Human Rights in Palestine: An ongoing struggle for peace with justice

We are working with the Rotary Peace Fellows Alumni to co-sponsor an important interactive webinar on the ongoing struggle for peace with justice in Palestine. We invite you to join us on Wednesday, December 8. You can register HERE!

As part of International Human Rights week, the Rotary Peace Fellows Alumni Asian group presents this insightful panel raising the voices and personal experience of Rotarians and Rotary Peace Fellows working for an end to occupation and peace with justice in Palestine/Israel, Wednesday, December 8 at 9:00 am EST, 4:00 pm CEST and MENA, 9:00 pm/21:00 Thailand time.

This interactive webinar will focus on a broad range of peace building and organizing for change including environmental justice in Western Asia as a key to peace and sustainability; importance of diversity and inclusion of Palestinian voices in media and technology for advocacy and change; peace building and nonviolent action initiatives involving Palestinian women, youth and refugee camp residents; and anti-militarism and nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation and Palestinian oppression involving Israeli Jewish activists.

This will be a 90-minute program with time for comments and questions from participants and an announcement of the launch of a new independent Rotary Peace Fellow Alumni human rights action group and a statement of support for Palestinian human rights for the Rotary community to support and sign onto.

Moderator and Panelists:

Katherine Hughes-Fraitekh is a specialist in the Middle East in Palestine/Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Gulf States and Yemen. With more than 30 years’ experience in over 70 countries world-wide, Katherine is an expert for peacebuilding, confict transformation, human rights, and nonviolent action and organizing. She has held leadership positions in many human rights and peace and justice organizations including Peace Brigades International-USA, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, and Solidarity 2020 and Beyond. She is also a board member of DAY-Africa, Kenya, and a Rotary Peace Fellow from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh is founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at Bethlehem University. A 2020 laureate of the Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation award (which acknowledges and encourages remarkable accomplishments that represent a true source of inspiration), and the 2019 recipient of the Takreem award that honors Arab leading accomplishments (for environmental work). He has published numerous scientific papers, book chapters, and several books on topics ranging from cultural heritage to human rights to biodi- versity conservation to cancer. He serves on the board of a number of Palestinian youth and service organizations and oversees many projects related to sustainability of human and natural communi- ties. Qumsiyeh is a member of the Rotary Club of Bethlehem Palestine and the Organizing Committee of Solidarity 2020 and Beyond.

Reem Ghunaim, is a global citizen originally from Tulkarm, Palestine. She is a sought-after public speaker and consultant and is a Positive Peace Activator and a Global Peace Index Ambassador for the Institute for Economics and Peace. Reem started in Rotary as a Rotaractor in Ramallah, Palestine and later earned her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and a certificate in International Peace and Confict Resolution through a Rotary Peace Fellowship at Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center. As the immediate past Executive Director for the Rotary Action Group for Peace based in Portland, Oregon, Reem is the recipient of the 2021 Global Peace and Humanitarian Award that recognizes her transformative work and leadership. Reem is a Rotary Peace fellow from University of North Carolina and is currently leading her own company at the Founder Institute.

Suheir Freitekh is originally from Nablus and currently based in Ramallah, Palestine. She is strongly committed to peace and development exemplifed by her ongoing commitment to research and study in the eld as well as her work on peace initiatives and projects with INGOs (International Crisis Group and others) and with Palestinian NGO’s and government entities. Suheir earned a MA in Peace and Confict Resolution from a European University and is completing her second master’s degree in development and nonviolent organizing and action at the University of Haifa. She is currently a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, working on her social change initiative to empower women in Palestine through nontraditional careers and economic security.

Sahar Vardi is an Israeli anti-militarist and human rights activist from Jerusalem. Sahar led the Israel program for the American Friends Service Committee for ten years, where she founded the Database of Israeli military and Security Export (https://dimse.info/). Prior to this, Sahar worked with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, ICAHD, founded by Jeff Halper and New Profle. Sahar was involved in a protective presence/accompaniment program in the South Hebron Hills in the West Bank and is involved in grassroots anti-occupation activism in Jerusalem and throughout the Palestinian West Bank. She is a Rotary Peace Fellow at the University of Bradford in the UK.

You can register HERE!