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

UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 7 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 March for Palestine Saturday 5 October – Assemble 12 noon in Russell Square, Central London One Year On – End the Genocide in Gaza – Stop Arming Israel https://palestinecampaign.org/events/national-demo-for-palestine-5-october-2024/ The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network banner will be at the march. All are welcome to join us. We will meet at 12:00 noon at: Bloomsbury Square Gardens, London WC1A 2PJ This is the same location where we have assembled for previous marches from Russell Square. There is a map showing our assembly point at the end of this email. UK-Palestine Mental Health Network statement A year of genocide: decades of impunity The statement has also been signed by 10 partner organisations. As mental health practitioners, we take stock at this juncture of the impact of a year of continuous bombardment, killing, catastrophic injury, displacement, starvation and disease inflicted on the people of Gaza … The full text is available at the end of this mailing and at this link: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/a-year-of-genocide-decades-of-impunity/ Unbearable suffering: mental health consequences of the October 2023 Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip This is a new British Medical Journal Article. The authors include a member of the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network and colleagues, most of whom have spoken at previous Cafe Palestines. The onslaught on Gaza is leading to catastrophic psychological consequences which will not be limited to the short term and to those directly affected, but will have long-term, intergenerational effects. This commentary argues that to understand trauma responses among Gazans, we need to go beyond individual illness and, instead, link the biomedical sphere with the political sphere through the concept of social suffering and, thereby, expose the socio-political conditions of life and the collective trauma-inducing nature of the Israeli military occupation and repression. Addressing these complex trauma responses requires approaches that bring together the political, social and personal-level components of mental health with a focus on three factors: safety and allyship; the right to agency and acknowledgement, accountability and reparations. https://gh.bmj.com/content/9/9/e014835 Holy Redemption: Stealing Palestinian Land 55-minute world exclusive investigative documentary by TRT, a Turkish public broadcast service. The shocking, impactful documentary – with much undercover footage – unveils the violent fanaticism of armed illegal Jewish settlers who aim to uproot Palestinians from the occupied West Bank. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF6B5UVupyA Palestinian trauma, healing and olive trees 40-minute Middle East Monitor conversation with Ashira Darwish, one of the producers of ‘Where the Olive Trees Weep’, a powerful documentary about the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation. She explains that Palestinians aren’t suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, there’s been no ‘post’ for them as they continue to live under occupation and colonialism. “Ongoing stress disorder” is what they experience daily. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1m4B_HyPjY Voice notes from Gaza A moving 10-minute video In 2023, Dr Iain Overton taught a group of students in Gaza living with disabilities how to tell their stories on social media. A year on, their University lies in ruins, they are all refugees and one of them is dead. This is their story. https://x.com/iainoverton/status/1839629049301233960 Israel is torturing & abusing Palestinian prisoners, international pressure is urgently needed An article by an advocate from Addameer, the leading Palestinian prisoner support and human rights association. Since October 7, Addameer has documented a dramatic increase in the number of arbitrary arrests and detentions, the use and intensity of violence, and the gravity of the crimes committed against Palestinian detainees. In almost a year, over 10,000 Palestinians have been arrested, and the number detained by the Israeli Occupation grew from over 5,000 to 9,900. 3,332 of the detainees are under administrative detention, which means that the occupation’s military court can hold any Palestinian infinitely (no matter age or gender) for up to 6 months without any evidence or charge against them. https://www.newarab.com/opinion/tortured-abused-we-mustnt-forget-about-palestinian-prisoners Mental Health workshop for activists Thursday 10 October from 7.00-9.00 pm at Palestine House, 113 High Holborn, London WC1V 6JJ (Tickets cost £17) In observance of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, join Richmond and Kingston PSC at Palestine House for an empowering and interactive workshop. This special workshop will explore the intersections of mental health and activism, creating a safe space for activists to reflect on their own mental health needs and understand the role of solidarity in their movements. It will be led by Psychotherapist Mustafa Jayyousi, who is a Palestinian activist and psychotherapist/NLP coach. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-workshop-for-activists-with-psychotherapist-mustafa-jayyousi-tickets-1014476846557 Palestine: Repair & Return Az Theatre (London) and Theatre for Everybody (Gaza) will be presenting three performances in the series called Palestine: Repair & Return at the P21 Gallery, 21-23 Chalton Street London NW1 1JD Thur 17 Oct at 7pm – Stories of Learning and Teaching Thur 31 Oct at 7pm – Stories of Women and Health Thur 21 Nov at 7pm – Stories of Water The first event (Learning and Teaching) will present voices and stories from Palestine about how Palestinians are managing to continue learning and teaching, how communities are resisting attempts at ‘scholasticide’ and the destruction of schools and universities. https://p21.gallery/news/192 Amos Trust presents Requiem Monday 21 October at 7.30pm in Central Hall, Westminster Tickets are free but you will need to register. Requiem provides a chance to stop, to mourn and to reflect. With first-hand accounts of life in Gaza during the last year written by the young writers of We Are Not Numbers and a soundscape created by acclaimed musician and producer, Brian Eno. https://www.amostrust.org/gaza-requiem 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 UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Statement A year of genocide: decades of impunity2 October 2024 We, the following organisations dedicated to supporting mental health through justice for Palestine, issue this statement on the anniversary of October 7th 2023. One year ago, on the very day of the Hamas attacks, Israel began its genocidal onslaught on the citizens of Gaza and on its entire infrastructure. Few of us then, even as we witnessed bloodthirsty calls for annihilation from Israel’s politicians, could have predicted that in October 2024, Gaza would still be under remorseless bombardment, and its citizens under constant threat of permanent displacement and dispersal. The consequences of this lethal year for the long term physical and mental health of the citizens of Gaza and the impact on the functioning of its communities is incalculable. As mental health practitioners, we share our profound outrage, sorrow and collective shame at the enormity of what has been and continues to be inflicted on the people of Gaza. We take stock at this juncture of the impact of a year of continuous bombardment, killing, catastrophic injury, displacement, starvation and disease. While every citizen of Gaza has suffered immeasurably, we draw particular attention to the effects on children, Gaza’s citizens of the future. UNRWA Commissioner- General Phillipe Lazzarini has termed this a “War on children and their future” Denying children a future in their own land, stunting their growth both physically and psychologically is, and always has been, part of the logic of settler colonialism. Children in Gaza, if they survive, have been dealt a legacy of terrible injury and disabilities which will require years of rehabilitation in the absence of any resources to enable this. They have been evicted from their homes but also from childhood itself, either by the loss of parents and extended family or by having to take on adult tasks beyond their capabilities. One year is the entire life of a baby, half the life of a toddler and a quarter of the life of a four year old. A child of ten, surviving this past year, has the legacy of at least three previous lethal bombardments of their homes, families and communities. Children in Gaza, for whom education has been a major source of resilience and pride, now have no school buildings to return to and no prospect of any such provision. UNRWA, the main provider of schooling, has been under severe attack by Israel, which also denies the entrance into Gaza of adequate supplies of food. Uniquely among world conflicts, the citizens of Gaza have no means of escape from the relentless bombardment, snipers and killer drones. The wanton murder of civilians, destruction of vital infrastructure, despoliation of the built and natural environment, killing of healthcare workers and others providing aid have led to unparalleled outrage and protest in civil society worldwide. Shock at the initial genocidal onslaught has intensified with every passing month. And yet, despite rulings by the ICJ and the request by the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Secretary, the slaughter continues. It does so because of the active collusion and complicity of the major Western powers which, over the decades, have granted Israel absolute impunity to pursue its aggressive settler colonial expansion, land theft, ethnic cleansing, incarceration and violent suppression of human rights. As mental health practitioners we know that when no external boundaries are set and no restraints imposed on abusive and violent behaviour, the perpetrator is empowered to pursue their own interests only, objectifying and dehumanising others. As we have seen in Gaza, in the rest of occupied Palestine, in the torture chambers of Sde Teiman, and now in the massacre of Lebanese civilians, cruelty and sadism flourish in conditions of impunity. In protesting the year-long genocide in Gaza, we have called for our governments to end this impunity by demanding Israel be held accountable under international law, ending the supply of the weapons enabling this genocide and sanctioning its leaders. So far the new Labour government has made a few very modest steps in this direction and all of us in our various roles within civil society must keep up the pressure. In the past year there has been increased consciousness of the realities of Israel’s colonial, racist and apartheid practices and the complicity of world powers. Many in the ‘helping professions’ – healthcare workers, psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers – have mobilised to call for an end to collusion with Israel, to resist normalisation with its institutions and to refuse to be intimidated by strategies of silencing. One year on, we are profoundly affected by the suffering inflicted on Palestine but rather than giving into exhaustion and despair, we are more engaged than ever in the collective action required of us to abide by our professional ethics and oppose this geonicide. Gaza’s children, who are active citizens as well as victims, are asking no less of us. UK- Palestine Mental Health NetworkSocial Workers for a Free PalestineFamily Therapists for PalestineGroup Analysts for PalestinePsychoanalytic Voices for PalestineLiberate Mental HealthPsychotherapists & Counsellors for Social Responsibility(Carol Jones on behalf of) Socialist Health Alliance, LondonHealing Justice LondonCommunities for Holistic Accessible Rights-based Mental HealthThe Red Clinic The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network was founded in 2014 to promote mental wellbeing, liberation, dignity and social justice for Palestinians and all peoples and societies It is part of a worldwide movement with fifteen participating national networks. ukpalmhn@gmail.com Assembly point for UKPALMHN for National March for Palestine on Saturday 5 October at 12 noon. Bloomsbury Square Gardens, London WC1A 2PJ

UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 30 September 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 to attend this meeting. National March for Palestine Saturday 5 October – Assemble 12 noon in Russell Square, Central London One Year On – End the Genocide in Gaza – Stop Arming Israel https://palestinecampaign.org/events/national-demo-for-palestine-5-october-2024/ “The world stands upon the edge of a knife: Either we travel collectively towards a future of just peace and lawfulness – or hurtle towards anarchy and dystopia, and a world where might makes right.” From a recent statement by 39 UN Special Rapporteurs Palestine: Impact of the conflict on mental health and psychosocial support needs in Gaza ACAPS Thematic Report from September 2024 ACAPS is an independent analytical voice helping humanitarian workers, influencers, fundraisers, and donors make better-informed decisions and respond more effectively to disasters. ACAPS: https://www.acaps.org/en/ Link to report: https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/acaps-thematic-report-palestine-impact-conflict-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-needs-gaza-03-september-2024 No safe place in mind: mental health and trauma in Gaza Centre for Mental Health article from August 2024 We understand that hierarchies of global attention and care are, in fact, also products of this global inequality and we do not wish to uphold the status quo of these hierarchies through silence. https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/no-safe-place-in-mind-mental-health-and-trauma-in-gaza/ Israeli killings of Palestinian children “an extremely dark place in history”, says UN The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors compliance of state parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, recently released its findings on six state parties to the treaty, including Israel. “The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history […] I don’t think we have seen before a violation that is so massive as we’ve seen in Gaza. These are extremely grave violations that we do not often see” Bragi Gudbrandsson, vice chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), told reporters. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-killings-children-gaza-historically-unprecedented-says-un-committee Targeting childhood: Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank Defense for Children International – Palestine has recently issued a new report called “Targeting Childhood: Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank.” The report details and analyses Palestinian child fatalities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between October 7, 2023, and July 31, 2024. Israeli forces routinely targeted Palestinian children with live ammunition and aerial attacks, prevented ambulances and paramedics from reaching wounded children, and confiscated children’s bodies in violation of international law. https://www.dci-palestine.org/targeting_childhood_palestinian_children_killed_by_israeli_forces_and_settlers_in_the_occupied_west_bank Dangerous skin diseases add to the turmoil of war for children in Gaza [4-minute news item – Contains distressing content] Israel’s war is wreaking a terrible toll on Gaza’s children and it’s not just bombs and bullets killing and scarring them. Forced to flee their homes, living in squalor, disease is now rampant amongst the population, including painful skin infections. https://www.channel4.com/news/dangerous-skin-diseases-add-to-the-turmoil-of-war-for-children-in-gaza UN experts warn international order on a knife’s edge Over 50 days since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its historic Advisory Opinion, declaring that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful […] States remain paralysed in the face of the seismic shift represented by the Court’s ruling and appear unwilling or unable to take the necessary steps to meet their obligations. The report includes 14 steps that States should take immediately. https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/09/un-experts-warn-international-order-knifes-edge-urge-states-comply-icj-advisory UN General Assembly resolves to sanction Israel: Pressure your government to make this a reality On September 18th, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted for imposing sanctions on Israel for the first time in 42 years! The global majority affirmed that the historic ruling by the International Court of Justice triggers the legal obligation of all states to end complicity in Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid regime. https://bdsmovement.net/UNGA-Pressure-Your-Gov-Sanction-Israel How to prevent the erasure of Palestinians Wednesday 2 October at 3pm UK time Balfour Project webinar with Tamara El-Halawani & Dr Zahira Jaser https://balfourproject.org/erasure/ 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

National March for Palestine to the Labour Party conference Saturday 21 September at 12 noon in Liverpool End the genocide in Gaza / Stop arming Israel Assemble at: St George’s Plateau, outside Lime Street Station, Liverpool https://palestinecampaign.org/events/national-march-for-palestine-to-labour-conference/ UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 23 September 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. National March for Palestine Saturday 5 October in Central London More details to follow Documenting the Targeting and Destruction of the Health Sector in the Gaza Strip A major new initiative by The Institute for Palestine Studies documenting the genocide in Gaza. The platform “Documenting the Targeting and Destruction of the Health Sector in the Gaza Strip” presents accurate and detailed information about the Israeli assault on health during the genocidal war. This includes data on the attacks on healthcare facilities and health workers who have been killed, abducted, tortured, and maimed by Israeli forces during the genocide, and relevant statements by international organisations and healthcare institutions. These are complemented by original analysis by researchers and authors covering a range of issues in the targeting of the health sector, through which Israeli occupation forces have created a “war biosphere”. https://gazahcsector.palestine-studies.org/en/ Related to the new initiative by The Institute for Palestine Studies (see above) there is a one-hour Zoom meeting presenting the new platform With Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Dr. Layth Hanbali, and Jehad Abusalim. There were over 4,000 viewers of the webinar and reportedly hundreds of offers of help flooding in at the end of the presentation. https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1lDGLlqDRbaGm “Doctor, Am I In Heaven?” Treating Gaza’s wounded under Israeli genocide Deeply moving 6 minute video from Dr Mohammed Ashraf, a surgeon in Gaza, created by Palestine Deep Dive https://x.com/PDeepdive/status/1833135348051796321 Palestinian Health Ministry releases detailed list of more than 34,000 people killed in Gaza It also published a stat sheet of casualties over the same period (in Arabic)(available through the Twitter/X link in the MEE article). The first 14 pages of those killed list the age as 0 (under 1 year old) https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/palestinian-health-ministry-releases-detailed-list-more-34000-people Rape, torture and murder: Inside Israel’s concentration camps When Israelis rioted in July in support of 10 soldiers accused of gang-raping a Palestinian prisoner, there was disgust and shock around the world. But the horrifying sexual attack was far from an aberration. First-hand testimonies reveal that Israeli personnel are systematically inflicting rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and cruel abuse on thousands of Palestinians held in a network of prison camps. https://electronicintifada.net/content/rape-torture-and-murder-inside-israels-concentration-camps/48386 Israel’s use of sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians From The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention Based on reports from the United Nations, B’Tselem, Euro-Med Monitor, and other sources, Israel has used sexual and gender-based violence in a systematic manner against Palestinians in detention, at checkpoints, and during encounters in Gaza since 7 October 2023. The use of sexualized violence against Palestinians appears to have increased dramatically since 7 October. https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/the-genocidal-dimensions-of-israel%E2%80%99s-use-of-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-(sgbv)-against-palestinians 2025–2026 PARC Research Fellowships for Palestinian scholars focusing on Gaza The Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) announces the 26th annual PARC Palestinian research fellowship competition for Palestinian scholars focusing on Gaza. Applicants must be Palestinian doctoral students or Palestinian scholars who have earned their PhD. All Palestinians may apply regardless of their country of residence or ID. https://dev.parc-us-pal.org/fellowships-for-palestinians/ London Palestine Film Festival 2024 Friday 15 – Friday 29 November 18 separate events spread across 9 different venues. Given the urgent circumstances in the ongoing war, we open this year’s festival with an exclusive, commissioned live performance based on true events; in A Grain of Sand, theatre director Elias Matar presents an experience where imagination is crucial to navigate the violence. Closing LPFF 2024 we will have a multi-cinema screening of From Ground Zero, a portmanteau of films made in Gaza over the past year. These two sessions bookend an eclectic selection of cinema from award-winning titles to selections of short films. https://www.palestinefilm.org.uk/ The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is part of a growing international movement of Palestine Mental Health Networks under the umbrella of the Palestinian-led Palestinian-Global Mental Health Network (www.pgmhn.org/)