This engaging and timely lunchtime seminar was co-hosted by the Mitchell Institute and the School of Law and took place on 7 March 2024. Two Palestinian scholars Professor Mohammed Abu-Nimer (American University) and Dr Marwan Darweish (Coventry University) delivered presentations drawing on their extensive non-violence research and activism in the region. This event was organised and chaired by Dr Erika Jiménez, QUB Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and Mitchell Institute Fellow: Rights and Social Justice, and Professor Kieran McEvoy, Senator George J. Mitchell Chair in Peace, Security and Justice, Mitchell Institute.

Prof Abu-Nimer focused on how Palestine-Israel relations have changed since 7 October 2023. 

He discussed how religious identity and symbols have been heavily deployed since 7 October as part of politics of fear to justify the scale of destruction in this war by Hamas and the Israeli right and how Israeli politicians and media outlets (including secular ones) are instrumentalising religious ideology symbols and identity into the war. He also analysed the ways that the 1.7 million 48-Palestinians (Palestinian citizens of Israel) have been silenced via various means including bans on protests against the war and the increased use surveillance. Prof Abu-Nimer argued that while there was generally a lack of recognition concerning the pain and trauma experienced because of the war and this trauma represented a real challenge to the very idea that Jews and Arabs could live together. More positively he argued, the global solidarity movement in support of Palestinians has gained momentum unlike at any stage since 1945. 

Drawing on his ongoing research and activism in the occupied West Bank, Dr Marwan Darweish spoke about enhancing unarmed civilian protection amongst Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills-Masafer Yatta. He discussed the increase in settler violence following the November 2022 Israeli general election, emboldened and encouraged by the most right-wing government in Israel’s history using the cover of the war. He pointed out that the war and restrictions on movement and travel have led to a drastic reduction in space for unarmed civilian protection. He examined the significance and challenges of ‘accompaniment’ and ‘accompaniers’ (Palestinian human rights activists, Israeli solidarity groups and internationals) and reported that the Palestinian response to challenges has been Sumud (steadfastness).  

A range of topics were explored during the lively Q and A discussion These included: 

• The challenges for those arguing within the Palestinian community for non-violent resistance in the midst of such a brutal conflict.  
• The merits and challenges of the  BDS Movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) and some of the practicalities around this when it comes to academic boycott particularly. The speakers stressed that the academic boycott meant a boycott of institutional links with Israeli academic organisations not individuals but that it is important to recognise that when academics within these institutions have challenged Israel’s discrimination against Palestinians they too can be ostracised or even suspended in their organisations. The speakers also stressed the importance of working with progressive civil society groups and how such a ‘pragmatic’ approach allowed for the involvement of Israeli actors within the struggle for Palestinian rights.  

 Dr Erika Jiménez, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and Mitchell Institute Fellow.