday 24^th November 7pm (UK).

To register for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpfuugqT8oHNPsuWAb50b4tVE57a3VTWH6


3. Palestine Trauma Centre

Two short videos illustrating the inspiring work of PTC. The first is a record of a unique trip made by two of the Days of Joy clowns to Italy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfzQRArYIrE

The second is about the project focusing on disabled people in Gaza.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flMbjTQr2Qc

Explore the work of PTC (and donate perhaps) at https://www.palestinetraumacentre.uk/


4. The Israeli Election

The latest election saw the ultra-right, those most openly opposed to Palestinian rights and the most supportive of settler violence, consolidating their hold on Israeli politics. In what is already set to be one of the deadliest years of the occupation, this is deeply worrying. While it supports the analysis of Zionism as a settler colonial project, we can only imagine that Western Governments, and social democratic parties, will continue to reconcile themselves to the regime. Here are some responses.

4a) Palestinian parents fear for their children as Israel’s far right rises, an article from the Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/11/israel-west-bank-ben-gvir/

4b) Prof. Haim Bresheeth-Zabner (author of a recently published history of the IDF), reflecting on the nature and implications of the election. A Left Horizons webinar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLRJq287Rlo&t=511s

4c) Prof. Jeff Halper, founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, gives his:
Report on the Israeli Election


5. The Convivencia Alliance for a Just Peace in Palestine

This is a new initiative convened by Prof. Haim Bresheeth (Jewish Network for Palestine), Mr. Massoud Shadjareh (Islamic Human Rights Commission) and Revd. Dr. Stephen Sizer (Peacemaker Trust). Drawing on historical experiences of creative co-existence, it offers a vision of a just, shared future for Palestine.

“In opposition to the current militarised ‘solutions’ on offer – based on racist oppression, brute force, denial of rights and colonial dispossession – it sets out to develop a proposal based on a history of shared values of the monotheistic faiths and on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

For more information see The Convivencia Project website, and this article, further outlining its approach: The Convivencia Alliance for a Just Peace in Palestine.