| UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 20 October 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. Please contact ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. Mental Health Conference for Palestine: Living through the Unimaginable Source: Psychoanalytic Voices for Palestine Date: Saturday 8 November from 9:30am – 4:30pm Location: Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX Speakers: Dr Yasser Abu Jamei, Dr Yoa’d Ghanadry-Hakim, Gwyn Daniel, Martin KempThis is a hybrid (in-person/online) event but seating is limited, so advanced booking is recommended. Join us for a day dedicated to updating on the present situation, bringing together professionals working in Palestine and allied Mental Health groups in the UK organising around Palestine. The conference is aimed at all mental health professionals who want to make an ethical response to the destruction of ordinary human life in Palestine and spearhead a collective mental health response. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-health-conference-for-palestine-living-through-the-unimaginable-tickets-1744401304259 Cafe Palestine: The normalisation of genocide and ecocide Saturday 15 November from 4pm – 6pm (UK time) At this Cafe Palestine we reflect on a world that sponsors genocide, and indulges a cynical disregard for the ecological disasters that have been unleashed on Gaza and which threaten further mass death, particularly in the global South. Speakers: Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian scientist and author, founder and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University where he teaches. Over the course of his career he has published well over 150 scientific papers on topics ranging from cultural heritage to biodiversity in addition to several books. Prof Paul Hoggett is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol. His research spans social policy, community life, and the emotional dynamics of politics, with notable expertise in the intersection of psychoanalysis, group relations, and social systems. He co-founded the Climate Psychology Alliance and served as its first chair in 2012. A Zoom link to the meeting will be included in a future mailing. The Gaza Health Declaration Source: Mondoweiss Date: 9 October Hundreds of health professionals have signed the Gaza Health Solidarity Declaration, affirming their commitment to stand with Palestinian healthcare workers facing the aftermath of genocide and decades of occupation. The declaration calls for rebuilding Gaza’s health system on the principles of health solidarity—centred on Palestinian agency, sovereignty, and leadership, rather than charity or donor control. It denounces international complicity that has undermined Palestinian health sovereignty and demands an end to “aid-washing,” parallel health systems, and politically restricted funding. Signatories urge that true solidarity means supporting Palestinian-led institutions, promoting self-determination, and recognising political liberation as inseparable from public health and justice.As Mental Health Practitioners we strongly endorse these aims. Collective trauma on the scale we witness in Gaza is hugely exacerbated by the experience of powerlessness. The restoration of agency, self determination, dignity and respect is an essential component of any recovery from trauma at individual, family and community levels. https://mondoweiss.net/2025/10/the-gaza-health-declaration/ List of signatories: https://www.healthworkers4palestine.com/health-declaration/ Protest Letter to the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies Source: Mental Health Workers UK for Palestine Date: October 2025 This is an open protest letter that can be signed by individuals. The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) recent handling of the current situation in Gaza and Palestine at large has caused unintentional but avoidable harm to both its members and the communities it stands to serve. This is an urgent matter that requires immediate attention. By retracting the word genocide in CBT Today and presenting neutrality as a professional stance, members, clients, and wider communities have been left feeling silenced, retraumatised, and unprotected. This has had a particularly harmful impact on the Global Majority, Muslim, and Palestinian people, whose voices and experiences have been marginalised. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjVfuTtwvf-13bX2fKHu_ZczDaz9K-_qT1SBHjf7d5oCpjHg/viewform Update from Social Workers for a Free Palestine (SW4FP) There are two related developments to share. Motion passed at IFSW Europe At the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) Europe delegates’ meeting in Oslo (3–5 October), members passed a motion condemning the genocide in Gaza and breaches of international law, including starvation, collective punishment, and obstruction of humanitarian relief. The motion also called for a Special General Meeting of IFSW members, so that they could discuss the continuing membership in IFSW of the Israeli Union of Social Workers. Report on the IFSW website (scroll down – the full motion is also linked to here) https://www.ifsw.org/ifsw-europe-delegates-meeting-3-5-october-2025-oslo-norway/ Campaign to suspend the Israeli Union of Social Workers Following on from the successful motion at Oslo, Social Workers for a Free Palestine (SW4FP) have launched an international campaign calling for the suspension or expulsion of the Israeli Union of Social Workers from the IFSW. This can only be decided at a Special General Meeting, which must be convened by the IFSW Global President and Executive. Under IFSW rules, such a meeting will be held if at least one-fifth of national member associations request it. SW4FP are therefore urging IFSW members to ask their national social work associations to contact the Global Executive and formally request that a Special General Meeting be convened. A Google Form has been created to make this process easier: https://forms.gle/FVzfy4uMtxQf1aTg9 The form includes details about how to find and contact your national association, and a template letter. For further details or questions, please email:sw4palestineuk@gmail.com Why you’ve been misled about “Israeli hostages” and “Palestinian prisoners” Source: Novara Media Date: 13 October This is an 15 minute interview with Milena Ansari from Human Rights Watch Coverage that contrasts “Israeli hostages” with “Palestinian prisoners” hides a crucial truth: many Palestinians are detained without charge or fair trial, so the term “prisoner” falsely implies legal process and guilt. Human Rights Watch describes widespread administrative detention, secret evidence, and military courts with a 99.7% conviction rate, where even children, activists, and health workers are held arbitrarily. Conditions in Israeli prisons are described as brutal, with reports of torture, medical neglect, starvation, prolonged shackling, and systematic humiliation under a system designed to dehumanise and silence Palestinians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sB-AIcI-6U Researchers urge locally led reconstruction for Gaza Source: Nature Date: 9 October You may need to create a free account to read the whole article Experts on post-war recovery warn that rebuilding Gaza’s health, education, and research systems will fail unless Palestinian professionals lead the process. They stress that reconstruction plans under US President Trump’s ceasefire framework risk repeating past mistakes if they rely on top-down, internationally driven structures instead of drawing on Gaza’s deep local expertise. Palestinian academics emphasise the need for inclusive planning that supports community leadership, mental health, and continued education alongside physical rebuilding. Researchers argue that empowering local institutions and addressing the political roots of the crisis are essential to prevent a repeat of the destructive cycles seen in Iraq and earlier Gaza reconstruction efforts. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03324-w Israeli soldiers torched food, homes, and a critical sewage treatment plant in wake of ceasefire announcement Source: A shocking long-read. As of today, the report has not been independently verified by any western mainstream media sources, but it has been corroborated through additional reporting by two other middle eastern news outlets. In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s announcement that both Hamas and Israel had signed off on an agreement to stop the fighting, the Israeli military launched an arson spree, setting fire to civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of an essential sanitation plant in Gaza City. […]Monther Shoblaq, Director General of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) in Gaza, said the attack is a blow that could push Gaza City’s wastewater system “to point zero.” He added the plant is “one of Gaza’s oldest” and warned that its destruction will set back planned reconstruction efforts by years. “I mean, they signed a ceasefire,” Shoblaq said. “Why set it on fire?” https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-idf-soldiers-set-fire-food-homes-sewage-treatment-plan-after-ceasefire-announced FEATURED ACTIONS You can see a list of all current actions on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ Volunteers on Palestinian farms are more valuable—and scarce—than ever Source: Atmos Date: 6 October Yessenia Funes reports that international volunteers who once travelled in large numbers to support Palestinian farmers are now far fewer, as Israel’s ongoing assault and restrictions have made access to the West Bank increasingly difficult. Farms such as the Tent of Nations near Bethlehem embody a philosophy of non-violent resistance, welcoming visitors who help maintain the land while bearing witness to occupation. The presence of volunteers offers both practical protection and moral solidarity, connecting local struggles for survival to global movements for justice. https://atmos.earth/political-landscapes/volunteers-on-palestinian-farms-are-more-valuable-and-scarce-than-ever/ FEATURED EVENTS You can see our full list of events on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/events/ Sabeel-Kairos advocacy tour Source: Sabeel-Kairos UK – a campaigning Christian charity that works for human rights, justice and equality for Palestinians in partnership/solidarity with the Christian community in the Holy Land. We are delighted to be hosting Sahar Francis, Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer, and Revd Ashraf Tannous, Pastor of the Lutheran Churches in Bethlehem and Beit Sahour, in the UK for a week of political, religious and cultural events focussing on the deteriorating situation in Palestine, the human rights challenges, and the existential threat facing the small but influential Palestinian Christian community. Dates and locations: (Wednesday 15 October – Manchester) Friday 17 October – London (full day conference From Lament to Liberation) Saturday 18 October – Southport and Liverpool Sunday 19 October – Leeds Speakers: Sahar Francis, Human Rights Lawyer, and Revd Ashraf Tannous, Palestinian pastor in Bethlehem https://www.sabeel-kairos.org.uk/uk-advocacy-tour-full-list-of-public-events/ ICAHD UK Annual Conference 2025 The Day After Gaza: How do we address the urgency of the political moment? Date: Saturday 1 November from 10:30 am to 4:45pm Location: Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8EP. Source: ICAHD (formerly Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) Advanced registration is essential The conference will bring together leading voices on Palestine to assess the current struggle for Palestinian rights and the urgent political challenges ahead. Participants will explore Israel’s settler-colonial agenda, Trump’s peace plan, the Abraham Accords, and grassroots mobilisation. Sessions will share insights from ICAHD’s on-the-ground resistance and equip UK campaigners for more effective, sustained advocacy. Speakers include: Dr Jeff Halper – ICAHD’s Co-founder and Director, anthropologist, activist, author Dr Nadia Naser-Najjab – – Palestinian from Jerusalem, Senior Lecturer at Exeter University Jeremy Corbyn MP – long-time supporter of justice for Palestinians Peter Frankental – Programme Director Economic Affairs, Amnesty International UK Prof Avi Shlaim – British Israeli historian, award-winning author and more … https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/icahd-uk-annual-conference-2025-tickets-1570864862089 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).” Launch of the 2025 edition of Why Boycott Israeli Universities? Source: British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) Date: Tuesday 21 October at 6pm in Central London An academic boycott of Israel’s universities is an effective, non-violent means of exerting pressure on Israel and its western backers to recognise the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and a peaceful future. The call to boycott Israeli universities, first made in 2004 by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), is more urgent than ever. To inform and strengthen the boycott campaign, BRICUP has produced a new edition of the booklet Why Boycott Israeli Universities? You are invited to join us for the launch of the booklet and a discussion of the next steps in the campaign. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-boycott-israeli-universities-tickets-1764799525889 Confronting the political economy enabling Israel’s genocide, occupation and apartheid Source: Amnesty International Date: 18 September Amnesty International has issued an urgent global call for governments, companies, and public institutions to end all economic and political complicity in Israel’s genocide, occupation, and apartheid system. The organisation’s briefing names major arms, surveillance, and infrastructure firms—including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Elbit Systems, Hikvision, CAF, and Mekorot—whose products and contracts directly sustain Israeli crimes under international law. Amnesty urges states to impose comprehensive boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) measures: halting arms sales, ending trade and investment ties, and barring complicit corporations from contracts, funding, and public engagement. Secretary General Agnès Callamard calls on civil society worldwide to mobilise peacefully, insisting that genuine accountability requires severing the global political economy that profits from Palestinian suffering. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/09/global-political-economy-enabling-israels-genocide-occupation-apartheid/ PERSPECTIVES These opinions do not necessarily represent the views ofthe UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Has another Nakba been averted? Source: Al-Jazeera Inside Story Date: 11 OctoberA 30 minute panel discussion Palestinians are returning to their homes after refusing to leave Gaza during Israel’s war.Tens of thousands of Palestinians are streaming back to their land in northern Gaza – a right of return included in the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. Multiple attempts to remove the population have failed. Many Palestinians say they have avoided another Nakba, or catastrophe – the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 – and defeated Israel’s forced displacement policy. But the land they are returning to is unrecognisable. Is Gaza uninhabitable? Or can it be rebuilt under the interim authority that next governs the strip? And does the ceasefire allow for this complex and lengthy task? Guests:Ines Abdel Razek – co-director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy Ilan Pappe – chairman of the Nakba Memorial Foundation Ghada Karmi – academic and the author of Return: A Palestinian Memoir https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2025/10/11/has-another-nakba-been-averted A pause in killing is not an end to genocide: justice is the only path to peace Source: Hind Rajab Foundation Date: 9 October A Statement by the Foundation calls upon all individuals, institutions, and states of conscience to intensify efforts for justice, to maintain mobilisation for Gaza and for Palestine, and to ensure that this ceasefire is not mistaken for peace. Justice for Gaza cannot wait. The moral and legal duty to act persists until accountability is achieved, the blockade is lifted, and the Palestinian people can live freely and securely in their homeland. Full statement: https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/posts/a-pause-in-killing-is-not-an-end-to-genocide-justice-is-the-only-path-to-peace The Gaza “Deal”: Now on to the true threats to the Palestinian people Source: Jeff Halper, Director of ICAHD (the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) Date: 9 October[…] This is what is coming down the pipeline as Trump returns to his 2020 “Vision of Peace” plan and the completion of the Abraham Accords. In that bigger political picture, Gaza is not an issue in and of itself. For all the suffering it generated, the Gaza “war” simply paved the way for the normalisation of an Israeli apartheid regime over all historic Palestine. The Abraham Accords thus pose the greatest threat to the Palestinian people since the Nakba. […] https://icahd.org/2025/10/09/the-gaza-deal-now-on-to-the-true-threats-to-the-palestinian-people-jeff-halper/ In destroying Gaza, Israel destroyed its own image as a moral enterprise Source: David Hearst, Editor-in-Chief of Middle East Eye Date: 9 October After stage one, Trump’s Gaza deal is likely dead in the water. But with soaring global support for Palestinian liberation, justice is on the horizon https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israeli-colonialism-end-nigh |
الشبكة البريطانية الفلسطينية للصحة النفسية 