*** CAFE PALESTINE IS BACK *** The human effects of starvation as a weapon of war Saturday 7 December 2024 4pm-6pm UK Time (6pm-8pm Palestine) (Please note slight change of time) In this Cafe Palestine presenters will speak 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 will have 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 Gaza Dr Yasser Abu Jamei, Director, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Dr Lama Khouri, Psychoanalyst, Palestine Global mental Health network Zoom link: Please write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like the Zoom link for this meeting. UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 9 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 the Zoom link for this meeting. Christmas Cultural Souq Saturday 14 Dec from 12:00 noom to 6:00 PM Palestine House, 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 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/ Healing Through the Skies: Coping With Grief Through a Therapeutic Group Activity for Children in Palestine In the Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies (published 1 December 2024) by Samah Jabr, Zaynab Hinnawi, Elizabeth Berger. The authors propose an innovative group-based therapeutic activity for traumatized children in Palestine, a one-day program creating and flying kites. The authors discuss the importance of flying within the religious and cultural background of Palestine as well as the prevalence of kite imagery in children’s books, songs, and artisanship. Link to Abstract: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps.1898 Photo reportage: Rainstorm devastates Khan Younis displacement camp Heavy rain and strong winds battered the tents of Gazans displaced by Israel’s onslaught, leaving many without any shelter for the coming winter. https://www.972mag.com/photos-rainstorm-khan-younis-tents/ +972 Magazine is an independent, non-profit media organisation of Israeli and Palestinian journalists. It is calling on readers to become a member by making a monthly contribution of any size (which you can cancel at any time). https://www.972mag.com/members/ My stories as an OB/GYN in Gaza reveal the truth of the Gaza genocide I am an obstetrician and gynecologist who has worked in Gaza throughout the Israeli genocide. I have seen the destruction of Gaza’s medical sector first-hand. My patients’ stories tell the story of the genocide. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/11/my-stories-as-an-ob-gyn-in-gaza-reveal-the-truth-of-the-gaza-genocide/ Palestinian journalists, ambulances attacked by Israeli army in central Gaza Dozens have been killed across the besieged enclave over the past 24 hours, with UN agencies describing the crisis inside Gaza as ‘apocalyptic’. https://thecradle.co/articles/palestinian-journalists-ambulances-attacked-by-israeli-army-in-central-gaza UN Says Food Availability Has Hit ‘All-Time Low’ in Gaza as Forced Famine Takes Hold The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that food availability in Gaza has reached “an all-time low” due to Israel’s blockade, leading to widespread famine and catastrophic levels of food insecurity, with aid deliveries obstructed and agricultural infrastructure destroyed. UN officials describe the situation as “appalling and apocalyptic,” with malnutrition surging and urgent calls for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian assistance to prevent further devastation. https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-food-famine “Made in Gaza: From Ground Zero” gives voice to film makers trapped in war zone Acclaimed Palestinian film maker Rashid Mashawari collated 22 short films made by Palestinians living through Israeli attacks on Gaza. Each short film features a central character and is handled in a unique manner by a different director. It creates a picture of real individuals struggling and coping in the most unimaginable circumstances. This film has been chosen as the Palestinian entry to the 2025 Oscars. https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/bristol-palestine-film-festival-ground-zero-showcases-anthology-shorts-documenting Just Say Genocide – The Problem of Truth Sadism This article critiques institutions like the Freud Museum in Vienna for their inability to confront uncomfortable political truths, particularly regarding Israeli aggression and the Palestinian genocide. It argues that inviting speakers with dissenting views, only to later disinvite or restrict their platform, reflects institutional denial and avoidance of reality, underscoring the psychoanalytic concept of “truth sadism”—the difficult reckoning with truths that demand profound personal and societal transformations. https://thebattleground.eu/2024/11/28/just-say-genocide/ Occupation Forces raid Aida Youth Center (in Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem) On the morning of Tuesday 3 December, Israeli Occupation Forces raided the Aida Youth Center, ransacking offices, confiscating documents, and leaving threatening posters warning families to prevent their children from engaging in resistance. Despite this alarming crackdown on Palestinian grassroots organizations, the Center remains resolute in its mission to provide education, support, and advocacy for the Aida camp community, inspired by its children and strengthened by international solidarity. Read the full statement from Anas Abu Srour, Executive Director of Aida Youth Center: https://mailchi.mp/9e7cd97c4e67/summer-update-from-aida-youth-center-5853534 WE WON’T BE SILENT One of the founding aims of UKPALMHN is “to encourage our colleagues individually and collectively to consider their response to the Palestinian call for boycott, sanctions and divestment (BDS).” Boycat App The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement has partnered with the Boycat App. You can install the app on Android or Apple phones and easily scan goods whilst you are in a supermarket. The results immediately let you know whether a product is on a list that is kept up to date by the BDS Movement. Don’t Buy into Occupation (DBIO) Report 2024 The DBIO coalition investigates and highlights the financial relationships between the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the businesses involved in this enterprise, and European Financial Institutions. The detailed report names and provides information about 58 companies that are actively involved with illegal Israeli settlements. It also includes a section on “Growing divestment momentum and other positive developments in 2024.” https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/reports/dont-buy-into-occupation-report-2024/ UK Government Foreign Affairs Committee Call for Evidence – The Israeli-Palestinian conflict The link provides full details about the nature of submissions to the Committee. The deadline is 31 December. https://committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evidence/3486/ 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

Week of action in solidarity with the Palestinian people Monday 25 November to Sunday 1 December A full list of action is available at this page: https://palestinecampaign.org/events/november-2024-week-of-action/ International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People Friday 29 November Download the free PDF and print your own poster to put in your window. Take a photo of the poster in your window and share it with your social media networks. https://palestinecampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/International-Day-of-Solidarity-Poster.pdf National Demonstration for Palestine Saturday 30 November – Assemble at 12 noon on Park Lane and march to Whitehall https://palestinecampaign.org/events/30-november-national-demonstration-for-palestine/ The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network banner will be at the march. We will assemble on the south west corner of Grosvenor Square, W1K 2QB at 11.45 am All are welcome to join us. Seeds of Resistance: The people stand with Gaza Saturday 30 November 7pm – 9.30pm Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue London WC2H 8EP Join us for an evening of culture, community, and music headlined by acclaimed hip-hop artist and campaigner Lowkey. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seeds-of-resistance-the-people-stand-with-gaza-tickets-1082303301309 UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 2 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 email ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to the meeting. *** CAFE PALESTINE IS BACK *** Saturday 7 December 3.45pm – 5.30pm (UK time) This will be a special Cafe Palestine round-table discussion about the physical and psychological effects on children, their parents and their communities, of the deliberate policies of starvation used as a weapon of war in Gaza. We aim to have presentations from medical and mental health practitioners and accounts from the lived experiences of our friends and colleagues in Gaza. The Zoom link will be available in next week’s mailing on Wednesday 4 December. Israeli siege leaves 130,000 kids trapped and at risk of starvation in Northern Gaza “With no food, no clean water, and constant fear, both my children have developed rashes, and my daughter is passing blood, but there is no medicine, no help, and absolutely nothing I can do,” said one mother trapped in the area. https://www.commondreams.org/news/northern-gaza-hunger-israel “A Starvation Policy”: Former UN Aid Chief on how Gaza suffering is on a “different level” Jan Egeland talks to Mehdi about his visit to Gaza, the ICC arrest warrants, and how Israel under Netanyahu is behaving like Syria under Assad. https://zeteo.com/p/israel-starvation-policy-gaza Steadfast Bisan is still reporting from Gaza … Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda documents her harrowing experience amid Israel’s war on Gaza. She criticizes the U.S. veto on the Gaza ceasefire resolution, calling it a betrayal of those suffering under relentless attacks. Owda’s reflections highlight the resilience of Gaza’s people and the failure of international intervention to protect them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuTV6hrjQW8 Erasing Palestinian Life in Gaza: Israel’s Genocide Exposed A one-hour interview from Palestine Deep Dive featuring Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, and Eyal Weizman, Director of Forensic Architecture. Forensic Architecture have published a new 800 page report titled “A Spatial Analysis of the Israeli Military’s Conduct in Gaza since October 2023” using innovative digital technology to illustrate Israel’s wholesale destruction of the Gaza Strip. https://www.palestinedeepdive.com/watch/erasing-palestinian-life-in-gaza-israels-genocide-exposed Rooted in the West Bank: 25 years of defying settler violence Uniquely spanning 25 years in a farmer’s struggle to stay steadfast, this Al-Jazeera Witness documentary is is a moving testimony to the depth of one man’s humanity in the face of intensifying settler violence and intimidation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhXIYns7ZeM WE WON’T BE SILENT Updates from activist groups working for Palestine in professional associations Social Workers for a Free Palestine Social workers, several of whom had been members of the earlier group, the Palestine-UK Social Work Network, began to organise in late 2023 and Social Workers for a Free Palestine held its online launch on 19th March. Among the Palestinians who presented was the human rights activist and former General Secretary of the Palestinian Union of Social Workers, Munther Amira. We have launched the Social Workers’ Pledge for Palestine, which can be signed by any social worker, social care worker, social work academic or student, or retired social worker. https://www.sw4palestineuk.org/ We send occasional updates to our mailing list, looking to amplify Palestinian voices, especially social work voices. If you would like to be on this list, email sw4palestineuk@gmail.com You can follow us on: X – @SW4PalestineUK Instagram – socialworkersforafreepalestine We have been working to encourage BASW, our professional association, to clearly and publicly oppose Israel’s apartheid and genocide. BASW has recently launched an “information hub” on the “Israel and Palestine/Gaza conflict” on its website: https://basw.co.uk/about-basw/international-work/israel-and-palestinegaza-conflict-baswswu-information-hub We invite others to join us in making representations to BASW about the content of this hub using this contact form: https://basw.co.uk/contact Finally, a member of Social Workers for a Free Palestine has this week engaged in direct action with Palestine Action at Elbit’s Shenstone factory to “Shut Elbit Down!” https://x.com/Pal_action/status/1861020342145204491 She said later: “My action is motivated by the same ethics we have as social workers, but I apply them to all people of the world, not only people in the UK. And I held in mind with great respect and honour all the people in Palestine I have met while being involved in the Palestine-UK Social Work Network, all the people of Palestine and with sadness all the people of Gaza killed in the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians.” As Social Workers for a Free Palestine, we are hugely proud of our colleague. Challenging Israeli “Hasbara” and “conventional wisdom” on Palestine: An anti-colonial re-framing The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions have published a new campaigning resource. Israel’s success in “selling” its wars and oppressive colonial practices lies in its ability to condense its political position into one succinct sentence. It is: “Israel is a small, democratic, Western [subtext: white] country besieged by Arab/Muslim [subtext: dark, irrational] terrorism.” To effectively counter Zionism’s manipulative framing this new resource presents a clear framing that helps people make sense of “the conflict” and more effective advocates for Palestinian rights, and that also respects the integrity of the Palestinian cause. https://icahd.org/2024/10/30/challenging-israeli-hasbara-and-conventional-wisdom-on-palestine-an-anti-colonial-reframing/ 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

When Truth Becomes the Enemy: Voices from the frontlines of Jenin Sunday 24 November at 6pm – 7.30pm (UK time) Palestinian journalist Mariam Barghouti and Jenin resident Rwanda Arqawi share their firsthand experiences with Palestinian trauma healer Ashira Darwish to reveal the human realities often obscured in Western mainstream narratives. https://we.scienceandnonduality.com/offers/oF56hjaR/checkout UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 25 November 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. If you would like a link to this meeting, please contact ukpalmhn@gmail.com Week of action in solidarity with the Palestinian people Monday 25 November to Sunday 1 December A full list of action is available at this page: https://palestinecampaign.org/events/november-2024-week-of-action/ International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People Friday 29 November Download the free PDF and print your own poster to put in your window. Take a photo of the poster in your window and share it with your social media networks. https://palestinecampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/International-Day-of-Solidarity-Poster.pdf National Demonstration for Palestine Saturday 30 November at 12 noon in central London <Details to be confirmed in the next mailing> Seeds of Resistance: The people stand with Gaza Saturday 30 November 7pm – 9.30pm Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue London WC2H 8EP Join us on Saturday, November 30th, for an evening of culture, community, and music headlined by acclaimed hip-hop artist and campaigner Lowkey. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seeds-of-resistance-the-people-stand-with-gaza-tickets-1082303301309 The Palestinians of Israel: The historical development from 1948 to present Wednesday 4 December 2024 at 3pm A webinar from the Balfour Project with Thair Abu-Ras https://mailchi.mp/balfourproject/enewsletter-13534450 Human Rights Watch: Israel’s crimes against humanity in Gaza – Mass forced displacement and widespread destruction A new 154-page report from Human Rights Watch. “Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza” examines how Israeli authorities’ conduct has led to the displacement of over 90 percent of the population of Gaza—1.9 million Palestinians—and the widespread destruction of much of Gaza over the last 13 months. Israeli forces have carried out deliberate, controlled demolitions of homes and civilian infrastructure, including in areas where they have apparent aims of creating “buffer zones” and security “corridors,” from which Palestinians are likely to be permanently displaced. Contrary to claims by Israeli officials, their actions do not comply with the laws of war. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/14/israels-crimes-against-humanity-gaza Two Palestinians die in ‘catastrophic conditions’ in Israeli prison Two Palestinian monitoring groups have warned of “catastrophic conditions” in Israeli jails after the recent deaths of two prisoners. In a joint statement, the Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society announced on Friday the deaths of Samih Suleiman Muhammad Aliwi, 61, and Anwar Shaaban Muhammad Aslim, 44. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/two-palestinians-die-catastrophic-conditions-Israeli-prisons Top genocide scholar calls Starmer and Lammy ‘hypocrites’ over Gaza stance William Schabas noted how British leaders previously voted in favour of recognising genocides in conflicts of a lesser scale than Gaza. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/top-genocide-scholar-calls-starmer-and-lammy-hypocrites-denying-gaza-genocide WE WON’T BE SILENT Updates from activist groups working for Palestine in professional associations. The Family Therapists for Palestine group was established at the end of October 2023, currently has around ninety members and meets approximately once a month. There is also a google group through which members can exchange ideas and information. We have taken various initiatives, such as encouraging our association (AFT) to take a more robust ethical stance on the genocide and challenging a statement the Chair and Chief Executive published on the anniversary of October 7th which failed even to mention Palestine. We have written a response to this signed by fifty AFT members which will be published in the next edition of Context (the magazine for family therapy and systemic practice in the UK). We will distribute this text after it is published. A group of five of us was invited to submit an article on Gaza to the Journal of Family Therapy and this has recently been submitted. A very successful webinar was held on October 21st featuring the Palestinian psychotherapist, Dr Yo’ad Ghanadry Hakim and a panel of systemic therapists, which was attended by 300 people. We were also signatories to the statement by Mental Health practitioners published in Middle East Eye on October 18th called ‘As mental health workers, we call for an end to the West’s collusion with Israel’ https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-war-uk-mental-health-workers-west-end-collusion-israel If anyone would like to join our group, please contact: Gwyn Daniel danielgwyn@gmail.com Open letter to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy requesting a public statement regarding the attacks on healthcare provision in Gaza As registered members, we urge the BACP to issue a public statement regarding the current situation affecting hospitals in Gaza. Our ethical framework emphasises respecting human rights and alleviating suffering. As mental health professionals, we believe we have a responsibility to advocate for the protection of healthcare facilities, which are protected under international humanitarian law. Irrespective of any political affiliation, healthcare services must be safeguarded for all civilians impacted by conflict […] https://openletter.earth/open-letter-to-the-bacp-requesting-a-public-statement-regarding-the-attacks-on-healthcare-provision-in-gaza-8f809ca4 No Child A Target International [The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network is the Palestinian-led umbrella organisation for the 20 national Mental Health Networks, including UKPALMHN] 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. ‘We condemn the killing of all children – no child should ever be a target and all efforts must be taken to end violence against all children.’ You can sign the petition here: https://ujoin.co/campaigns/3351/actions/public 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

Bombing tents in a so-called safe area
From the Instagram feed of brave, award-winning citizen journalist, @wizard_bisan1, in Gaza
Time: Wednesday 13-11-2024
Day 404 of the genocide, mid of the day
Location: Mawasi area of Khan Younis (safe area as they claimed)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bisan Owda (@wizard_bisan1)

UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 18 November 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. Responding to ‘Scholasticide’ in Gaza: The Role of the UK International Education and Training Community Monday 18 November from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm (UK time) A conference organised by Friends of Birzeit University. Hear first-hand from representatives of Palestinian educational institutions in Gaza and Palestine. Consider how best respond to the immediate needs of learners and educators in Gaza. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ukfiet/1399229 Global Week of Action Wednesday 20 to Friday 29 November From the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign Never again is now: Sanction Israel’s genocidal apartheid regime. Pressure states and the UN to impose lawful sanctions on Israel. The web page details five objectives of the campaign and three actions that you can take https://bdsmovement.net/UNGA-2024-Global-Week-of-Action National Demonstration for Palestine Saturday 30 November at 12 noon in central London-based <more details to follow> Professor Haim Bresheeth arrested Professor Haim Bresheeth, a friend and comrade of our network, an Israel Jew and son of holocaust survivors, was arrested on Friday 1 November in London under anti terrorism laws. You can learn the details of his ordeal in this interview. He has since been informed that no charges will be brought against him. Two things stand out for us: the sinister nature of his arrest and detention and the extraordinary courage, determination and steadfastness he has demonstrated both during and after his detention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDJMeqU9RvQ As Millions Starve in Gaza, Israel Terminates Agreement With UNRWA ‘Restricting humanitarian access and at the same time dismantling UNRWA will add an additional layer of suffering to already unspeakable suffering’ said the U.N. agency’s commissioner-general. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-agreement-unrwa Statement of UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to the United Nations General Assembly The final paragraph: ‘The future of Palestine Refugees is a shared responsibility. My staff has given far more than we have any right to expect of them to deliver UNRWA’s mandate. They have worked for 13 months without pause, amid immense personal hardship and loss. Thanks to them, Gaza has survived until now. Today, I am asking Member States to act in defence of Palestine Refugees and of UNRWA. To do so is to defend the United Nations, which lies at the heart of our multilateral system. It is to defend our collective future, which is today in the greatest jeopardy.’ https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/statement-unrwa-commissioner-general-philippe-lazzarini-united-nations-general-assembly < An 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, divestment and sanctions’> The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement has partnered with the Boycat app The Palestinian-led BDS movement has officially partnered with Boycat, an innovative ethical shopping platform and application, in order to allow you to join consumer-focused BDS campaigns more effectively. A key element of our partnership with Boycat is the app’s tiering system, categorizing corporations based on the level of their involvement in Israel’s crimes and the priorities of the BDS movement. This allows you to focus on strategic campaigns of the BDS movement while also learning more and taking action against other complicit corporations implicated in Israel’s genocide, apartheid and illegal occupation. https://bdsmovement.net/BDS-Has-Partnered-With-Boycat-App Aid for Children and Families in Gaza The Palestinian Youth Movement is a transnational, independent, grassroots movement of Palestinian and Arab youth. It has joined with the Middle East Children’s Alliance with the hope of raising $1,000,000. The fundraiser reaffirms our unity and solidarity with Gaza and helps to fulfil our critical role to support the Palestinians of Gaza’s steadfastness in remaining on their land in the face of genocide and mass starvation.  https://www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/standwithgaza/ WE WON’T BE SILENT Updates from activist groups working for Palestine in professional associations‘ Psychoanalytic Voices for Palestine’ (PVP) is a relatively new and growing group of psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists. Our Google group offers an active platform on which we share our thoughts/feelings and any relevant Palestine-related information. From this platform actions emerge. An important focus has been our professional organisations. We have been working to try and overcome the silence regarding the extreme violence being perpetrated on Palestinians. Early this year we issued a public statement calling for the end of Israeli impunity, the upholding of International Human Rights and against silencing of our voices for Palestine by our professional organisations https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fruVb-Sb3sAT2IgWHQPbLfvU5lyXpgDSXgHTI2wWna4/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0 We are also  calling for divestment from companies implicated in war and climate damaging activities. Our inaugural public meeting at the Frontline Club in London on 10 May was entitled ‘Psychoanalytic professionals and the human catastrophe in Gaza’ and was attended by 430 people. https://youtu.be/IFRI3fFyhn0?si=00_0bR2bBnk3Eema Furthermore, a recent on-line lecture on Gaza, organised by Political Minds, had 350 attendees. Recently we signed the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network statement ‘A year of genocide, decades of impunity’ https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/a-year-of-genocide-decades-of-impunity/ A letter with over 100 signatures was sent to the Guardian, with copies to Keir Starmer, David Lammy and Rosena Allin-Khan https://ukpalmhn.com/pvp/letters-opinion-pieces-and-papers/ For further information, please see https://ukpalmhn.com/pvp/ OPINIONS ABOUT ACTIVISM The following items address ways in which Palestinian activism might change in response to changing world circumstances. The items do not necessarily reflect the views of the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network but feed into a discussion about how the Network might best achieve our Aims and Objectives. A Year of Genocide: Confronting Global Inaction A 2 ½ hour recording of a joint Red Clinic, Greene Clinic, and Psychosocial Foundation event on 26 October 2024. While we strongly recommend watching the whole recording of two and a half hours, if you are short of time the following are especially helpful in addressing activism: Lara Sheehi’s introduction Roula at 8.38 Our network colleague Lama Khouri at 35.22 Mohamed el Kurd 42.00 Another network colleague Razzan Quaran at 1.03 Tamar at 1.29 Aziz at 1.36 Elena Stein at 1.50 Finally our network colleague Rana Nashashibi at 2.01 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wivtP7uIcbo The Red Clinic has released an EP raising funds for the Ajyal Foundation/Red Clinic project to develop psychological support for Gazans. https://redclinic.bandcamp.com/album/ep-1 Keir Starmer’s Secret War on Gaza An hour long interview produced by The Thinking Muslim with Matt Kennard, a British journalist and author who co-founded Declassified UK From 42:37 the discussion looks at the need to reset the focus of the activist space. Matt argues that ‘protesting by itself, and on the same themes, is not working, and has not worked. And the Israelis are fine with it’ and that ‘the eco-system of daily protests and petitions is not working because it is not targeted not focused. Fatigue is setting in and a recalibration is required of how the pro-Palestinian movement should function’. He argues that ‘we can’t go back to what we were before. How have we changed? And how can we harness that for a free Palestine?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReL3Bh_4Yxw What does the election of Donald Trump mean for the Palestinians? 20-minute video from Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. Donald Trump will return to the role of US president with absolute power to push through his ultimate deals as he puts America first. He represents ‘transactionalism’, which is all to do with deals and is the opposite of a rules-based moral order. Trump wants to complete the Abraham Accords, with Saudi Arabia as the ‘jewel in the crown’, that will ‘normalize’ Israel on all of historic Palestine. View the recording to find out how to push-back against this and to stop the elimination of the Palestinian people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fbiGhvEQfo The role of non-violent resistance for Palestinians in the light of the Gaza war Thursday 14 November at 3pm (UK time) With Jonathan Kuttab, international human rights lawyer who was the co-founder of Al Haq, the leading Palestinian human rights organisation. https://mailchi.mp/balfourproject/enewsletter-13534420?e=69c36205de 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

Daybreak in Gaza: Stories of Palestinian Lives and Culture Friday 8 November from 6pm to 9pm St James’s Church, Sussex Gardens, Bayswater, London, W2 3UD Launch of a new book humanising the people dismissed as statistics, with drinks and mezze supper. Proceeds go to the Spafford Children’s Center, East Jerusalem. https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/TellerMunaStJamesNov24 UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 11 November 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 for a link to the meeting. Decolonization of People and Nature in Palestine and Globally Monday 11 November at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM (UK time) Bookmarks Bookshop, 1 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3QE Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh will explain why and how the colonization of Palestine led to destruction of human and natural communities. He articulates how working for environmental justice and for human rights is key to peace and sustainability. https://www.instagram.com/bookmarksthesocialistbookshop/ Palestine: Repair & Return – Stories of Women and Health Wednesday 13 November from 6.30pm – 8.30pm P21 Gallery 21-23 Chalton Street London NW1 1JD Voices of Palestinian women, health practitioners and therapists will explore the significance and crucial importance of women’s health and the actions that communities in Palestine are taking to safeguard and regenerate this major aspect of life. https://p21.gallery/node/377 The Role of Non-violent Resistance for Palestinians in the Light of the Gaza War Thursday 14 November at 3pm (UK time) With Jonathan Kuttab, international human rights lawyer who was the co-founder of Al Haq, the leading Palestinian human rights organisation. https://mailchi.mp/balfourproject/enewsletter-13534420?e=69c36205de Responding to ‘Scholasticide’ in Gaza: The Role of the UK International Education and Training Community Monday 18 November from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm (UK time) A conference organised by Friends of Birzeit University Hear first-hand from representatives of Palestinian educational institutions in Gaza and Palestinian. Consider how best respond to the immediate needs of learners and educators in Gaza. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ukfiet/1399229 Global Week of Action Wednesday 20 to Friday 29 November From the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign Never again is now: Sanction Israel’s genocidal apartheid regime. Pressure states and the UN to impose lawful sanctions on Israel. The web page details five objectives of the campaign and three actions that you can take https://bdsmovement.net/UNGA-2024-Global-Week-of-Action Recent photos from the Palestine Trauma Centre (UK) in Gaza The PTC (UK) has produced a shareable PDF file containing 19 recent pictures taken close to the location of PTC (UK). These show the desparate circumstances but also the continuing, inspiring work of the PTC (UK) team. Most of the photos are annotated and the photographers are acknowledged.The first picture is shown here and the full document is available at the link below. https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/palestine-trauma-centre-uk-photos-november-2024/ Martyrs under the Rubble This picture, taken by journalist Osama Kahlout, show the ruins of the Engineers Tower in Nuseirat. A year ago, it was targeted and destroyed. The portraits being placed here are of families whose bodies still lie under the rubble. How Israel’s starvation of Gaza is affecting Palestinians elsewhere By Samah Jabr, Head of the Mental Health Unit within the Palestinian Ministry of Health As a mental health practitioner, I increasingly encounter eating disorders among Palestinians caused by socio-political trauma. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2024/11/2/how-israels-starvation-of-gaza-is-affecting-palestinians-elsewhere Anatomy of Genocide in Gaza A powerful 90-minute presentation by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including an extended (45 minute) Q&A session with the audience and web participants. She highlights her findings in the 2024 report ‘Anatomy of a Genocide’ and describes the relationship between settler-colonialism and genocide, the genocidal acts and intent present in this current moment, and the act of ‘de-civilianizing’ Palestinians to conceal those acts and intentions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnYc7uuyr4s We Won’t Be Silent Updates from activist groups working for Palestine in professional associations The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network signed a letter along with almost 30 other organisations, calling on the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy to clarify his recent, deeply troubling comments about the definition of genocide. The letter is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FR0RoYMCS7N-gLsNq9yhE5s9qGAWs8w19tCOf8ecAo8/edit?tab=t.0 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

National Demonstration for Palestine Saturday 2 November at 12 noon from Whitehall to the US Embassy The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network banner will be at the march. We will assemble in Charing Cross station near Platform 1 at 12 noon together with colleagues from the Palestine Trauma Centre (UK). All are welcome to join us. UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 4 November 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 email ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. Liberate Mental Health – Resistance: Commitment, Militant Clarity, and Revolutionary Praxis Tuesday 5 November from 7pm – 9pm Join us for a dialogic seminar and open discussion on resistance towards and commitment to revolutionary praxis within (and without) the mental health sector. Our featured speaker is Lara Sheehi: psychoanalyst, activist, and co-author alongside Stephen Sheehi of Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine. https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6d9f4340-faea-4f80-a746-ccdee1f25a83@2e9f06b0-1669-4589-8789-10a06934dc61 Decolonization of People and Nature in Palestine and Globally Monday 11 November at 6:30pm – 8:30pm Bookmarks Bookshop, 1 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3QE Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh will explain why and how the colonization of Palestine and its transformation from a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural multi-religious state to make it a ‘Jewish state’ led to destruction of human and natural communities. He articulates how working for environmental justice and for human rights is key to peace and sustainability. https://www.instagram.com/bookmarksthesocialistbookshop/ Palestine: Repair & Return – Stories of Women and Health Wednesday 13 November from 6.30pm – 8.30pm P21 Gallery 21-23 Chalton Street London NW1 1JD Voices of Palestinian women, health practitioners, therapists will be amplified, the significance and crucial importance of women’s health will be explored and the actions that communities in Palestine are taking to safeguard and regenerate this major aspect of life will be illustrated. https://p21.gallery/node/377 The Role of Non-violent Resistance for Palestinians in the Light of the Gaza War Thursday 14 November at 3pm (UK time) With Jonathan Kuttab, international human rights lawyer who was the co-founder of Al Haq, the leading Palestinian human rights organisation. https://mailchi.mp/balfourproject/enewsletter-13534420?e=69c36205de Responding to ‘Scholasticide’ in Gaza: The Role of the UK International Education and Training Community Monday 18 November from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm (UK time) A conference organised by Friends of Birzeit University Hear first-hand from representatives of Palestinian education institutions in Gaza and Palestinian experts. Consider how best respond to the immediate needs of learners and educators in Gaza. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ukfiet/1399229 Palestine Trauma Centre (UK) update On Saturday 26 October, the Palestine Trauma Centre (UK) had a video call with a number of their staff located in Gaza and in other locations in the region. The participants provide vivid, personal testimonies about the unspeakable inhumanity of the current situation in Gaza. But also about the amazing work still being done by PTC (UK) for groups of women and children in the North and Middle Areas. It is accompanied by some recent photos. https://www.palestinetraumacentre.uk/news/uidmvy00hfkcntgaa8ejms1e4tscin Genocide as colonial erasure Report to the United Nations from the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories (Francesca Albanese) “Summary: The latest report examines the unfolding horrors in the occupied Palestinian territory. While the wholesale destruction of Gaza continues unabated, other parts of the land have not been spared. The violence that Israel has unleashed against the Palestinians post-7 October is not happening in a vacuum, but is part of a long-term intentional, systematic, State- organised forced displacement and replacement of the Palestinians. This trajectory risks causing irreparable prejudice to the very existence of the Palestinian people in Palestine. Member States must intervene now to prevent new atrocities that will further scar human history.” https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/279/68/pdf/n2427968.pdf UN rapporteur’s latest report accuses Israel of ‘settler-colonial genocide’ against Palestinians A news item summarising the key findings of Francesca Albanese’s new report. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/un-rapporteurs-latest-report-accuses-israel-of-settler-colonial-genocide-against-palestinians/3377628 Mental health professionals struggle with Gaza’s overwhelming trauma Fady is a 30-year-old psychologist working in a school in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are taking shelter. He has refused to abandon his job although traveling to work is extremely dangerous. https://electronicintifada.net/content/mental-health-professionals-struggle-gazas-overwhelming-trauma/49556 Israel’s mass detention of Palestinians is aimed to break our spirit But my own imprisonment without charge has made me more resilient. By Anas Abu Srour, Executive Director of Aida Youth Center On November 28, Israeli soldiers stopped my car at the Jaba checkpoint in the occupied West Bank and kidnapped me. I spent the following 253 days in detention without charge, without ever being told why this was happening to me. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/10/12/israels-mass-detention-of-palestinians-is-aimed-to-break-our-spirit The American Psychological Association is abandoning its commitment to human rights by refusing to speak out on Palestine The American Psychological Association claims to ‘prioritise human rights advocacy’, but if its leaders want to truly honour that commitment they must recognise and address the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza today. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/10/the-american-psychological-association-is-abandoning-its-commitment-to-human-rights-by-refusing-to-speak-out-on-palestine/ From the River to the Sea: The Palestine Issue The November edition of the Parapraxis magazine We release this special issue as one collective voice within the call for abolition, transformation, and exit. Rather than evacuating our consulting rooms and classrooms of politics, we here seek to put the centre of the world at the centre of psychoanalysis. All the proceeds of this issue will go to The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, where trying to understand and helping the victims of this ongoing catastrophe go hand-in-hand. https://www.parapraxismagazine.com/magazine Open letter to the Royal College of Nurses from Nurses for Palestine We are a group of nurses and RCN members calling on the RCN to improve their response to the ongoing humanitarian crises in Palestine and Lebanon. The purpose of this form is to provide an opportunity to RCN members (and non-members) to sign an open letter to the RCN with listed demands. The letter is also open to signature by ‘other healthcare workers’. Full open letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FEPPx5NPaCU28Tx-zBiq-cOk8Cbs2e7ZopHeSrmSlP4/edit?usp=sharing Draft RCN statement proposed by Nurses for Palestine: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FoltdKjWxw9skk142rBHn4V7ZdO6caNQCwDv0EXyYpQ/edit?usp=sharing Nurses for Palestine on Twitter: https://x.com/NursesforPal Want to take Action? Our website has a list of up to date of 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 Time is ticking by, the world is standing by A poem dedicated to Palestinians

UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 28 October at 1pm (UK time) This is an open space where people exchange their emotional responses with a view to remaining resilient amidst a constant stream of distressing news. Please contact ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to the meeting.

National Demonstration for Palestine Saturday 2 November at 12 noon from Whitehall to the US Embassy

Oath of Mental Health Professionals and Healthcare Workers for LiberationWe are proud to share this oath for Mental Health Workers produced by Dr Samah Jabr, our colleague, friend and founder member of the Palestine Global Mental Health Network. One of its strengths, in our view, is that it evokes the collective nature of struggles for liberation and the ethical positions that therapists need to take inrelation to all forms of oppression and anti-racism. While not directly mentioning Palestine, Dr Jabr nevertheless places the Palestinian struggle for freedom squarely within an anti-colonial and anti-racist framework, from which it is often excluded. The duty not to pathologise resistance is a timely reminder to all of us that, in this country, therapists who support Palestine are all too often pathologised and silenced. At present there is no request for individual practitioners to sign up to the oath but we hope that you will share it with your colleagues and present it to your professional associations, especially in relation to their equity, diversity and anti-racist committees and policies.

Oath of Mental Health Professionals and Healthcare Workers for Liberation By Dr Samah Jabr, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Assistant Clinical Professor, Author, Head of Mental Health Unit Palestine Dr Jabr reading the Oath: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAipfreSxyu/ English transcript of the Oath: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/oath-of-mental-health-professionals/

Life and Death in Gaza A film made by four Palestinians living through extraordinary times. Filming from the first days of the war, Khalid, Aya, Adam and Aseel document their own lives as they endure bombing raids, multiple evacuations, family separations and reunions, deaths, and even the birth of a new life amidst the chaos. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002412q/life-and-death-in-gaza

Israel’s ‘relentless’ pounding of northern Gaza A 6-minute Channel 4 news report on Sunday 20 October “The world cannot say it did not see this. It cannot say it didn’t know”. (Spare a thought for the brave journalists who captured this film and tell this story) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2d1kPNuF8c

‘Devastating blow to humanity’: Barred from Gaza by Israel, health workers cry out for help As the situation inside Gaza is increasingly described as “indescribable,” medical NGOs blocked from providing care to Palestinians trapped inside besieged territory demand world leaders to stop turning ‘blind eye’ to Israeli war crimes and violations of humanitarian law. https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-health-workers

As mental health workers, we call for an end to the West’s collusion with Israel An open letter from the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network and co-signed by 10 other organisations Healthcare practitioner, psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers are calling for an end to Israel’s genocidal onslaught https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-war-uk-mental-health-workers-west-end-collusion-israel

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur Occupied Palestinian Territories “In Gaza, the collective shame of the century continues unabated and unstopped, in defiance of every norm of international law and morale. The Palestinians, exhausted by relentless attacks on their bodies and souls are abandoned to their tormentors. Shocking images of summary executions, mass forced displacements, and other egregious abuses strike us, leaving us stunned and bewildered, unable to comprehend that what is happening in Gaza is truly real. What a disgraceful testament to our global failure to protect basic human rights . The United Nations, once a believed beacon of hope and a force for peace, are crumbling under the weight of this shame – and the pressure of the inaction or complicity of its most powerful member states.” https://x.com/FranceskAlbs/status/1848007903783059730

How the Media Whitewashes Israel’s Rampage A true balanced depiction of the horrors that have taken place over the last year calls not for equal treatment between the oppressor and oppressed, or between the victims of a heinous terror attack over two days and the victims of industrialized mass slaughter over twelve months. Rather, we should question where the balance is struck between attention to the atrocities and war crimes carried out by Israel and critical scrutiny of its paymasters — between the hit man and the crime boss who is supplying the guns and calling the shots. https://jacobin.com/2024/10/israel-gaza-media-bias-empire

Killing of woman harvester underscores ‘war-like’ Israeli assault on West Bank olive growers “The olive season has turned into a season of killing for the Palestinian people, whether at the hands of the Israeli army or armed settlers,” said one observer. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-attacks-olive-farmers

War on Olives A short video from Sahat featuring a clip of the non-violent activist Munther Amira who was released from so-called administrative detention earlier this year. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBMikAptYpN/

ACTIONS TO PROTEST THE GENOCIDE IN THE NORTH OF GAZA Want to take Action? Our website has a list of up to date of 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

SYMPOSIUM Sumud and Solidarity: International mental health networks united for liberation and justice Friday 18 October at 6pm – 8pm (UK time) The Brazil, Turkiye and South Africa Palestine mental health networks invite you to attend the symposium: Sumud and Solidarity – International mental health networks united for liberation and justice. Registration/Zoom link here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86135814190?pwd=NbLhfbvWsdWbJDqVZnjvfBP1Gs9XLM.1 Teach, Play, Love, from the heart of Gaza Sunday 20 October at 2pm (UK time) From the Hands Up Theatre project in collaboration with ETL Professionals for Palestine. English teachers in Gaza have been doing inspirational work teaching English through stories for traumatized children. Come to this live session to meet Ashraf and the children he’s been working with for the past six months. There will be live performances and show and tell from the children themselves. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUoc-isqDwtGNFWPqZu-imUjtgNrDc19bOU?#/registration UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 21 October at 1pm (UK time) This is an open space where people exchange their emotional responses with a view to remaining resilient amidst a constant stream of distressing news. Please contact ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. Collective care, ‘sumud” and resistance with Dr Yoa’d Ghanadry Hakim Monday 21 October at 6pm – 7.30pm (UK time) Webinar featuring recorded interview with Dr Yo’ad Ghanadry Hakim and panel discussion, Dr Ghanadry Hakim is a Palestinian psychotherapist who has presented at Cafe Palestine (Cafe no 4) and wrote a chapter for Psychoanalysis under Occupation edited by Lara and Stephen Sheehi https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-systemic-way-free-online-event-tickets-1033781527377 PalMusic’s 10th Anniversary concert Thursday 14 November at 7pm (UK time) in Southwark Cathedral This major concert will feature international masters Saied Silbak (oud) and Faris Ishaq (nay/composer), together with PalMusic UK Scholar Marc Kawwas (piano), in collaboration with the St Paul’s Sinfonia under the baton of Wissam Boustany. https://www.palmusic.org.uk/10th-anniversary-concert-at-southwark-cathedral-new-date/ UN: Gaza home to largest number of amputee children in modern history In a statement to the UN General Assembly, Lisa Doughten from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned of the dire humanitarian situation in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, saying the besieged Strip ‘is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history’. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241011-un-gaza-home-to-largest-number-of-amputee-children-in-modern-history/ Seeing and not seeing the catastrophe: Notes on fragmentation What prevents us from seeing and comprehending the catastrophe in Gaza? And why is there silence? A joint article between Professor Marie Saglio-Yatzimirsky of the France-Palestine Mental Health Network, and Professor Ana Gebrim from the Brasil-Palestine Mental Health Network. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/10/seeing-and-not-seeing-the-catastrophe-notes-on-fragmentation/ A Year of Scholasticide – The struggle for the survival of education in Gaza A Friends of Birzeit University blog post. ‘The Israeli occupation forces have demolished our buildings but our universities live on.’ Unified Statement by Gaza academics and university administrators to the world . https://fobzu.cmail19.com/t/d-e-euihryk-ijwhhckl-g/ Update on the conditions and torture violations committed against Gazan detainees A report from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. It provides an update on the situation of the detainees from Gaza who were taken by the Israeli Occupation Forces and remain under their control in various military camps and prisons. Addameer would like to stress the unlawful character of their detention as well as the inhuman treatment that residents from Gaza are subjected to […] that, in many cases, amounts to torture. https://www.addameer.org/media/5406 Hind Rajab Foundation files historic ICC complaint against 1,000 Israeli Soldiers for war crimes in Gaza The Hind Rajab Foundation, a branch of the March 30 Movement, has filed an unprecedented and historic complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against 1,000 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) soldiers for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza. These individuals, all of whom have been identified by name, are accused of participating in systematic attacks against civilians during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. https://30-3.org/news/details/25 Voices from Gaza A moving, 17-minute compilation of videos over the past year from Emmy-winning citizen journalist Bisan in Gaza https://x.com/Wizard__Bisan/status/1843902093934940380 Personal Notes from a Palestinian in the Diaspora: Thoughts on my own generational trauma The author is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist working in a Trauma Service specialising in developmental and generational Trauma. She would like to remain anonymous to protect her patients present and past. Note: Professor Veronika Cohen is mentioned in this article. Professor Cohen was shown the text and expressed a hope that it may raise awareness of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention on behalf of whom she campaigns. https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/personal-notes-from-a-palestinian-in-the-diaspora/ Want to take Action? Our website has a list of up to date of 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

‘We slept this night in complete darkness. We couldn’t even turn on our phones, not even for a faint light, because the small drones were roaming the alleys between houses, firing in all directions. We lowered the sound of our breathing so as not to draw attention.’ A ‘young friend in Gaza’ quoted by Heather Formaini in her regular mailing. Dear colleagues, UKPALMHN is issuing the urgent appeal asking you to take action on the catastrophic situation in Northern Gaza. While Israel is committing atrocities throughout the region, this is one that must be stopped before the entire population of Northern Gaza is either forcibly displaced or murdered. Please write to your MP and encourage others to do so. Here is a template letter to use if you wish. Dear MP, I/we are writing to you as a matter of extreme urgency because the population of Jabaliya refugee camp in Northern Gaza and the surrounding communities are under violent attack from Israeli forces as will soon be the whole of Northern Gaza with its remaining population of 400,000 people. This is a genocide in action and we cannot stand by while it happens. The Israeli army seeks to evacuate, starve or kill anyone who remains, in order to empty Northern Gaza of its entire Palestinian population. People who flee are being attacked as they do so. Hospitals have been ordered to evacuate. According to the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, Israeli forces have already forced over 70,000 people to flee their homes in Northern Gaza, cutting off the area and subjecting it to intense bombardment, while evacuation routes are blocked. You can imagine the horror that lies in store for the entire population of Northern Gaza if the International Community takes no steps to protect them. In January the International Court of Justice ordered measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, all of which have been ignored by Israel. The catastrophic failure of the international community to take action to enforce a ceasefire has enabled Israel to escalate its onslaught and forced displacement. While the world is distracted by the attacks on Lebanon and potential strikes against Iran, this deadly campaign of murder, forced displacement, destruction of infrastructure and starvation accelerates. I/We urge you to call upon the government to halt all arms supplies to Israel. Two further points 1 The government has declared itself to be in favour of abiding by international law, If it is serious about this intention, then it must act now to insist Israel follows the measures demanded by the ICJ. 2 The government repeats that it supports a two state solution. If it is serious about this, it has to take action to prevent Israel from blatant steps to abort this possibility by ethnically cleansing Northern Gaza, as well as stealing land all over the West Bank. The time for replacing empty slogans with action is now. Please, get together with other MP’s from whatever party or grouping who share the same moral outrage and insist that our government stops making excuses, stops uttering hollow words and takes meaningful steps. There is very little time left to stop the slaughter. Thank you Online and PDF versions of the above template letter are available here: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/ukpalmhn-urgent-action-11-october-2024/ OTHER RESOURCES: ‘Jabalia is being wiped out’: Gaza pleads for help as Israel intensifies assault One Palestinian journalist said that ‘the situation in the north is horrific and very dangerous’ and implored people to ‘please share what’s happening.’ https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-northern-gaza-2669359467 Israel subjects northern Gaza to one of the most violent campaigns of its genocide An unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is imminent as the Israeli occupation tightens its siege on the Jabalia camp and Beit Lahia project in the northern Gaza Strip for the fourth consecutive day. Israel is accelerating the pace of its genocide against the Palestinians there by carrying out “mass and planned killings, as well as widespread forced displacements”. The international community, led by the United Nations, must act swiftly and decisively to save 10s of thousands of residents who are being subjected to one of the most violent campaigns of genocide the Strip has ever witnessed. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/israel-subjects-northern-gaza-one-most-violent-campaigns-its-genocide-intl-intervention-required OTHER ACTIONS: Palestine Solidarity Campaign Letter writing campaign: Stop the extermination of Palestinians in northern Gaza Over a year into its genocidal assault on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military is now intensifying its massacres to forcibly displace the remaining Palestinian population in the north of Gaza – some 400,000 people. The situation amounts to an existential threat to Palestinians remaining in northern Gaza. Email the Foreign Secretary to demand the UK government take urgent steps, including imposing an arms embargo, to stop Israel’s extermination campaign in northern Gaza. https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/northerngaza A list of current actions you can take from a range of different organisations (including PSC, Stop the War Coalition, Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Palestine Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee) is available on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ SYMPOSIUM Sumud and Solidarity: International Mental Health Networks United for Liberation and Justice Friday 18 October at 6pm – 8pm (UK time) The Brazil, Turkiye and South Africa Palestine Mental Health Networks invite you to attend this symposium.  Speakers include Dr. Samah Jabr (Head of the Mental Health Unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Health) and Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei (Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme). Following the speakers, there will be a panel discussion as well as a Q&A session including: South Africa: Prof. Ashraf Kagee Turkey: Prof. Dr.Serdar M. Değirmencioğlu Brazil: Prof. Dr. Muna Muhammad Odeh Registration/Zoom link here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86135814190?pwd=NbLhfbvWsdWbJDqVZnjvfBP1Gs9XLM.1 Want to take Action? Our website has a list of up to date of 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

UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 14 October at 1pm (UK time) This is an open space where people exchange their emotional responses with a view to remaining resilient amidst a constant stream of distressing news. Please contact ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to the meeting. Systemic Way free online event Monday 21 October at 6pm – 7.30pmm (UK time) Webinar featuring recorded interview with Dr Yo’ad Ghanadry Hakim and panel discussion, Dr Ghanadry Hakim is a Palestinian Psychotherapist who has presented at Cafe Palestine (Cafe no 4) and wrote a chapter for Psychoanalysis under Occupation edited by Lara and Stephen Sheehi https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-systemic-way-free-online-event-tickets-1033781527377 New UKPALMHN group focusing on Palestinian infants, children, and teenagers A new group is being formed for those of us who work with/write about/research into the mental health of Palestinian infants, children and teenagers. At the moment, it is made up of child psychotherapists but other child mental health professionals are welcome to join. Our focus will be specifically on babies, children and teenagers, their compromised physical, cognitive and psychological development as a result of what is happening to them and around them. We will also be asking our professional organisations to end their silence and make their voices heard on behalf of children. Please contact us via the Network email if you are interested in joining: ukpalmhn@gmail.com A Year of Lost Childhood: Palestinian children in Gaza suffer amid ongoing Israeli genocide From Defense for Children International – Palestine It has been an impossibly long year, and we are grateful for everyone who has continued organising, protesting, advocating, and more to demand justice and protection for Palestinian children. An arms embargo, coupled with urgent accountability, will save Palestinian children’s lives. If you are organizing in support of an arms embargo, let us know how DCIP can support your efforts by replying to advocacy@dcips.org https://www.dci-palestine.org/a_year_of_lost_childhood_palestinian_children_in_gaza_suffer_amid_ongoing_israeli_genocide More women and children killed in Gaza by Israeli military than any other recent conflict in a single year More women and children have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past year than the equivalent period of any other conflict over the past two decades, new Oxfam analysis has found. https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/more-women-and-children-killed-gaza-israeli-military-any-other-recent-conflict Gaza’s broken lullaby: Genocidal unchilding and the impossibility of mothering An article by Lama Khouri of the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network. The article describes the devastating impact of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the strategies used to dismantle the social and familial structures of Palestinian people, particularly targeting women and children. It sheds light on the severe conditions and the complex layers of violence that affect these mothers, who struggle to provide a semblance of normalcy and safety for their children amidst such adversity. […] By disrupting the ability to mother and nurture, the settler colonial forces aim to erase the continuity and resilience of the Palestinian identity, culture, and community. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15240657.2024.2379204 A Humiliating Charity: How scenes of aid distribution violate the dignity of Gaza’s children From Dr. Samah Jabr, Head of the Mental Health Unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Health. https://www.instagram.com/p/DAtZMFKowdf/ Where Olive Trees Weep: Processing the trauma of occupation A 45-minute video discussion The new documentary Where the Olive Trees Weep offers a rare view into the everyday experience and psychological ramifications of occupation. Filmed in 2022 in the West Bank, the film follows Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, Israeli journalist Amira Haas, activist Ahed Tamimi, Dr. Gabor Maté, and others. On this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Chris Hedges speaks with Ashira Darwish and with the film’s directors and producers, Zaya Ralitza Benazzo and Maurizio Benazzo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol2Y8iUkz78 Israel subjects northern Gaza to one of the most violent campaigns of its genocide An unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is imminent as the Israeli occupation tightens its siege on the Jabalia camp and Beit Lahia project in the northern Gaza Strip for the fourth consecutive day. Israel is accelerating the pace of its genocide against the Palestinians there by carrying out mass and planned killings, as well as widespread forced displacements. The international community, led by the United Nations, must act swiftly and decisively to save 10s of thousands of residents who are being subjected to one of the most violent campaigns of genocide the Strip has ever witnessed. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/israel-subjects-northern-gaza-one-most-violent-campaigns-its-genocide-intl-intervention-required Launch of the Social Workers’ Pledge for Palestine If you are a social worker, social care worker, social work academic, social work student, or a retired social worker, please sign and share the Social Workers’ Pledge for Palestine. You can also sign up to receive email updates. https://www.sw4palestineuk.org/ Want to take Action? Our website has a list of up to date of 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