2016 Middle East Workshops

Intersectional Movements for Liberation and Co-resistance to Militarized Systems of Oppression, From the U.S. to Palestine

Saturday, Apr 16, 2016, 1:45 pm

Communities across contexts are impacted by militarized systems of oppression that share common roots and drivers, from the similar fear-based narratives used to justify state violence, to common suppliers of equipment, funding, and training. This panel will explore common dimensions of struggle between movements for Black and Palestinian liberation, as well as “co-resistance” movements in Israel.

Speakers:

  • Kamau Franklin, community organizer and racial justice advocate
  • Andrew Kadi, human rights activist and digital media specialist
  • Sahar Vardi, peace activist

Discriminatory Practices against Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza

Saturday, Apr 16, 2016, 3:30 pm

This workshop will look at the Israeli practices and policies that discriminate against the minority population inside Israel. It will also look at the practices and policies of the occupying power in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as discriminatory practices imposed by the Palestinian Authority on the local population.

Speakers:

  • Nadia Ben-Youssef, Esq., USA, Representative for Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
  • Zeina Azzam, Executive Director of The Jerusalem Fund and Palestine Center
  • Khaled Farrag, Palestinian Druze conscientious objector from Rama Village in the Upper Galilee

The Crisis in Syria and Iraq: How Do We Achieve a Diplomatic Solution?

Sunday, Apr 17, 2016, 2:00 pm

Co-Sponsored by the Middle East and Peace & Global Security Workshop Areas

Since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, over 200,000 people have died at the hands of the Assad regime, foreign governments, and non-state violent groups. While a political solution was successful in dismantling Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, diplomatic efforts to end the war have yet to secure a ceasefire. Bringing in experts of the region and attention to the refugee crisis, this workshop will think through how the Vienna process and broader nonviolent, reconciliation, and just peace efforts can be most successful in transforming the conflict.

Speakers:

  • Ibrahim Al-Assil, Middle East Institute
  • Yasmine Taeb, Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Moderator: Eli McCarthy, Conference of Major Superiors of Men.

Contributing Sponsors & Partner Organizations