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| UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 3 February at 1pm (UK time) This is an open space where people exchange their emotional responses with a view to remaining resilient amidst a constant stream of distressing news. Zoom link: Please write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. You may want to look at this short video before the meeting #SickFromGenocide https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEgQGsBM304/?igsh=YWI2NHN6cWR4MDFm Aida Camp Youth Centre raided and used as interrogation center Statement from UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Steering Group about the Aida Youth Centre Dear Colleagues, Many of us on the steering group have visited Aida camp in Bethlehem and have close relationships with the amazing staff who work there to enhance the lives of the young people of the camp in so many creative and inspiring ways. We are sharing this news with great distress and outrage, knowing that it is the second such assault on the Aida Youth Centre in the past two months. In their announcement of the raid on 3 December 2024, Anas and his colleagues reported that ‘Before leaving, the IOF left posters around the building that read threatening messages such as: “take care of your children, ensure they do not engage in incitement and terrorist acts, because we will take strict measures against them and their families with an iron fist.” The poster also warned that “there will be surprising news” in the near future.’ The further appalling escalation of this latest raid was in using the centre as a site of interrogation, trying to turn a beautiful centre of respite and relaxation from a safe haven to a traumatic place of interrogation and fear. As the statement below makes clear the team are determined that they will not succeed in this attempt but we are all aware of the appalling intensification of violence and abuse that is being carried out with total impunity and which impacts upon Palestinians in such terrifying ways. We hope you will wish to support the Aida Centre in whatever way you can Statement from the Aida Youth Centre The Israeli occupation forces raided Aida Youth Center again, this time not only destroying and confiscating our property but using our space to perpetrate their violence and oppression. […] Today we fixed doors and cleaned up our building so we can continue our work supporting children and youth from Aida camp, starting tomorrow morning. Thank you for standing with us and supporting our resilience. In solidarity, Anas Abu Srour, Executive Director of Aida Youth Center https://mailchi.mp/21f8daf4d1f4/summer-update-from-aida-youth-center-5854744?e=2a3779063d There is the link to support the work of the Aida Youth Center at the bottom of the page. What are you afraid of? Statement by Psychotherapists standing against Genocide A template letter drafted by the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Steering Group that can be sent to professional associations. “We write as members of the psychotherapy profession to register our dismay that – to our knowledge – not one of our professional associations has issued a clear statement protesting the genocide in Gaza. […].” Comments are enabled on this page. We welcome a discussion about how the template letter can be improved, suggestions as to where it might be used, and other feed back related to campaigning. We feel it is particularly important that the letter should go to “umbrella bodies” such as UKCP and BACP. If there are subscribers who are members of these bodies and who would like to help take action then please leave a comment at the bottom of the page. https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/what-are-you-afraid-of/ No Other Land: Film on Israeli occupation of Palestine gets Oscar nomination A film exposing the brutality of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank has been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary. Set in the town of Masafar Yatta, No Other Land is directed by Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra. Its shortlisting for the Oscar was announced on Thursday despite the film not having any distribution deal in the US. https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/no-other-land-documentary-about-israeli-expulsion-palestinians-gets-oscar-nomination Update from Social Workers 4 Free Palestine There are some positive developments regarding the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and their associated trade union, the Social Workers Union. They put out a statement to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November: https://basw.co.uk/articles/basw-and-swu-mark-palestineday The statement mentions genocide for the first time. It includes this: “We call on the UK government to exercise its leadership role and demand that the Israeli government comply with its international obligation to protect civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and other occupied areas in the region – especially in the wake of the 19 July 2024 advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We call for the UK government to end its complicity in the genocide of Palestinians by halting arms sales to Israel, to advocate for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and to join international efforts to ensure compliance with international law.” BASW have also created an “information hub” on Israel/Palestine on their website, which contains some good articles (see under ‘Additional Support & Resources’): https://basw.co.uk/about-basw/international-work/humanitarian-crisis-conflict-middle-east-baswswu-information-hub The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) have once again issued a censure of the Israeli Union of Social Workers: https://www.ifsw.org/ifsw-executive-issues-censure-against-the-israeli-union-of-social-workers-for-not-acting-to-promote-peace/ This statement and the IFSW positioning continue to be problematic but all the same the censure is welcome. In the light of this, we plan to submit a motion to the next meeting of BASW’s International Policy & Ethics General Meeting. “We grow again”. A person returning to Gaza found his home demolished but his daffodils are growing back. He told us, we grow back. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15aQc4tqN4/ BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS (BDS) A founding aim of the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is to “encourage our colleagues individually and collectively to consider their response to the Palestinian call for boycott, sanctions and divestment (BDS).” Tower Hamlets council has passed a motion committing to Divest its Local Government Pension Scheme from arms companies producing weapons used in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians https://x.com/PSCupdates/status/1882174170827792747 A 2-minute video about the Tower Hamlets Divestment campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cNqJZ4IiJk  From the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movementhttps://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott EVENTS The events listing has been moved to its own web page https://ukpalmhn.com/events/ The comments section of this page is open. If you are organising a relevant event that you would like to be listed here then please leave the details in a comment: Title, Date, Time (UK or other), Location (online, in-person or both), Brief Description, Link to register. Comments are moderated in accordance with our Content Moderation Policy before posting so your comment will not be immediately visible. We particularly welcome news about events taking place outside of London. FEATURED EVENT Held Without Charge (webinar) Tuesday 4 February at 6pm (UK time ) Organised by the Amos Trust Layan Nasir was arrested at gunpoint on 6 April 2024 and held until shortly before Christmas. Layan and Tala Masir, a lawyer at Addameer Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, will discuss Layan’s experience and that of thousands of other Palestinians in the Israeli judicial system. They will discuss the appalling conditions in Israeli jails and the widespread hunger, physical, sexual and psychological abuse of Palestinian prisoners — including children, as well as Tala’s work at Addameer. https://www.amostrust.org/held-without-charge-webinar Want to take Action? Our website has a list of up to date petitions, letter writing campaigns and other ways you can express your solidarity. https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is one of 19 national mental health networks working under the umbrella of the Palestinian-led Palestine-Global Mental Health Network.  |
الشبكة البريطانية الفلسطينية للصحة النفسية 