Israel & Palestine - human rights under occupation
A humanist conversation about the ongoing situation in Palestine under Israeli occupation. How can we achieve a just peace for all? This event focusses not on blame or culpability, but on whether it is possible to arrive at a lasting and effective peace both for israelis and palestinians. We have two speakers, who share a similar concern for the situation; each of them is making their own contribution to the task of ending the current conflict. We hope their perspectives will promote an objective, informed and considered discussion about the future of the middle east. Dr. Ron Mendel is a Jewish American activist for Palestinian Liberation. Formerly a senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of Northampton , Ron was also chair of the Northampton Al Bireh Palestine Friendship Association, founded in 2013. Since relocating to Bristol, from 2018, he has been a volunteer at Bristol's Palestine Museum and Cultural Centre. Calum recently spent three months in the West Bank as a human rights monitor with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). Working with local communities and people suffering human rights abuses from the Army, settlers and police, his role was to protect human rights, and where there were abuses, to record and report on them. Calum says: 'Now that I have returned, my role is to tell the stories of the people and vulnerable communities I lived with to people, groups and elected officials back in the UK in order to advocate for upholding human rights. We practice Principled Impartiality. This means we are neither pro-Palestinian nor pro-Israeli. We are not, however, neutral when it comes to breaches of international or human rights law. We are unwavering in our belief that every person deserves to live with freedom and dignity and that states should be criticised where they do not comply with their obligations under international law.' This event is open to all. It is not ticketed so it will be 'first come, first served'. Bristol Humanists members have FREE entry; others we ask for £5/£2 to cover our costs.
