Latest Posts
Bisan Lecture series – Marwan Rashed – Universalism vs. Orientalism
We are very excited to have Professor Marwan Rashed, for the next installment of the Bisan Lecture Series, on Wednesday October 16th, at 7PM Palestine time, who will speak on “Universalism vs. Orientalism. Some Thoughts about, and in the wake of, Edward Said”. Register here to get the Zoom link!
Gaza Officials Publish List of Those Killed in Israeli Assault. The First 14 Pages Are Babies
“This is a genocide of children,” said Heba Gowayed, a sociology professor at the City University of New York’s Hunter College. Jake Johnson
Israel’s siege now blocks 83% of food aid reaching Gaza, new data reveals
Joint press release: 15 aid organisations demand international pressure for an immediate ceasefire, arms embargo, and end to Israel’s systematic aid obstruction
Help Al-Azhar University – Gaza (AUG)
Save the future of 15,000 students and about 600 employees. Join us in restoring and rebuilding AUG after the devastation caused by the war on the Gaza Strip. To know the extent of the damage and losses, join us at the Zoom link that will be available soon.
Date: Sunday, 6th, October, 2024
Time: 18:00 Palestine Time (15:00 GMT)
The Organizers Are Jewish. The Cause Is Palestinian. This College Won’t Be Hosting.
On the surface, this is a small story: A college canceled an event planned by a magazine. But it seems to be a story about something bigger: fear. Rather, it’s a story about many fears — including the fear of antisemitism, the fear of being accused of antisemitism, and the fear of controversy generally — and how they can combine to turn an institution designed to facilitate open discussion into something that makes open discussion impossible.
Developments in the economy of the Occupied PalestinianTerritory
In Gaza, the military operation decimated the remaining infrastructure an precipitated an unprecedented humanitarian and environmental crisis, as the gross domestic product fell by 81 per cent in the last quarter of 2023 and unemployment soared to 79 per cent. Prior to October 2023, 80 per cent of Gazans depended on international assistance. By the end of the year, multidimensional poverty had affected the entire population. The West Bank and East Jerusalem were not spared, as violence spread and the occupying Power tightened long-standing restrictions on movement and access. The quarterly gross domestic product shrank by 19 per cent and unemployment reached 32 per cent.
Devastation From Gaza to the West Bank
While much of the world’s attention has been concentrated on Gaza since October 7, 2023, the same Israeli policy imperatives in Gaza have been followed in the West Bank. While the level of carnage has been of a lesser degree until now, the methods and policies are the same. It has been estimated that since October 7, over 700 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed. Furthermore, the Israeli settlers have intensified their attacks on Palestinian farmers and the rate at which they are taking over their land by force, all the while benefiting from the impunity that Israel has been enjoying and the relative silence of the world.
MESA Board Joint Letter With CAF condemning the decimation of the education sector in Gaza
Various organizations have been documenting the Israeli military’s killing of Palestinian scholars and university professors. As a precise accounting is obstructed by the ongoing attacks and insecurity, we provide below only a partial list of the names and, where possible, academic affiliations of those scholars who have been killed. These individuals represent a very small percentage of those who have been integral to higher education and intellectual life in the Gaza Strip and have been catastrophically affected by death and suffering: the hundreds of faculty and staff and thousands of students and their families who have been killed in military assaults, bombings, or through prolonged exposure to starvation and disease since 7 October 2023.
Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Gaza
Since the start of the current war on Gaza, the Palestinian cultural heritage has been undergoing widespread destruction, assuming the contours of a systematic cultural obliteration which has targeted ancient sites, historic and religious buildings, the cultural scene as a whole, museums, cultural and academic buildings, public buildings and infrastructure works. The present paper offers a brief summary of policies to do with cultural heritage in Palestine, protecting cultural heritage in international humanitarian law, the role of UNESCO and similar organizations, a preliminary assessment of the destruction done to cultural sites, mechanisms for judicial follow-up, future action to be taken to assess the damage, and framing plans and programs for recovery and rebuilding.