Joint Lecture and Tour
on Forced Population
Transfer in cooperation
with Adalah
BADIL and Adalah: the
Legal Center for Arab
Minority Rights in
Israel, implemented a
joint keynote lecture
and tour in early
August. The joint
initiative was the first
of its kind for both
organizations, although
the two NGOs have
collaborated in the past
on joint statements and
exchange of resources
and experiences.
The keynote speaker was
Professor Ilan Pappé,
social activist and
historian from the
University of Exeter.
His lecture was titled,
“Displacing Palestine:
Israel's onslaught
against the people and
their land”. The lecture
was attended by over 100
international and
Palestinian guests. To
complement the lecture,
three field tours were
implemented in East
Jerusalem, Area C’ in
Bethlehem and the Naqab
Desert, highlighting the
policies and practices
of the Israeli regime
aiming to forcibly
transfer the
Palestinians from their
homeland.
Commemoration of the
Sabra and Shatila
Massacres
BADIL and the
Alternative Information
Center in Beit Sahour
jointly coordinated an
event in commemoration
of the Sabra and Shatila
massacres of 1982. This
first-time commemoration
presented the details of
the massacres and the
context in which they
were committed. The
presentation included
screening the
testimonies of two
survivors. 35
Palestinians and
internationals attended
the event, which took
place on 17 September. A
discussion on the
implications,
consequences and
responsibilities of the
massacre followed.
See >>
Speaking Tour in the UK
For the first time,
BADIL implemented a
16-stop speaking tour in
the UK during the summer
months of June, July and
August. The speaking
tour focused on the ONEC,
and featured some of its
films: first person
testimonies documenting
violations committed
against the Palestinian
people by the state of
Israel to forcibly
displace them. The tour
was well received and
was promoted by a number
of local media outlets,
including interviews and
coverage of the various
events.
BADIL-DCI Joint Action
For the first time,
BADIL and Defense for
Children
International-Palestine
jointly implemented an
initiative to raise
awareness and train a
group of Palestinian
children on
international law, human
and child rights and
media-based forms of
expression. The
initiative aimed to
encourage the children
to engage in their
communities, and to
empower them to raise
their voices against
violations of their
rights. This year-long
initiative concluded in
a cartoon
film-screening,
photographic and art
exhibition made of the
works of the children
(held at the Palestinian
Child Arts Center in
Hebron on 13 September).
Finally, the children
viewed two films about
child rights, were
awarded certificates of
participation, and were
taken on a tour in
Hebron. See press
release on this in
Arabic >>
Tour and Discussion with
Palestinian Women of
Jerusalem
For the first time, in
cooperation with the
Palestine Women’s
Committee Union (PWCU)
and the UNDP, BADIL
participated in the
Young Women of Jerusalem
(“Al Fattah Al
Makdaseyah”) Summer
Camp. BADIL gave a
lecture on the situation
of Palestinian refugees,
the case study of
Jerusalem 20 years after
Oslo, the occupation and
the rights of
Palestinian women. BADIL
also facilitated a tour
to villages in Area C
ofthe Bethlehem
District, highlighting
realities of forced
population transfer in
those areas. The two day
event (16-17 August) was
well received by the
participants, and they
expressed an interest in
BADIL’s work as a human
rights organization.
They also talked about
the possibilities for
future collaborations
and inclusion in BADIL’s
activities.
Participation in the
international conference
“From Truth to Redress"
BADIL Resource Center
participated in the
Zochrot conference in
Tel Aviv from 29-30
September entitled “From
Truth to Redress
According to Zochrot,
“The objective of this
conference is not to
argue whether the
Palestinian refugees
have a right to return,
but to see how this
right can be realized.”[1]
BADIL’s intervention was
three-fold: a
presentation on
"Strategies and
Recommendations for
Israeli NGOs on
Realizing Return and
Promoting Justice" (day
1); a presentation on
“Establishing the Right
of Return as the Common
Principle for Struggle”
(day 2); as a
participant in the
concluding round table
“Speakers do not Cut
Corners” (day 2).In
addition, BADIL
distributed its most
recent publications. The
conference was conducted
simultaneously in three
languages and included
eight panels with more
than 30 speakers. It was
attended by more than
350 men and women, and
over 500 people from
around the world watched
it via live streaming
Hosting International
Delegations
BADIL hosted 20
international
delegationstotaling346
persons who visited the
ONEC physical space in
the third quarter of
2013.The topics of the
interactive lectures
included international
law, human rights, the
rights of return and
self-determination, the
practicalities of return
and the ONEC website as
an advocacy tool.
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