In a press conference Aug. 14 in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the Witness Center for Citizen’s Rights and Social Development launched an unprecedented campaign in Palestine, called the “100 International Intellectuals in Palestine,” with the aim of attracting the world’s most prominent thinkers to discuss the Palestinian cause and revive interest in it on the global level.
As a result of the May 17, 2010, ban imposed by the Israeli authorities barring him from visiting the West Bank, internationally renowned thinker Noam Chomsky inaugurated the campaign Aug. 15 via a video teleconference attended by intellectuals and concerned individuals in Nablus.
Chomsky addressed a message to Palestine, saying, “Israel is ignoring the two-state and one-state solutions, while endeavoring to establish a Greater Israel. The cause for the current solution’s failure was Washington’s and Israel’s disregard for the national rights of the Palestinian people.”
He reviewed the historical progress of the Palestinian cause, which has been absent from international agendas since Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, and said, “The possible solution lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which requires American and international will on par with that exhibited vis-a-vis the Iranian dossier. The opportunity today is ripe, and the American public is now more accepting and supporting of the Palestinian cause, just like their European counterparts,” who have been more supportive of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Launched in May 2014, the Witness Center endeavors to develop Palestinian citizen’s rights as a priority atop the Palestinian public opinion agenda, while making sure that citizens are involved in the social development process and their participation in Palestinian public life and policy developments.
Witness Center secretary and coordinator of the campaign Mohammad Areiqat told Al-Monitor in this regard that the goal of the “100 International Intellectuals in Palestine” campaign is “to revive the Palestinian cause in the international arena and in the psyche of the word populace, following the rapid developments taking place in the Middle East, specifically in Syria, Egypt and Yemen. These events have superseded the Palestinian cause on the global agenda and list of priorities.”
He said, “We have found that the best way to revive the Palestinian cause is to talk to international intellectuals who play an important part in the drafting of their respective countries’ policies and who possess the ability to influence their respective governments and people, as well as to mold public opinion. They can also help us reach nontraditional solutions that are not biased in favor of Israel, while forming a popular lobby that spans the world.”
In regard to the reasons for resorting to such a measure, Areiqat said, “For the past 20 years, the Palestinian Authority embarked on a diplomatic effort through negotiations with Israel under international auspices. But this diplomacy failed as a result of the international bias toward Israel, while popular diplomacy was neglected, leading to a global reduction of public interest in Palestine. The best way to revive the [Palestinian] cause in the global psyche is through popular diplomacy, through influential intellectual thinkers, who might be able to help support such diplomacy.”
Areiqat added that the campaign will host at Birzeit University on Sept. 15 Foreign Policy Journal columnist Jeremy R. Hammond, who will discuss the US elections and the influence of lobbying groups on the results thereof, particularly the Jewish lobby in the United States and its impact on the US decision-making process. Hammond will also speak about the methods employed by the Jewish lobby to secure from the American presidential candidates promises that they would serve Israeli interests.
Another figure — who has not been identified yet — has also been contacted by the Witness Center to make an appearance in October in Nablus. In addition, intellectual Michel Chossudovsky, director of the Center for Research on Globalization, will be hosted in November, when he will deliver a lecture at Bethlehem University about globalization and its effect on the Palestinian cause. Moreover, due to his inability to visit Palestine as a result of a scheduling conflict, journalist Thomas Friedman confirmed his participation and willingness to participate in a video teleconference to a Palestinian audience in Nablus at the beginning of next year, about the US media and its influence on US policies related to the Palestine cause. The future lectures will be held in different cities and universities in the West Bank.
Concerning campaign backers, Areiqat said, “Planning and preparations for the campaign were initiated by the center alone, but we managed to secure 20,000 euros [roughly $22,000] from the Norwegian government, earmarked for the travel and lodging expenses of the visiting intellectuals. We also received some backing from private Palestinian firms, such as tourism and commercial enterprises that committed to provide airline tickets to — and accommodations in — Palestine.”
Despite the fact that the campaign remains in its infancy, future opportunities abound on a multitude of levels. This might contribute in increasing its positive effects, most prominent among them, according to Areiqat, the willingness of the intellectuals who participate in the campaign to draft an article or analysis of the conferences held in the framework of the campaign, which would be distributed to the research and studies centers of their home countries, as well as organizing symposia dealing with their participation in the campaign and their support of the Palestinian cause.
In this context, Areiqat said, “French philosopher and professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Bertrand Badie, agreed to come to Palestine next year and suggested that we [as the center sponsoring this campaign] come to Paris and hold a joint lecture at the most prominent political science institute with other intellectuals about the Palestinian cause — an excellent idea that we are currently studying.”
Areiqat added that once 20 lectures for 20 different intellectuals are organized, the campaign would consider holding a joint symposium in one of Europe’s capitals. The intellectuals would be invited to publish a joint working paper on their experiences in the campaign and the possibility of developing their ideas to support the Palestinian cause. But to succeed, the idea is dependent upon finding a suitable funder.
Despite the campaign’s launch in Palestine, assessing its success and ability to engender positive results will require some time. But this is not stopping the Palestinians from devising new ideas meant to spotlight their cause in the international arena, as well as their conviction that global public opinion can play an important role in support of their rights.
Source: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/08/palestinian-initiative-world-intellectuals-debate-cause.html
Last Updated: February 1, 2021 by witness
Refuge On The Child Literature
5 Participants from Shahed took part of the project in Hatay – Turkey between the 20th of July and the 25th of July.
According to the UN Refugee Organization; the largest refugee movement in history has
taken place in the last 8 years. In 2018, more than 13 million children (under 18 years)
were accepted as legal refugees. According to the 2018 statistics, there are
more than 3.5 million of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Only one-tenth of these people live in
the camps. In addition, 8.2 million people were affected by the refugees. 85% of the
refugees live outside the camps. The main objective of some asylum seekers is to use
Turkey as a bridge to reach the European countries. This makes the program countries
relevant. The insufficient nutrition status and low living conditions of the migrant children
in the crowded camps require psychological support. Considering these facts, the basis
of our project is that identifying the needs of migrant / refugee children, incorporating
them into social life and making activities for their socialization with their peer.
At the end of our project we have accomplished;
-Having communication with refugees and listen to their problems,
-Realize different traditions of different cultures,
– Intertwine with different cultures,
-Be witnessed the living conditions of refugees.
Last Updated: February 1, 2021 by witness
Edu-Actor for Change
This seminar brought NGOs to work on capacity building for educators from different backgrounds in order to meet together and reflect & review how to strengthen the capacities in human rights education and intercultural learning.
The seminar held in Austria-Salzburg from 7-15 June 2019. Now we are working on a project we called “Raise your voice”, it’s main objective to make youth people more confident to talk about their problems, and to ask about their rights. We will make two summer camps, and we will be about 13 countries each one will held its own camp, and at the end we the participants and some of the volunteers will have the international one.
After this seminar we have a deep knowledge on EYF and Erasmus + programs, other European and national funding opportunities and now we are able to find potential partners for application. On the other hand, we have the ability to deal with the challenges we face.
Posted: February 1, 2021 by witness
Youth health rights initiative lunched
Witness Center for Citizen Rights and Social Development “Shahed” launched an initiative on health rights and community change in the Old City Of Nablus.
The Center, in cooperation with the International Committee for Health Cooperation in Denmark “IMCC” and funded by the Danish Youth Council “DUF”, launched the two-year initiative.
The initiative includes several activities in the field of enhancing the capacity of youth, raising awareness about health rights, mechanisms of community change, and awareness campaigns and activation of youth and women’s centers in the Old City.
During the preparations for the initiative, a meeting was held with Witness Center and the Mayor Of Nablus Mr. Adly yaish to discuss cooperation and partnership mechanisms in the presence of Samah Al-Kharouf Ghassan Al-Masri, members of The Municipal Council, Raja Al-Taher, director of public relations, and Anwar Mahroum, director of the Hamdi Manko Center, while Witness Center represented by Mr. Kayed Miari, the Executive Director of the Center and Ahmed Jarousheh, Projects Coordinator at the Center.
Witness Center for Citizen Rights and Community Development organized a training course in public policies with the participation of 25 young men and women from Nablus governorate.
The training is part of the initiative to enhance youth health rights in Nablus in cooperation with the Danish Foundation for Health Cooperation “IMCC” and funded by the Danish Youth Council “DUF”.
The training lasted for three days at the Beauty Inn Hotel in Ramallah.
The three-day training course dealt with health rights in Palestine, health law, public policies, mechanisms of making and adopting them, lobbying, advocacy and influencing policy making in Palestine.
Last Updated: February 1, 2021 by witness
Women & Youth Clubs
November 17, 2019
Categories
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The Center implemented its health rights initiative in close cooperation with Nablus Municipality, Hamdi Manko Center and the active youth and women’s organizations in the Old City Municipality with the participation of 60 young men and women from the Old City.
It included a series of workshops in the areas of social and environmental reality in the Old City, economic and physical conditions and their effects on the health of the citizen,
In addition to other workshops on women’s health rights and socio-economic development in the Old City of Nablus.
Witness Center also organizes an interactive meeting entitled “Presentation of the study of health needs and a meeting between the feminist institutions of the Old City of Nablus” with the aim of presenting the study of the health situation in the old city of Nablus and the formation of a nucleus of a youth network in the old city.
The meeting was attended by member of the municipal council, Samah Al-Kharouf, representative of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Razan Hindiya, representatives of the General Union of Palestinian Women in Nablus, civil society organizations in the Old City and the residents of the Old City
The attendees discussed a number of important topics, most notably a study on the most important health needs in the old town, focused on the health issues that plague the region. Citizens in the Old City area.
The meeting was attended by dozens of youth representatives of youth centers in the Old City and volunteers of the Witness Center, the International Medical Students Union at An-Najah National University.
The project comes in partnership with the Danish International Health Cooperation Foundation “IMCC” and is funded by the Danish Youth Council “DUF”.
Last Updated: February 1, 2021 by witness
100 global intellectuals to gather in Palestine
In a press conference Aug. 14 in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the Witness Center for Citizen’s Rights and Social Development launched an unprecedented campaign in Palestine, called the “100 International Intellectuals in Palestine,” with the aim of attracting the world’s most prominent thinkers to discuss the Palestinian cause and revive interest in it on the global level.
As a result of the May 17, 2010, ban imposed by the Israeli authorities barring him from visiting the West Bank, internationally renowned thinker Noam Chomsky inaugurated the campaign Aug. 15 via a video teleconference attended by intellectuals and concerned individuals in Nablus.
Chomsky addressed a message to Palestine, saying, “Israel is ignoring the two-state and one-state solutions, while endeavoring to establish a Greater Israel. The cause for the current solution’s failure was Washington’s and Israel’s disregard for the national rights of the Palestinian people.”
He reviewed the historical progress of the Palestinian cause, which has been absent from international agendas since Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, and said, “The possible solution lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which requires American and international will on par with that exhibited vis-a-vis the Iranian dossier. The opportunity today is ripe, and the American public is now more accepting and supporting of the Palestinian cause, just like their European counterparts,” who have been more supportive of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Launched in May 2014, the Witness Center endeavors to develop Palestinian citizen’s rights as a priority atop the Palestinian public opinion agenda, while making sure that citizens are involved in the social development process and their participation in Palestinian public life and policy developments.
Witness Center secretary and coordinator of the campaign Mohammad Areiqat told Al-Monitor in this regard that the goal of the “100 International Intellectuals in Palestine” campaign is “to revive the Palestinian cause in the international arena and in the psyche of the word populace, following the rapid developments taking place in the Middle East, specifically in Syria, Egypt and Yemen. These events have superseded the Palestinian cause on the global agenda and list of priorities.”
He said, “We have found that the best way to revive the Palestinian cause is to talk to international intellectuals who play an important part in the drafting of their respective countries’ policies and who possess the ability to influence their respective governments and people, as well as to mold public opinion. They can also help us reach nontraditional solutions that are not biased in favor of Israel, while forming a popular lobby that spans the world.”
In regard to the reasons for resorting to such a measure, Areiqat said, “For the past 20 years, the Palestinian Authority embarked on a diplomatic effort through negotiations with Israel under international auspices. But this diplomacy failed as a result of the international bias toward Israel, while popular diplomacy was neglected, leading to a global reduction of public interest in Palestine. The best way to revive the [Palestinian] cause in the global psyche is through popular diplomacy, through influential intellectual thinkers, who might be able to help support such diplomacy.”
Areiqat added that the campaign will host at Birzeit University on Sept. 15 Foreign Policy Journal columnist Jeremy R. Hammond, who will discuss the US elections and the influence of lobbying groups on the results thereof, particularly the Jewish lobby in the United States and its impact on the US decision-making process. Hammond will also speak about the methods employed by the Jewish lobby to secure from the American presidential candidates promises that they would serve Israeli interests.
Another figure — who has not been identified yet — has also been contacted by the Witness Center to make an appearance in October in Nablus. In addition, intellectual Michel Chossudovsky, director of the Center for Research on Globalization, will be hosted in November, when he will deliver a lecture at Bethlehem University about globalization and its effect on the Palestinian cause. Moreover, due to his inability to visit Palestine as a result of a scheduling conflict, journalist Thomas Friedman confirmed his participation and willingness to participate in a video teleconference to a Palestinian audience in Nablus at the beginning of next year, about the US media and its influence on US policies related to the Palestine cause. The future lectures will be held in different cities and universities in the West Bank.
Concerning campaign backers, Areiqat said, “Planning and preparations for the campaign were initiated by the center alone, but we managed to secure 20,000 euros [roughly $22,000] from the Norwegian government, earmarked for the travel and lodging expenses of the visiting intellectuals. We also received some backing from private Palestinian firms, such as tourism and commercial enterprises that committed to provide airline tickets to — and accommodations in — Palestine.”
Despite the fact that the campaign remains in its infancy, future opportunities abound on a multitude of levels. This might contribute in increasing its positive effects, most prominent among them, according to Areiqat, the willingness of the intellectuals who participate in the campaign to draft an article or analysis of the conferences held in the framework of the campaign, which would be distributed to the research and studies centers of their home countries, as well as organizing symposia dealing with their participation in the campaign and their support of the Palestinian cause.
In this context, Areiqat said, “French philosopher and professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Bertrand Badie, agreed to come to Palestine next year and suggested that we [as the center sponsoring this campaign] come to Paris and hold a joint lecture at the most prominent political science institute with other intellectuals about the Palestinian cause — an excellent idea that we are currently studying.”
Areiqat added that once 20 lectures for 20 different intellectuals are organized, the campaign would consider holding a joint symposium in one of Europe’s capitals. The intellectuals would be invited to publish a joint working paper on their experiences in the campaign and the possibility of developing their ideas to support the Palestinian cause. But to succeed, the idea is dependent upon finding a suitable funder.
Despite the campaign’s launch in Palestine, assessing its success and ability to engender positive results will require some time. But this is not stopping the Palestinians from devising new ideas meant to spotlight their cause in the international arena, as well as their conviction that global public opinion can play an important role in support of their rights.
Source: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/08/palestinian-initiative-world-intellectuals-debate-cause.html
Last Updated: February 1, 2021 by witness
Youth for Health Rights
The Center implemented its health rights initiative in close cooperation with Nablus Municipality, Hamdi Manko Center and the active youth and women’s organizations in the Old City Municipality with the participation of 60 young men and women from the Old City.
It included a series of workshops in the areas of social and environmental reality in the Old City, economic and physical conditions and their effects on the health of the citizen,
In addition to other workshops on women’s health rights and socio-economic development in the Old City of Nablus.
Witness Center also organizes an interactive meeting entitled “Presentation of the study of health needs and a meeting between the feminist institutions of the Old City of Nablus” with the aim of presenting the study of the health situation in the old city of Nablus and the formation of a nucleus of a youth network in the old city.
The meeting was attended by member of the municipal council, Samah Al-Kharouf, representative of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Razan Hindiya, representatives of the General Union of Palestinian Women in Nablus, civil society organizations in the Old City and the residents of the Old City
The attendees discussed a number of important topics, most notably a study on the most important health needs in the old town, focused on the health issues that plague the region. Citizens in the Old City area.
The meeting was attended by dozens of youth representatives of youth centers in the Old City and volunteers of the Witness Center, the International Medical Students Union at An-Najah National University.
The project comes in partnership with the Danish International Health Cooperation Foundation “IMCC” and is funded by the Danish Youth Council “DUF”.
Posted: January 30, 2021 by witness 1 Comment
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