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| UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 24 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. Please contact 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 Interview with UKPALMHN Steering Group member at the National March for Palestine on Saturday “People talk about PTSD. There’s nothing post traumatic about it. It is ongoing trauma.” David Harrold from the UK Palestine Mental Health Network says every child in Gaza has experienced death — whether it’s losing family, smelling death, or witnessing destruction. Speaking at a large pro-Palestine rally in London, Harrold called for an end to the suffering in Gaza, urging global solidarity. He says mental health workers are fighting to restore even a glimpse of childhood to those forced to grow up too soon, and become adults at a young age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6sPmhBqECg Dr. Lara Sheehi cleared of baseless allegations fabricated against her Full report: https://adc.org/adc-statement-on-dr-lara-sheehi-cleared-of-baseless-allegations-fabricated-by-standwithus/ The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network are delighted to announce that our colleague Lara Sheehi has been completely cleared of all the allegations against her by the pro Zionist organisation StandWithUs. Lara is a member of the Palestine Global and Lebanon Mental Health networks and has been a great friend and comrade to our UK network, convening and participating in several Cafe Palestines. She is a psychoanalyst and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Doha Institute. She is co-author with Stephen Sheehi of Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine. https://www.routledge.com/Psychoanalysis-Under-Occupation-Practicing-Resistance-in-Palestine/Sheehi-Sheehi/p/book/9781032078694 Following last week’s announcement of two NHS employees’ victories over their Trust (we posted this article in last week’s newsletter), we know how important it is that attempts such as these to silence pro Palestinian dissent are challenged. However we also know what an extremely painful personal cost these actions and counter- actions exact from those accused. We reach out in solidarity and will always offer our support to anyone suffering similar acts of silencing. UKPALMHN and PTC(UK) submission to Foreign Affairs Committee’s inquiry into The Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network and the Palestine Trauma Centre (UK) made a joint submission to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee. The Committee accepted the submission and it has now been published on the Parliament website along with other submissions. UKPALMHN and PTC(UK) submission: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/133355/html/ All submissions: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8676/the-israelipalestinian-conflict/publications/ Effects of Israeli Occupation on Mental Health and Well-being in East Jerusalem & West Bank Source: War Child Publication Date: February 2025 Description: The report analyses the impact of the Israeli occupation on the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, highlighting increased instances of trauma, stress, and developmental issues. https://www.warchild.net/documents/345/Effects_of_Israeli_Occupation_on_Mental_Health_Wellbeing_in_East_Jerusalem__West_Bank.pdf Challenging Mental Health Assumptions in the Palestinian Context A PhD dissertation (available through open access via the link below) that explores the psychological impact of prolonged conflict and occupation on Palestinian communities, emphasising the role of colonial violence in shaping mental health outcomes. It critically examines the intersection of trauma and resistance, assessing how decolonisation frameworks can inform more effective, culturally responsive mental health interventions. The study advocates for mental health services that not only address PTSD, depression, and anxiety but also actively engage in decolonial practices to empower Palestinian individuals and communities. https://boa.unimib.it/handle/10281/539321 Mental Health Rehabilitation in Gaza: A systematic review addressing the impact of ongoing war and conflict on access to, and challenges of, rehabilitation Source: Cambridge University Press Date: 14 February 2025 The ongoing conflict in Gaza since October 2023 has severely disrupted mental health services, worsening PTSD, anxiety, and depression among residents. A systematic review of eight studies identified major barriers, including damaged healthcare infrastructure, a shortage of trained professionals, and economic hardships. The study highlights the urgent need for tailored interventions to improve access to mental health care and rebuild trust within the community for long-term recovery. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/disaster-medicine-and-public-health-preparedness/article/mental-health-rehabilitation-in-gaza-addressing-the-impact-of-ongoing-war-conflict-on-access-and-challenges-a-systematic-review/55B20061AEC082698013ECE94595EDB9 Human rights are not a ‘loophole’ – why can’t families from Gaza like mine seek safety in the UK? By Ghassan Ghaben When another Palestinian family was allowed to stay here, I saw a glimmer of hope. Now the prime minister wants to put it out https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/17/gaza-families-right-to-safety-in-uk BBC2 Documentary: “Gaza: how to survive a warzone” Available on iPlayerThis programme opens with the caption “On October 7th 2023 Hamas attacked Israel. They killed around 1200 people and took 251 hostages.” And then: “Israel immediately declared war on Hamas in Gaza”. We consider this a woefully inadequate attempt to frame the subsequent footage of a genocide in progress (a word never heard in the programme). Despite this, the film is essential viewing, following several Palestinian children as they cope with and respond to the horrors unfolding around them. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00285w7/gaza-how-to-survive-a-warzone EVENTS There are FIVE inspiring events related to Palestine and mental health in the seven days from Wednesday 19 February that are listed on our Events page: https://ukpalmhn.com/events/ ACTIONSOur Featured Action is available below and also on our dedicated Actions page together with a range of other current actions https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ How to keep defending Palestine after the ceasefire From Dr. Samah Jabr, Former Head of Mental Health Unit, Palestinian Ministry of Health The fight for justice in Palestine doesn’t end with a ceasefire—it only shifts its form. Here’s how we can continue: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/samah-jabr-25509883_how-to-keep-defending-palestine-after-the-activity-7285238091311714304-Sy5a FEATURED ACTION – NO CHILD A TARGET As the humanitarian crisis in Palestine continues, the plight of Palestinian children remains dire. The #NoChildATarget campaign, led by the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network, is intensifying its efforts to safeguard these vulnerable young lives. The daily reality faced by Palestinian children under occupation Find the latest stories on the No Child A Target visit the campaign page on Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/p/DGJWS7ipi1K/?img_index=1 Defense for Children International – Palestine film premiere Tuesday 25 February at 5pm (UK time) Through a Child’s Eyes: Genocide of the Palestinian People in Gaza is a powerful documentary bringing together first-hand testimonies from Palestinian children alongside footage capturing their reality. Their stories lay bare the devastating impact of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people—seen through the eyes of its youngest survivors. https://www.dci-palestine.org/through_a_childs_eyes_premiere Expanded Petition Demands Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the petition https://www.change.org/p/nochildatarget (which as of February 17, has gathered 504,858 signatures) now calls upon U.S. lawmakers and global leaders to uphold international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network demands an end to financial, military, and diplomatic support for Israel’s human rights abuses against Palestinian children. Your voice is crucial in amplifying this message. [Please note any donations made via the Change.org website go directly to Change.org and not to the #NoChildATarget campaign or the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network.] How You Can Make a Difference Your support is vital. Here are actionable steps you can take: Sign the Petition: Add your name to the #NoChildATarget petition and stand in solidarity with Palestinian children. https://www.change.org/p/nochildatarget Follow and Share: Stay informed by following our Instagram account @no_child_a_target. Share our posts to raise awareness. https://www.instagram.com/no_child_a_target/ Amplify Our Message: Copy and share this message with ten people in your network. Collective action can lead to meaningful change. (Follow this link) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xJfHRYGSu9X7i_bnRhtSesrv9doJiLv17iK1vAlVEns/edit?tab=t.0 (For those based in the U.S.A.) Contact U.S. Lawmakers: Urge your representatives to take a stand against ongoing human rights violations. https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org/no-child-a-target Together, we can advocate for a future where no child is a target. Thank you for your unwavering support. #NoChildATarget 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).”  From the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is one of 24 national mental health networks working under the umbrella of the Palestinian-led Palestine-Global Mental Health Network.  Palestine, Algeria, Australia, Canada Chile Belgium, Brasil Egypt France Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States |
UKPALMHN mailing 12 February
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| National March for Palestine Saturday 15 February at 12 noon Assemble in Whitehall, marching to the US Embassy. No to Ethnic Cleansing / Stop Arming Israel https://x.com/PSCupdates/status/1885267092997382461 We will have the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network banner at the march. We will assemble at 12 noon on the south-west corner of Parliament Square next to the statue of Nelson Mandela. All are welcome to join us and meet other members of the Network. UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 17 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. 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 Psychologists Against Genocide seeks founding members Dear Colleagues, Ceasefire is not the end of the story of the genocide being paid for by our tax dollars. I learned in a meeting of Doctors Against Genocide that it appears that the Israeli military is now targeting children, hospitals, and our health care colleagues working in the West Bank, and that may well evolve as the next front in the genocidal endeavor against Palestine. The hospital in Jenin has been targeted; doctors have been shot in their cars as they approach the hospital and no one is able to leave the hospital, as it seems snipers are ready to shoot anyone who exits. Psychologists For Social Responsibility steering committee approved the development of a section for Psychologists Against Genocide. Several of us have already committed to joining the new group. My own vision for this group is that we will demonstrate the courage to be named as we stand against genocide everywhere and that we will be clear that we will not leave any targeted psychologists alone and unsupported. If you wish to consider joining as a founding member, please let me know. Alice Locicero alice.locicero@gmail.com Why Israel cannot tolerate Palestinian expressions of joy, anger and grief An opinion piece in Middle East Eye by UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Steering Group member Gwyn Daniel The attempt to quash displays of emotion that challenge the oppressors is deeply embedded in a racist and dehumanising worldview https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-suppresses-palestinian-prisoners-public-display-emotions-why Palestine Today and the State of Mental Health This is a recent, hour-long, in-depth interview with Dr Samah Jabr, Former Head of Mental Health Unit, Palestinian Ministry of Health. The interviewer asks some rather naive questions (possibly by design) and it is interesting to see how Dr Jabr responds to these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LCSFRaxWa8 Every moment of inaction means more Palestinians are killed”: Medical Aid for Palestinians demands immediate action as attacks on the West Bank surge Israeli military violence is intensifying in the occupied West Bank, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps, resulting in widespread destruction of infrastructure, Palestinian killings, mass forced displacement, and severe restrictions on access to medical care. https://www.map.org.uk/news/archive/post/1700-aevery-moment-of-inaction-means-more-palestinians-are-killeda-map-demands-immediate-action-as-attacks-on-the-west-bank-surge Inflicting harm and denying care” in the West Bank: MSF report on escalation of attacks and obstructions of healthcare According to a recent report by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors without Borders’ the escalation of violence in the West Bank has severely hindered access to healthcare and is part of a pattern of systemic oppression by Israel, which has been described by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as amounting to racial segregation and apartheid. https://www.msf.org/%E2%80%9Cinflicting-harm-and-denying-care%E2%80%9D-west-bank-msf-report-escalation-attacks-and-obstructions Israel’s all-war on the Palestinian people since 7 Oct. 2023 includes the West Bank Settler Violence = State Violence A 5-minute video from Israel’s leading human rights organisation. https://www.btselem.org/video/20250202_israels_all_war_on_the_palestinian_people_since_7_oct_2023_includes_the_west_bank#full NHS staff barred from workplace for considering Palestine demonstration An investigation found the pair had no case to answer and that the trust had breached its own disciplinary policy. Two NHS professionals were investigated and barred from their workplace for expressing interest in organising a peaceful protest in support of Palestine during their lunch break. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/09/nhs-staff-barred-from-workplace-for-considering-palestine-demonstration In Gaza, as reality sets in, the joy of homecoming begins to fade As Palestinians return to what remains of their homes, they find that they are no longer the places they left behind, because the ones they love the most are gone. https://mondoweiss.net/2025/02/in-gaza-as-reality-sets-in-the-joy-of-homecoming-begins-to-fade/ Screening of the Palestinian film To A Land Unknown After selling out 3 times at the London Palestine Film Festival 2024, To A Land Unknown is screening in cinemas across the UK from the Friday 14 February. Locations, dates and times are available at this link: https://mailchi.mp/5bd1f1dc0d1b/save-the-date-london-palestine-film-festival-12764279 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).” From the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott EVENTS The events listing has been moved to its own page on our website. https://ukpalmhn.com/events/ The page is fully up to date featuring a range of inspiring events including a classical music concert in a church raising funds for a community development organisation in Gaza, and a whole day conference organised by The Palestinian Return Centre. The comments section of this page is open. If you are organising a relevant event that you would like to be listed on the Events page 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. ACTIONS You can find an up to date list of actions including petitions, letter writing and social media campaigns on the dedicated Actions page on our website: https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ How to keep defending Palestine after the ceasefire From Dr. Samah Jabr, Former Head of Mental Health Unit, Palestinian Ministry of Health The fight for justice in Palestine doesn’t end with a ceasefire—it only shifts its form. Here’s how we can continue: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/samah-jabr-25509883_how-to-keep-defending-palestine-after-the-activity-7285238091311714304-Sy5a FEATURED ACTION: SICK FROM GENOCIDE The International Consortium of the Palestine Mental Health Networks and Doctors Against Genocide (https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org) have united in support of the Sick from Genocide campaign. The Emotional Toll of Witnessing Genocide and the Power of Unity is a powerful statement about the background to this campaign. https://www.pgmhn.org/statements/the-emotional-toll-of-witnessing-genocide-and-the-power-of-unity 1. Global social media campaign Monday 17 February to Friday 21 February Throughout the week, we will share powerful content developed by Doctors Against Genocide. We invite you to show solidarity by updating your Instagram logos, sharing campaign materials, and displaying a visual statement of support. (More details to follow). 2. Global “Sick from Genocide” Day Wednesday 19 February DAG and the Palestine Mental Health Networks declare a global day of action. We encourage individuals and organizations to participate in ways that align with their advocacy efforts. Sick Day Protest: Take a sick day—we are sick from genocide. 3. Symposium Friday 21 February a 2pm (UK time) A symposium featuring expert panellists discussing the impact of genocide on mental health. This will be an opportunity to share experiences, build resilience, and learn practical skills for coping. If you are interested in joining, please complete this form and we will send you additional information. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAjfXPK_NaUK5fBlqBgZXkFhOA9kEnfbkENrOysD3fiP888w/viewform 4. Surveys The Chile-Palestine, Palestine-Global, and South Africa-Palestine Mental Health Networks have created two surveys to understand how the genocide in Palestine is affecting the health and well-being of those witnessing it. These surveys are based on symptoms commonly linked to vicarious trauma and those identified in Sick from Genocide, a campaign by Doctors Against Genocide. Impact of the Genocide in Palestine on Health and Well-being (Based on Sick from Genocide) https://forms.gle/ZHYHJdpVNEW3PCmu5 Impact of the Genocide in Palestine on Mental Health Professionals https://forms.gle/AqFYHv8tF5hAqBHbA Your participation helps: Show how deeply the crisis impacts people worldwide. Bring awareness to the urgent mental health implications. Inform advocacy and support efforts. 5. Need support? 5a) Mental health professionals worldwide are offering one free consultation session. To access this service, email info@pgmhn.org with the subject line “ Sick from Genocide.” 5b) UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 17 February at 1pm (UK time) (and every Monday at this 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 contact 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 The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is one of 24 national mental health networks working under the umbrella of the Palestinian-led Palestine-Global Mental Health Network.The Global-Mental Health Network has recntly grown from 19 to 24 member countries and here is the new mega-logo! Palestine, Algeria, Australia, Canada Chile Belgium, Brasil Egypt France Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States |
UKPALMHN mailing 5 February
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| UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 10 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. New Zoom link: Please contact 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 National March for Palestine Saturday 15 February at 12 noon Assemble in Whitehall, marching on the US Embassy. No to Ethnic Cleansing / Stop Arming Israel https://x.com/PSCupdates/status/1885267092997382461 Update from Child Psychotherapists for Palestine The aims of the group are set out on the website. We actively support the No Child A Target campaign. https://www.instagram.com/no_child_a_target/ We are a diverse group which includes Palestinian and Lebanese child psychotherapists. Recently, we had an announcement placed in the ACP newsletter, inviting more child psychotherapists to join us. Let’s say there hasn’t been a stampede. We have written to the ACP about its declining to comment on the killing of so many thousands of Palestinian children. We have an Instagram account, set up by one of our group. https://www.instagram.com/palestineukchildpsychotherapy We have participated in a podcast and a French radio broadcast about Israel’s Systematic breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The group meets online once a month as the members come from all over the UK and two from the US. We will be contributing to the UKPMHN podcast and already have a contribution ready. One of the members writes poetry and some of their work is on the Child Psychotherapists section of the website. We are planning to mark Palestinian Children’s Day on April 5th with a small launch event in London. We are currently planning this and will be inviting Palestinian colleagues to be our keynote speakers. Teresa Bailey February 2025 Please write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like to be put in touch with Teresa.  “Traumatized Generation – One million Gaza children require mental health support An entire generation has been traumatized in Gaza, with one million children requiring mental health and psychosocial support, according to the UN relief chief Tom Fletcher. “The ceasefire has provided a vital reprieve from relentless hostilities for Palestinians,” Fletcher told the UN Security Council on Thursday during a session on the plights of children in Gaza. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/traumatized-generation-onemillion-gaza-children-require-mental-health-support/ UN Press Release about the session: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/a-generation-has-been-traumatized-says-humanitarian-affairs-chief-briefing-security-council-on-plight-of-children-in-gaza-press-release/ UNRWA Situation Report #157 on the Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem The UNRWA report provides detailed information about the provision of psychosocial support. [Search “psychosocial” in the document to find the relevant sections.] UNRWA’s “Back to Learning” programme so far. Between 20 and 26 January 2025, 5,578 children (3,362 boys, 2,216 girls, including 208 children with disabilities) participated in basic literacy and numeracy activities, PSS sessions and recreational activities including arts, music and sports. https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-157-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem Over 180 Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons, many show signs of “torture, starvation” Palestinian civil society groups and the Red Cross condemned the “horrific” conditions of the prisoners and urged the international community to hold accountable those responsible. https://thecradle.co/articles/over-180-palestinians-freed-from-israeli-prisons-many-show-signs-of-torture-starvation “A constant state of panic”: how war in Gaza triggered new wave of depression and insomnia among Palestinian refugees from 1967 war The stress of seeing the destruction of their homeland sent rates of mental illness soaring in Jordan’s Jerash camp – and the ceasefire has brought scant relief. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jan/24/palestinian-refugees-jordan-jerash-camp-gaza-grief-depression-mental-illness Scholarships for Palestine (2025) As a University of Sanctuary, Sussex provides an inclusive and welcoming community for displaced people. This includes financial support through a number of scholarships. The Scholarships for Palestine are designed to provide sanctuary through the provision of fully funded Masters scholarships for Palestinian students, particularly those displaced by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/masters-scholarships/view/1801-Scholarships-for-Palestine Hard to Swallow Written by Adam Goren A thought provoking opinion piece on silencing and the complexities involved in the power dynamics within clinical supervision when the supervisor’s lived and clinical experience are of coloniser and the supervisee’s and their patient’s are those of colonised. https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/hard-to-swallow/ This Is Gaza A Channel 4 programme As the Israel-Hamas War destroyed his home and endangered his family, Emmy-winning Palestinian filmmaker Yousef Hammash reached for his only hope: a video camera. This is his powerful story. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/this-is-gaza No Other Land – available on Amazon Prime in the UK Last week we carried an item about the film called No Other Land that has an Oscar nomination for best documentary. The item said that the film does not have any distribution deal in the US. A reader has contacted us through ukpalmhn@gmail.com to let us know that the film is available to rent on Amazon Prime in the UK for £5. She said “I was very pleased because young people I know who are not active watched it and were enraged”. [Note: Amazon is a “pressure” target for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement but it is not a “priority” target. Nonetheless, a “pressure” target does “include boycotts when reasonable alternatives exist”. We will leave you to decide …] About the film: https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/no-other-land-documentary-about-israeli-expulsion-palestinians-gets-oscar-nomination 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 movement https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott EVENTS The events listing has been moved to its own page on our website. 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 on the Events page 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. ACTIONS You can find an up to date list of actions including petitions, letter writing and social media campaigns on the dedicated Actions page on our website: https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ FEATURED ACTION: SICK FROM GENOCIDE The International Consortium of the Palestine Mental Health Networks and Doctors Against Genocide (https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org/) have united in support of the Sick from Genocide campaign. The Emotional Toll of Witnessing Genocide and the Power of Unity is a powerful statement about the background to this campaign. https://www.pgmhn.org/statements/the-emotional-toll-of-witnessing-genocide-and-the-power-of-unity 1. Global social media campaign Monday 17 February to Friday 21 February Throughout the week, we will share powerful content developed by Doctors Against Genocide. We invite you to show solidarity by updating your Instagram logos, sharing campaign materials, and displaying a visual statement of support. (More details to follow). 2. Global “Sick from Genocide” Day Wednesday 19 February DAG and the Palestine Mental Health Networks declare a global day of action. We encourage individuals and organizations to participate in ways that align with their advocacy efforts. Sick Day Protest: Take a sick day—we are sick from genocide. 3. Symposium Friday 21 February a 2pm (UK time) A symposium featuring expert panellists discussing the impact of genocide on mental health. This will be an opportunity to share experiences, build resilience, and learn practical skills for coping. If you are interested in joining, please complete this form and we will send you additional information. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAjfXPK_NaUK5fBlqBgZXkFhOA9kEnfbkENrOysD3fiP888w/viewform 4. Surveys The Chile-Palestine, Palestine-Global, and South Africa-Palestine Mental Health Networks have created two surveys to understand how the genocide in Palestine is affecting the health and well-being of those witnessing it. These surveys are based on symptoms commonly linked to vicarious trauma and those identified in Sick from Genocide, a campaign by Doctors Against Genocide. Impact of the Genocide in Palestine on Health and Well-being (Based on Sick from Genocide) https://forms.gle/ZHYHJdpVNEW3PCmu5 Impact of the Genocide in Palestine on Mental Health Professionals https://forms.gle/AqFYHv8tF5hAqBHbA Your participation helps: Show how deeply the crisis impacts people worldwide. Bring awareness to the urgent mental health implications. Inform advocacy and support efforts. 5. Need support? 5a) Mental health professionals worldwide are offering one free consultation session. To access this service, email info@pgmhn.org with the subject line “Sick from Genocide.” 5b) UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 10 February at 1pm (UK time) (and every Monday at this 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 contact 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 The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is one of 24 national mental health networks working under the umbrella of the Palestinian-led Palestine-Global Mental Health Network.The Global-Mental Health Network has recntly grown from 19 to 24 member countries and here is the new mega-logo! Palestine, Algeria, Australia, Canada Chile Belgium, Brasil Egypt France Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States |
UKPALMHN mailing 29 January
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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.  |
UKPALMHN mailing 22 January
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| FEATURED EVENT UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 27 January 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. New Zoom link: Please contact 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 Yasser Abu Jamei in Conversation with Gwyn Daniel: “Without Hope, We Won’t Be Here” A recording of the important, recent webinar launching the second report from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. It starts with a summary of the findings of the new report by Lama Khouri (Palestinian Psychoanalyst and Co-founder of the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network). There follows Reflections from Victoria Brittain (journalist and author). Then there is a conversation between Gwyn Daniel (family therapist, writer, and activist and UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Steering Group member) and Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei (Director General of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sznGHXJj6ak Full details about the event: https://www.gazamentalhealth.org/ New GCMHP report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lPphwxrMmOrBes74gKkNmQgUhHhHNk9J/view “If my hand survives, this is my name”; Gaza’s children under genocide An article by Gwyn Daniel (UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Steering Group member). The French version of this article appeared in the January 2025 edition of Palestine Solidarité, the trimestrial magazine of the AFPS (Association France Palestine Solidarité) in a special “dossier” entitled “Palestine en Souffrance”. The dossier also features articles by Dr Samah Jabr and Dr Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian. “The brutal truth behind the suffering inflicted on Gaza’s children over the past fourteen months of genocidal onslaught is that in a settler colonial state, indigenous children are not supposed to have a future.” https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/if-my-hand-survives/ Comments are enabled on this page. We welcome feedback about the issues raised in this article. It’s Bisan from Gaza, and the rubble is still home Roofs are on the verge of collapse, walls are missing, and there are health risks everywhere – this is what the people of Khan Younis face as they return to the rubble of their homes after the Israeli army withdrew from the city. Dust from debris fills the air, and every step is dangerous – yet they choose to stay and restore what’s left. As they told Bisan: “A room in my home is better than a palace elsewhere.” https://youtu.be/60mWXBhOmkc Gaza’s devastated health system needs $10bn, at least five years to rebuild: WHO The UN estimates reconstruction of the strip could cost up to $80 billion and take 15 years due to the destruction from Israeli bombing https://thecradle.co/articles/gazas-devastated-health-system-needs-10bn-at-least-five-years-to-rebuild-who Bethlehem University fundraiser in honour of nomination of Prof. Qumsiyeh for the Nobel Peace Prize Bethlehem University is honoured to announce that Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, founder and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History (PMNH) and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS), has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. To commemorate this milestone, Bethlehem University is launching a global fundraising campaign to support the ongoing educational and research initiatives led by PMNH and PIBS. Contributions to the campaign will enable Bethlehem University to expand its impact in Palestine and beyond, fostering peace, sustainability, and innovation. To make a donation: https://www.bethlehem.edu/ic/pmnh/ 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).” From the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott EVENTS UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 27 January 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. New 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 The Palestinian Struggle in the Trump Era Thursday 23 January at 5:00pm (UK time) Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions UK Webinar This webinar will focus on what we consider to be the biggest threat to the Palestinians since the Nakba: Trump’s imminent return to the process of normalisation which will legitimise Israel’s apartheid regime and carries the danger of erasing the Palestinian issue altogether. Jeff Halper, Director, ICAHD, will moderate a discussion with Prof Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he serves as coordinator of the programme in Middle Eastern Studies. https://mailchi.mp/a4255a2dd96b/trump-biggest-threat-since-the-nakba-update-webinar?e=9b3c8edd3a (scroll down the page to find this webinar) Forest of Noise: Webinar with Mosab Abu Toha Tuesday 28 January at 6pm (UK) Organised by the Amos Trust We are delighted to have Mosab Abu Toha join us on Tuesday 28th January. He will read from his latest remarkable and critically acclaimed poetry book, Forest of Noise, and discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza and what the future may hold. https://mailchi.mp/amostrust/forest-of-noise-webinar-1 From Ground Zero: Untold stories from Gaza (film screenings) Between Friday 24 January to Thursday 13 February on multiple dates and times Palestine House, WC1V 6JJ Recently shortlisted for this year’s Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category, From Ground Zero is a ground-breaking collection of 22 short films crafted by Palestinian filmmakers living through the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Each short film, spanning 3 to 6 minutes, explores the struggles and hopes of life under siege through various genres, including fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental cinema. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/palestinehouse/1528890 Held Without Charge (webinar) Tuesday 4 February at 6pm (UK time ) (please note this re-arranged date) 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 Addammeer 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 Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions: Extended Study Tour “Visit Palestine/Israel on an Extended Study Tour that will change your life” Monday, 31 March to Thursday, 10 April 2025 https://icahd.org/extended-study-tours/ FEATURED ACTION Write to your MP: UK Government action required by 29 January to prevent Israel’s ban on UNRWA Organised by the Balfour Project Unless Benjamin Netanyahu changes course, Israel will compel UNRWA to stop operating in Israel and Palestine (the Occupied Palestinian Territory) by 30 January. Yet more Palestinian civilians will die of hunger in Gaza, and West Bank refugees will suffer grievously. Please write to your MP now to press our Government to work urgently to prevent this destructive action by the Israeli Government. UNRWA is literally irreplaceable in Gaza, and delivers essential health and education services in the West Bank. https://balfourproject.eaction.org.uk/unrwa 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. |
UKPALMHN mailing 15 January
FEATURED EVENT
“Without Hope, We Wouldn’t Be Here”
Thursday 16 January from 6pm- 8pm (UK time)
Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP),
Palestine-Global Mental Health Network,
Gaza Mental Health Foundation, and
No Child A Target Campaign
Are proud to announce a joint event launching the second report from GCMHP
| About the event This event will explore how Gaza’s mental health professionals continue to work under siege, providing care and hope amidst unimaginable challenges. It will shed light how Gaza’s people survive the ongoing genocide. It will highlight the need for global solidarity and effective support. Join us for this critical conversation. Your participation matters. Register for the meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TnpRhaPkRRC9Acf0zEhTog#/registration Full details about the event: https://www.pgmhn.org/announcement/conversation-between-gwyn-daniel-and-yasser-and-abu-jamei New GCMHP report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lPphwxrMmOrBes74gKkNmQgUhHhHNk9J/view National March for Palestine Saturday 18 January New Assembly point: 12 noon in Whitehall, London. https://palestinecampaign.org/we-will-march-against-israels-genocide-and-bbc-bias/ Metropolitan Police ban Palestine protest outside BBC This is about smearing those who oppose genocide as hateful extremists – while cheerleaders for depravity style themselves as mainstream moderates https://www.owenjones.news/p/metropolitan-police-ban-palestine We will have the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network banner at the march. We will assemble at 12 noon on the south-west corner of Parliament Square next to the statue of Nelson Mandela. All are welcome to join us and meet other members of the Network. (There has been some building work recently on Parliament Square. If the Square is not accessible then we will be visible close by on the other side of the road on the pavement of Little George Street).   UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 20 January 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. New 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 They Cannot All Be Wrong. A collection of evidence to support claims of genocide in Gaza. A member of the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network, has created a 5 page summary of the key arguments substantiating why Israel can be said to be committing genocide in Gaza. This may be a useful reference when drafting letters and in other campaigning activities. https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/they-cannot-all-be-wrong/ Gaza: 64,000 deaths due to violence between October 2023 and June 2024, new analysis suggests An independent study by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine suggests the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza underreported the death toll due to violence by approximately 41%. The findings, published in The Lancet, indicate that approximately 3% of the population of Gaza has died due to violence with an analysis showing that 59% of these deaths were women, children, and the elderly. https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2025/gaza-64000-deaths-due-violence-between-october-2023-and-june-2024-analysis Palestinian women detail Israeli sexual assaults in Kamal Adwan raid Dozens of women report being sexually assaulted during the Kamal Adwan hospital raid last month “Before anything else happened, Maryam al-Muqayad says male Israeli troops told her to take off her clothes.Then, the soldiers took the 13-year-old Palestinian girl, dragged her by her hair and made her kneel down. When they had stopped abusing her, they forced her to leave northern Gaza, her home, and make her way south.” https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/north-gaza-palestinian-women-recall-sexual-assault-israeli-forces Soft Skin (soft film made in Gaza) Children in Gaza live under the constant threat of Israeli bombardment. Soft Skin is a short film that shows the lengths mothers are forced to go to in case the worst should happen … and the psychological impact that has on their children. Soft Skin is part of “From Ground Zero”, a collection of 22 short films made in Gaza, initiated by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi, to tell the untold stories of the current war. From Ground Zero is the official submission of Palestine in the International Feature Film category of the 97th Academy Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S6jmRHdQgc Western media can be held legally accountable for its role in the Gaza genocide An opinion piece by Craig Mokhiber Western media companies have made themselves a part of the mechanism of genocide in Palestine, and there are historical precedents for holding them accountable. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/08/western-media-can-be-held-legally-accountable-for-its-role-in-the-gaza-genocide/ EVENTS “Without Hope, We Wouldn’t Be Here” Thursday 16 January from 6pm- 8pm (UK time) Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), Palestine-Global Mental Health Network, Gaza Mental Health Foundation, and No Child A Target Campaign Are proud to announce a joint event launching the second report from GCMHP Please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TnpRhaPkRRC9Acf0zEhTog#/registration Stories of Food and Seeds of Resistance Thursday 16 January from 6.30pm to 8.30pm P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton St, London NW1 1JD Public conversation in the Palestine: Repair & Return programme. This session discusses Palestine’s embattled food and farming heritage, and considers food sovereignty as a popular form of Palestinian self-determination. https://p21.gallery/node/384 The Crisis of Public International Law: The Case of Palestine and Impunity for Genocide Thursday 16 January from 5pm – 7.30pm (UK time) From The People’s Academy of International Law Speakers include: Raji Sourani, Director of Palestinian Centre for Human Rights; Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories; https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8KXoCLCfSGCYFJrkz6ScTQ#/registration National March for Palestine Saturday 18 January New Assembly point: 12 noon in Whitehall, London. https://palestinecampaign.org/we-will-march-against-israels-genocide-and-bbc-bias/ First Palestinian Women’s Conference in Britain Sunday 19 January from 4:00pm – 7:00pm Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton, 2-8 Hanger Lane, Ealing W5 3HN An open invitation to all Palestinian women in the UK and all women who support the Palestinian cause. A unique event aimed at supporting Palestinian women, highlighting their vital role and contributions to building and developing the community, and hearing their voices and needs. Registration: https://58893.aidaform.com/the-first-conference-of-the-palestinian-woman-in-the-uk-copy For questions and more information: women@apc-uk.org UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 20 January 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. New 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 Held Without Charge- The horrific conditions experienced by Palestinians inside Israeli jails Tuesday 21 January at 6pm A webinar organised by the Amos Trust with Layan Nasir, a recently released female prisoner, and Tala Masir, a lawyer at Addameer Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. They will discuss Layan’s experience and that of thousands of other Palestinians in the Israeli judicial system. They will describe 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://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rXzvMfGETFWCu409IRbIbg#/registration Censoring Palestine – World Premiere Wednesday 22 January at 6.40pm at Genesis Cinema, 93 – 95 Mile End Road, Whitechapel, London, E1 4UJ A genocide is happening in Palestine, but the newspapers and TV aren’t telling us the truth. Even social media is being censored. Those who speak out or protest face dawn raids, arrest, detention. Dissent has been criminalised. This shocking documentary feature film exposes the most outrageous attack on free speech in modern times. With Ken Loach, Roger Waters, Alexei Sayle, Jackie Walker and many more. https://www.genesiscinema.co.uk/event/93955 Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions: Extended Study Tour “Visit Palestine/Israel on an Extended Study Tour that will change your life” Monday, 31 March to Thursday, 10 April 2025 https://icahd.org/extended-study-tours/ 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).” An interview with Omar Barghouti, the co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, a Palestinian movement inspired by the South African anti-Apartheid struggle. https://www.aljazeera.com/program/reframe/2025/1/12/do-boycotts-against-israel-work-fatima-bhutto-omar-barghouti FEATURED ACTIONWrite to your MP: UK Government action required by 29 January to prevent Israel’s ban on UNRWA Organised by the Balfour Project Unless Benjamin Netanyahu changes course, Israel will compel UNRWA to stop operating in Israel and Palestine (the Occupied Palestinian Territory) by 30 January. Yet more Palestinian civilians will die of hunger in Gaza, and West Bank refugees will suffer grievously. Please write to your MP now to press our Government to work urgently to prevent this destructive action by the Israeli Government. UNRWA is literally irreplaceable in Gaza, and delivers essential health and education services in the West Bank. https://balfourproject.eaction.org.uk/unrwa 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. |
UKPALMHN mailing 8 January
FEATURED EVENTS “WITHOUT HOPE, WE WOULDN’T BE HERE” Thursday 16 January from 6pm- 8pm (UK time) Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), Palestine-Global Mental Health Network, Gaza Mental Health Foundation, and No Child A Target Campaign are proud to announce a joint event launching the second report from GCMHP Please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TnpRhaPkRRC9Acf0zEhTog#/registration ABOUT THE EVENT This event will explore how Gaza’s mental health professionals continue to work under siege, providing care and hope amidst unimaginable challenges. It will shed light on how Gaza’s people survive the ongoing genocide. It will highlight the need for global solidarity and effective support. Join us for this critical conversation. Your participation matters. SPEAKERS AND PROGRAM Opening remarks and Introduction Lama Khouri- Palestinian Psychoanalyst and Co-founder of the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network. Reflections with Victoria Brittain – Journalist and Author Victoria will reflect on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the unthinkable conditions faced by its children and families, and the refusal of key global powers to intervene. She will draw from her recent article: Miraculously, therapeutic care for Gaza’s deeply traumatised people is happening Summary of Report Findings Lama Khouri will provide an overview of the findings from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme’s latest report: “There, People Suffer And Die”. Conversation Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei – Director General of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), and Gwyn Daniel – Family therapist, writer, and activist. This conversation will delve into the heroic work of Gaza’s mental health teams, the challenges they face, and strategies for addressing the widespread trauma and fostering community resilience. Members of the GCMHP team will also join to share on-the-ground experiences. This will be followed by Questions and Reflections and Closing Remarks UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 13 Januiary 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. Link for meeting on Monday 13 January: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81482157529?pwd=cbhcCxejZ38t3WTtybkAti9PIotL1q.1 You may want to look at this short video before the meeting #SickFromGenocide https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEgQGsBM304/?igsh=YWI2NHN6cWR4MDFm Please note: There will be a new Zoom link for Solidarity Space meetings starting from Monday 20 January: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87533983179?pwd=nQ3lHKPGmz8vzSWVaHf0HkvhZaHeLG.1 National March for Palestine Saturday 18 January Assemble at 12noon at the BBC, Portland Place, London. https://palestinecampaign.org/events/18-january-national-demonstration-for-palestine/ Genocide Sickness An insightful contribution to a recent Doctors Against Genocide webinar. “Humans are wired to be in connection with one other as a survival mechanism from birth. [… But] In this moment, we are being expected to disconnect and ‘other’ Palestinians, to cut off empathy and immerse in distracting frivolity and faux ‘self-care’. To feel helpless to protect. Accepting genocide as an inevitable condition for anyone is in opposition to our very neurobiology. Genocide Sickness is our bodies’ vehement rejection and resistance to genocide.” #SickFromGenocide https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEgQGsBM304/?igsh=YWI2NHN6cWR4MDFm Please join Amnesty International in calling for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital to be released From Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International The tweet provides detailed information about why Amnesty International has taken up Dr Hussam’s case. https://x.com/AgnesCallamard/status/1875181572166500514 Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh’s life in danger due to torture: Immediate international intervention needed for his release Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has received information that Dr. Abu Safiyeh’s health has deteriorated due to the torture he endured during his detention, particularly while being held at the Sde Teyman military base in southern Israel. Euro-Med Monitor warns of the grave risk to his life, following patterns of deliberate killings and deaths under torture previously suffered by other doctors and medical staff arrested from Gaza since October 2023. https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6587/Dr.-Hussam-Abu-Safiya%27s-life-in-danger-due-to-torture:-Immediate-international-intervention-needed-for-his-release Palestinian Healthcare Under Attack: A Call to Global Action From Dr Samah Jabr, Head of Mental Health Unit, Palestinian Ministry of Health To the global medical community: Silence is complicity. Speak out. Demand accountability. Mobilize your networks to support Palestinian health workers and challenge the weaponisation of healthcare. An attack on healthcare anywhere is an attack on humanity everywhere. It’s time to act. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/samah-jabr-25509883_palestinian-healthcare-under-attack-a-call-activity-7279403275106308096-AYbK There’s no such thing as International Law: 10-minute video of Dr Tanya Haj Hassan conveying Gaza medics message to United Nations Security Council Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan, a respected medical practitioner, addresses the UNSC, shedding light on the dire situation in Gaza. She highlights the unchecked violence and Gaza medics’ plea for justice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVtU6c4fZeo A year of shame, and many more to come By Jonathan Ofir Israeli musician and conductor The shame of Israel’s genocide in Gaza will haunt the international moral conscience and the Israeli psyche for the coming century, though Israelis, accustomed to the perpetual shaming of Germany, are unprepared for the shame they must now confront. https://mondoweiss.net/2025/01/a-year-of-shame-and-many-more-to-come Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh from Bethlehem, Palestine nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel Peace Laureate, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, has recently nominated Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh for the Nobel peace prize. Maguire said “I have great pleasure in nominating Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh for the 2025 Nobel peace prize. I have met professor Mazin and have followed his inspiring peace work for many decades. Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh is a life scientist, teacher and activist for peace, nonviolence and the sustainability of human and natural communities over the past 50 years.” https://www.peacepeople.com/nobel-peace-prize-professor-mazin-qumsiyeh-bethlehem-palestine/ EVENTS ‘Hope is a Radical Act’: Reflections on my travels in the Occupied Territory of Palestine with Miranda Pinch Thursday 9 January at 3pm UK time https://mailchi.mp/balfourproject/enewsletter-13534605?e=69c36205de No child should be a target. Ever. Tuesday 14 January at 9pm (UK time) Join us in a Praxis and Power Hour to demand protection of Palestinian children. Organised by USA-Palestine Mental Health Networks https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEvcOqvqj4rH9I3qWBbbgoCU07cPVZ6Nkuc#/registration Stories of Food and Seeds of Resistance Thursday 16 January from 6.30pm to 8.30pm P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton St, London NW1 1JD Public conversation in the Palestine: Repair & Return programme. This session discusses Palestine’s embattled food and farming heritage, and considers food sovereignty as a popular form of Palestinian self-determination. https://p21.gallery/node/384 The Crisis of Public International Law: The Case of Palestine and Impunity for Genocide Thursday 16 January from 5pm – 7.30pm (UK time) From The People’s Academy of International Law Speakers include: Raji Sourani, Director of Palestinian Centre for Human Rights; Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories; https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8KXoCLCfSGCYFJrkz6ScTQ#/registration “Without Hope, We Wouldn’t Be Here” Thursday 16 January from 6pm- 8pm (UK time) Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), Palestine-Global Mental Health Network, Gaza Mental Health Foundation, and No Child A Target Campaign Are proud to announce a joint event launching the second report from GCMHP Please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TnpRhaPkRRC9Acf0zEhTog#/registration National March for Palestine Saturday 18 January Assemble at 12 noon at the BBC, Portland Place, London. https://palestinecampaign.org/events/18-january-national-demonstration-for-palestine/ First Palestinian Women’s Conference in Britain An open invitation to all Palestinian women in the UK and all women who support the Palestinian cause. A unique event aimed at supporting Palestinian women, highlighting their vital role and contributions to building and developing the community, and hearing their voices and needs. Sunday 19 January from 4:00pm – 7:00pm Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton, 2-8 Hanger Lane, Ealing W5 3HN Registration: https://58893.aidaform.com/the-first-conference-of-the-palestinian-woman-in-the-uk-copy For questions and more information: women@apc-uk.org Censoring Palestine – World Premiere Wednesday 22 January at 6.40pm at Genesis Cinema, 93 – 95 Mile End Road, Whitechapel, London, E1 4UJ A genocide is happening in Palestine, but the newspapers and TV aren’t telling us the truth. Even social media is being censored. Those who speak out or protest face dawn raids, arrest, detention. Dissent has been criminalised. This shocking documentary feature film exposes the most outrageous attack on free speech in modern times. With Ken Loach, Roger Waters, Alexei Sayle, Jackie Walker and many more. https://www.genesiscinema.co.uk/about Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions: Extended Study Tour “Visit Palestine/Israel on an Extended Study Tour that will change your life” Monday, 31 March to Thursday, 10 April 2025 https://icahd.org/extended-study-tours/ ACTION Write to your MP: Palestinian healthcare workers under attack From Palestine Solidarity Campaign In recent days Israel has carried out multiple airstrikes across Gaza, indiscriminately killing hundreds of Palestinians. It has also intensified its attacks against hospitals, and is currently illegally detaining hundreds of healthcare workers. Please write to your MP to demand Britain ends its arms trade with Israel, and also takes action to protect healthcare workers. https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/healthcareworkers Not Another Child Not Another Hospital “Not Another Child Not Another Hospital” campaign invites medical institutions to take a long overdue stand against genocide. Healthcare workers around the world will organize vigils and hold press conferences in solidarity with hospitals and healthcare workers who have been targeted and violated during this genocide. Alongside these vigils, we will be sending letters to our institutions, urging them to join us in advocating for the following demands […] https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org/not-another-hospital-1 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/ Think it’s all hopeless? Look at this message from the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. ***NEW*** Together we are ending this genocide! BDS impacts in the second half of 2024 BDS is working! Thanks to your support, our ongoing struggle to end Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza is bearing fruit. https://bdsmovement.net/BDS-Impacts-Second-Half-2024 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. |
UKPALMHN mailing 1 January
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| UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 6 January 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 write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. ‘Hope is a Radical Act’: Reflections on my travels in the Occupied Territory of Palestine with Miranda Pinch Thursday 9 January at 3pm UK time https://mailchi.mp/balfourproject/enewsletter-13534605?e=69c36205de Webinar to launch the new report from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Thursday 16 January 6pm- 8pm (UK time) Further details to follow. The important and comprehensive new report called “’There, People Suffer And Die’: A Qualitative Analysis Report 2024” is available here: https://www.gcmhp.org/publications/4/220 Stories of Food and Seeds of Resistance Thursday 16 January from 6.30pm to 8.30pm P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton St, London NW1 1JD Public conversation in the Palestine: Repair & Return programme. This session discusses Palestine’s embattled food and farming heritage, and considers food sovereignty as a popular form of Palestinian self-determination. https://p21.gallery/node/384 National March for Palestine Saturday 18 January Assemble at 12noon at the BBC, Portland Place, London. https://palestinecampaign.org/events/18-january-national-demonstration-for-palestine/ Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions: Extended Study Tour “Visit Palestine/Israel on an Extended Study Tour that will change your life” Monday, 31 March to Thursday, 10 April 2025 https://icahd.org/extended-study-tours/ Israel-Palestine: Unresolved Group Trauma is an Obstacle for Peace Saturday 29 March 202 from 9:00am – 5:30pm Institute of Group Analysis, 1 Daleham Gardens, London NW3 5BY Speakers: Earl Hopper, Gabrielle Rifkind, Dick Blackwell, Sue Einhorn This workshop explores key aspects of man-made human suffering from a psychoanalytic, group-analytic and group attachment standpoint. It argues that, when unresolved trauma remains untreated, it is a fuel for vicious cycles of hatred, terror and destruction, as in the intractable Israel-Palestine conflict. https://members.groupanalysis.org/WorkshopsandEvents/OnlineBooking/BookingForm/tabid/92/EventId/2111/Default.aspx GENOCIDE Amnesty International (5 December 2024) Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/8668/2024/en/ Human Rights Watch (19 December 2024) Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinian civilians in Gaza of adequate access to water […] thus committing the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (19 December 2024) Our first-hand observations […] are consistent with the descriptions […] concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/life-death-trap-gaza Oxfam (12 November 2024) “… undeniable risk of genocide right now in Gaza” https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-oxfam/gaza-israel-crisis-sign-petition-call-for-ceasefire-now/ Up to date information direct from mental health practitioners in Gaza Transcript of ‘Talk to Gaza’ Zoom meeting held on 28th December 2024 This webinar included five mental health workers in Gaza and 20 people from the UK and France. Their testimonies are heart-breaking and must strenghten our resolve to take action in 2025 “E.: The situation in Gaza is getting worse and worse. Every day we wait for a ceasefire, but it is not happening. Our children are starving. It is hard to find eggs, fruit, meat. The children’s play is based around the onslaught. For example, my daughter of 3 years imagines soldiers coming and says to her imaginary friends, ‘Let’s run away, hide…’ or ‘There’s a parcel of food coming, let’s go to the door and collect it.’ She creates fantasies about preparing and cooking the food.” Transcript of meeting: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/ptc-uk-talk-to-gaza-december-2024/ Israel’s Genocidal Assault on Gaza: A recent lecture with Raz Segal Raz Segal, Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University, was among the first in his field to raise the alarm, calling Israel’s response “A Textbook Case of Genocide.” https://contendingmodernities.nd.edu/field-notes/israel-assault-on-gaza/ Another expert report finds Israel is committing genocide. The West yawns An opinion piece by Jonathan Cook Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, and Medecins Sans Frontieres are all agreed. But the Gaza genocide is now just another routine news item, buried on the inside pages. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-israel-another-expert-report-committing-genocide-west-yawns It’s Bisan from Gaza – This Is how we grow food in a genocide With Israel’s bombardment of Gaza raging on, its blockade of aid trucks has pushed the Strip to the brink of starvation. Food supplies are critically low. Fishing is nearly banned, farmland is decimated, and only 1% of poultry remains. Bisan Owda speaks with fishermen in Rafah risking their lives at sea, a resident raising chickens against the odds, and farmers reclaiming soil from rubble and planting crops in makeshift camps – determined to survive despite unimaginable hardship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adW9vKrCn7I  Kamal Adwan Hospital and Hospital Director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh Humanity Must Not Look Away: A call to protect Gaza’s healthcare system We stand with Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, in pleading with the international community: Do not remain silent as Gaza’s healthcare system is systematically destroyed. By Doctors Against Genocide and Palestine Mental Health Networks (including UK-Palestine MHN) https://mondoweiss.net/2024/12/humanity-must-not-look-away-a-call-to-protect-gazas-healthcare-system/‘ Executions, sexual assault’: Eyewitnesses describe Israeli raid of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital A new report by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has revealed the shocking conduct of Israeli army forces, including executions and sexual assault, during their recent storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip’s Beit Lahia. https://thecradle.co/articles/executions-sexual-assault-eyewitnesses-describe-israeli-raid-of-gazas-kamal-adwan-hospital Dr Hussam Abu Safiyeh’s family for his release https://x.com/GhassanAbuSitt1/status/1873770899910123732 WE WON’T BE SILENT ***Family Therapists for Palestine*** The Chair and Chief Executive of the Association of Family Therapy put out a statement on the ‘anniversary of 7 October’. A number of us wrote a letterthat was published in December 2024 in Context, the magazine of the Association of Family Therapy. In the end we had over fifty signatures. We received a response which many AFT members consider to be completely inadequate and we (FT4P) have had a meeting with AFT board members to raise this. We have encouraged those who object to the response to write to the Context editor expressing their views. If you are a Family Therapist and AFT member, please consider doing this. It matters a lot to have a critical number of voices. Gwyn Daniel is happy to support letter writing if asked: danielgwyn@gmail.com The full correspondence can be seen here: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/correspondence-with-aft-december-2024/ Psychoanalysts Opposing the Palestinian Genocide Open letter from “Psychoanalysts Talk Back” opposing the Palestinian Genocide, addressed to psychoanalytic societies, institutes, and organizations. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychoanalyststalkback/ Open Letter: https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRFPUh278gM2qpA2hNl_NCUiukAfXZuxvB3NsC_-rRt8PWYwKxsp5B9NDlIqgxFga9gA2th2fD_nfVw/pub Submission of Foreign Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons On behalf of UKPMHN and Palestine Trauma Centre UK, David Harrold and Gwyn Daniel have submitted written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons inquiry into what they call ‘The Israel-Palestine Conflict’. We will publish the text in a subsequent mailing “We are not freeing Palestine, Palestine is freeing us.” Nicole Jenes 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/ Think it’s all hopeless? Look at this message from the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. ***NEW*** Together we are ending this genocide! BDS impacts in the second half of 2024 BDS is working! Thanks to your support, our ongoing struggle to end Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza is bearing fruit. https://bdsmovement.net/BDS-Impacts-Second-Half-2024 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. |
UKPALMHN mailing 18 December
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| Music and Poetry for Gaza Saturday 21 December doors at 6pm, programme from 7pm The Jago, 440 Kingsland Road E8 4AA Dive into an evening of soulful music, food, and artistic merch at the Cultural Fest for Gaza! https://buymeacoffee.com/coffeeforwatermelon/e/341234 UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 30 December at 1pm (UK time) There will not be a meeting on Monday 23 December 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 email ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to the meeting. Webinar to launch the new report from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Thursday 16 January 6pm- 8pm (UK time) Further details to follow. The important and comprehensive new report called “’There, People Suffer And Die’: A Qualitative Analysis Report 2024” is available here: https://www.gcmhp.org/publications/4/220 Stories of Food and Seeds of Resistance Thursday 16 January from 6.30pm to 8.30pm P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton St, London NW1 1JD Public conversation in the Palestine: Repair & Return programme. This session discusses Palestine’s embattled food and farming heritage, and considers food sovereignty as a popular form of Palestinian self-determination. https://p21.gallery/node/384 “Within a single week, the family “El kahlout” lost more than fifty martyrs. Among them was my sister’s family, now completely erased from the civil registry—parents, children, grandchildren—wiped away. This is how annihilation unfolds, and this is how we bite down on our wounds and move forward with life, distributing hope as we go. Perhaps God will protect those of us who remain, and preserve what little is left to us: faith and reason.” Dr Said Al Kahlout This awful message is from Dr Said Al Kahlout, Psychiatrist, Palestine Trauma Centre in Gaza. Many subscribers will have seen Dr Said at the recent Cafe Palestine, or in the recording, reading his poem Have You Seen Hunger? https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/have-you-seen-hunger/ The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network has sent a message of condolence to Dr Said.  ‘We can’t give up on 1 million children’: the charity bringing psychological first aid to Gazans Dr Yasser Abu Jamei was one of the speakers at the recent Cafe Palestine. He is the psychiatrist in charge of running the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. Dr Abu Jamei and the GCMHP featured in the Guardian as one of their 2024 charity appeal partners, supported through War Child. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/07/we-cant-give-up-on-1-million-children-the-charity-bringing-psychological-first-aid-to-gazans Donate here: https://guardian.ctdonate.org/ War Child shares first study of psychological impact of war on vulnerable children in Gaza. A first of its kind report – written by Gaza based Community Training Centre for Crisis Management, who are supported by War Child Alliance – lays bare the shocking psychological impact of the ongoing war on children in Gaza. https://www.warchild.org.uk/news/war-child-shares-first-study-psychological-impact-war-vulnerable-children-gaza We Must Kill Her Very Young: On childhood and genocide in Palestine An essay by Mira Mattar, UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Steering Group member. https://decolonialhacker.org/article/we-must-kill-her-very-young Sumud Podcast with Dr Lara Sheehi Dr. Sheehi is the Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Dr. Sheehi shares her experiences growing up in Lebanon during the civil war, navigating the complexities of identity and mental health in the diaspora, and her influential work in psychoanalysis. She delves into the role of psychoanalysis in Palestine, the psychological warfare faced by Palestinians, and the profound concept of one’s soul or psyche as a form of resistance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycWCv0bNbp8&list=PLGbkNTLxpiL5aASze17xi9rwvA5BoEyeo&index=1 Enduring the Trauma of Genocide The Chris Hedges Report with Gabor Maté While the trauma that Palestinians continue to face in Gaza is sustained, brutal and seemingly never-ending, the universal susceptibility to trauma unites humanity as much as it divides the self. Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned physician and expert in trauma and childhood development seeks to make sense of the psychology, trauma and reason behind the actions of Palestinians, IDF soldiers, WWII survivors, Nazis and even himself. https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/enduring-the-trauma-of-genocide-w?r=2otfwk Learning to see in the dark This article examines the intimacy and sense of responsibility created by the fact that Palestinian journalists in Gaza are telling their own stories. We know some by their first names – Motaz, Plestia, Bisan, Hind – and they have brought us into unbearable intimacies. We watch as they weep over friends and colleagues killed, talking to us as we hear bombs and shouts around them. https://overland.org.au/2024/12/learning-to-see-in-the-dark/ I will serve my people as long as I am breathing, if we are going to die, we will not die in silence, if we are going to live, we are going to live in dignity. From Bisan in Gaza https://x.com/bisanowda01/status/1868729820383002813 Written evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry into Israel/ Palestine The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network, jointly with the Palestine Trauma Centre UK, is submitting written evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry into Israel/ Palestine. Other interested organisations can also do so here: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/78/foreign-affairs-committee/news/203961/foreign-affairs-committee-launches-inquiry-into-israelipalestinian-conflict/ FEATURED ACTION Demand the UK suspend all arms transfers to Israel now https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/suspend-arms-transfers-now 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/ Think it’s all hopeless? Look at this message from the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. ***NEW*** Together we are ending this genocide! BDS impacts in the second half of 2024 BDS is working! Thanks to your support, our ongoing struggle to end Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza is bearing fruit. https://bdsmovement.net/BDS-Impacts-Second-Half-2024 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. |
UKPALMHN mailing 11 December
Christmas Cultural Souq Saturday 14 Dec from 12:00 noon to 6:00 PM Palestine House, London WC1V 6JJ Welcome back to the monthly Souq—this time, perfectly timed for the holiday season! It’s a wonderful opportunity to shop, connect, and celebrate the season’s spirit together. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/palestinehouse/1488720 UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 16 December 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 write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. The Israeli Society and the War Wednesday 18 December at 5pm (UK time) A Conversation with Orly Noy, journalist, political activist and chair of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem. She is also an activist with the Palestinian Democratic National party, Balad. https://www.scientists4palestine.com/a-conversation-with-orly-noy/ “There, People Suffer And Die”: A Qualitative Analysis Report 2024 An important and comprehensive new report from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. In the five months since our teams in Gaza last reported from the tents, UNRWA schools and zones designated safe by the Israeli army, on the mental health of grieving and terrorised survivors of genocide, the context of these lives has significantly worsened. Our new report reveals an unimaginably challenging context for our work after many more forced evacuations into more crowded and unsafe spaces where malnutrition or starvation and contagious diseases are part of most families’ personal experience. In addition, the loss of almost all medical facilities, from the destruction of buildings, and the loss of electricity and fuel for generators, and the absence of equipment and medicines has taken a toll on everyone’s physical and mental strength. Our staff members, despite their own difficult situations and the dangers of moving around, have made a systematic survey from the grass roots of Gaza life. https://www.gcmhp.org/publications/4/220 (Click on the image to view the whole report) Miraculously, therapeutic care for Gaza’s deeply traumatised people is happening An article by Victoria Brittain related to the new GCMHP report (see above) New report details the mental health impact of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and how medical professionals are helping Palestinian survivors cope. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-mental-health-miraculously-therapeutic-care-traumatised-people-happening Cafe Palestine 37: The human effects of starvation as a weapon of war The recording is now available. In this Cafe Palestine presenters spoke about the physical and psychological effects on children, families and their communities of the deliberate policies of starvation used on the population of Gaza. We heard testimonies from within and outside Gaza. Speakers: Dr Deborah Harrington from the UK, Obstetrician and expert in maternal and infant health, recently working at al Aqsa hospital in Gaza Dr Said Al Kahlout, Psychiatrist, Palestine Trauma Centre in Gaza Dr Omar Al Buhaisi, Psychiatrist, Palestine Trauma Centre in GazaDr Yasser Abu Jamei, Director, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Dr Lama Khouri, Psychoanalyst, Palestine Global mental Health network https://ukpalmhn.com/cafe-palestine/cafe-palestine-37/ “Have you seen hunger?” A prose-poem read in Arabic by Dr. Said M. Kahlout at Cafe Palestine 37 https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/have-you-seen-hunger/ ***** FEATURED CAMPAIGN NO CHILD A TARGET INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network, in collaboration with its international counterparts, is launching an urgent campaign demanding that world governments hold Israel accountable to the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prioritizes the inherent right to life and upholds the best interests of all children. Mondoweiss article about the campaign: https://mondoweiss.net/2024/11/no-child-should-be-a-target-international-campaign-launched-to-protect-the-children-of-lebanon-and-palestine/ 14-year-old Ayham Al-Salaymeh began serving a one-year prison sentence in Israel, becoming the youngest Palestinian ever imprisoned under Israel’s military law. The case is not an isolated transgression imposed by Israel; it is a reflection of a deeply rooted system of apartheid and oppression. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241206-why-is-the-world-silent-about-israel-imprisoning-its-youngest-palestinian-child-yet/ Dr Lama Khouri, Psychoanalyst and member of the Palestine Global Mental Health Network introduces the No Child A Target campaign https://youtu.be/Rls6DuTF6CY Message to supporters of the No Child A Target campaign Thank you for supporting the No Child A Target–International campaign, which is steadily gaining momentum. The Palestine Mental Health Networks, active in 20 countries, will be launching the No Child A Target–International campaign within their respective regions. This is a long-term initiative, and we aspire for its message to echo powerfully and garner support from every corner of the globe. If you haven’t already, please sign our petition: https://ujoin.co/campaigns/3351/actions/public?action_id=4410 For those with a UK address, we encourage you to write to your MP. There is a template letter here: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/no-child-a-target-template-letter-uk/ The No Child A Target–International team kindly asks you to forward the email below to at least ten people in your network and encourage them to do the same. Your support is invaluable as we steadfastly move toward the liberation of Palestine. With gratitude, Template letter for the No Child A Target CampaignDear friends, I am reaching out to you with an urgent appeal. The lives and futures of Lebanese and Palestinian children are at stake, and your voice can truly make a difference. The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network is demanding that world governments hold Israel accountable for its war crimes against these vulnerable children. Please see this Mondoweiss article for further information: https://mondoweiss.net/2024/11/no-child-should-be-a-target-international-campaign-launched-to-protect-the-children-of-lebanon-and-palestine/ I have just taken the following three actions, and I would like to urge you to do the same: 1. Sign the International Petition: No Child A Target International. https://ujoin.co/campaigns/3351/actions/public?action_id=4410 2. If you have a UK address, please write to your MP. Follow this link: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/no-child-a-target-template-letter-uk/ 3. Please follow the campaign’s Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/no_child_a_target/ 4. Please share this email with at least 10 people in your network. Please act now. Every signature amplifies the demand for justice. Together, we can protect these children and hold Israel accountable for its actions. Thank you. ***** Contextualised trauma training in Ramallah This was organised through Medical Aid for Palestinians and led by Dr Samah Jabr https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-alan-kessedjian-2572622b_huge-respect-to-all-the-incredible-palestinian-activity-7272158093176672259-R86y/ Norway’s wealth fund divests from Israel’s Bezeq over services in West Bank Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, announced on Tuesday that it has sold all its shares in Israel’s largest telecoms group, Bezeq, as it provides telecommunication services to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/norways-wealth-fund-divests-israels-bezeq-over-services-occupied-west-bank If I Must Die (set to music by the Irish musician Sive) “If I Must Die” is a poem by Palestinian writer and professor Refaat Alareer, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on 6 December 2023. The imagery is inspired by the children of Gaza who set a world record for the most kites flown in one place on the Gaza Strip in 2011. Kites have become an international symbol of solidarity with Palestine. The music by Sive is a beautiful, haunting tribute. https://sivemusic.bandcamp.com/track/if-i-must-die 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/ Think it’s all hopeless? Look at this link celebrating the successes of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement on its 19th anniversary in July 2024: https://bdsmovement.net/BDS_Impacts-In-Times-Of-Genocide 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 