Really excited to start today as the US Visiting Fellow of @AlShabaka, a vital organization for important work on #Palestine. My project is, I think, really important for Palestinians and allies to consider. What should Palestinian-led development actually look like? 1/6
So much of the work on Palestine, mine included, is rightfully focused on the actions and incentives of external actors—Israel, the US, the EU, the ICC, the “international community.” They play an outsized role with politics, money, etc. This analysis is vital! BUT— 2/6
Most of these levers are out of the control of the average Palestinian. The PA has dropped any pretense of being a responsive body. Palestinians have waited generations for a just political resolution. And it’s not coming. Not from the outside. Not anytime soon. 3/6
Yet, people live in Palestine. ~5 million. Nearly half are children. They still go to school, get sick, want jobs, want a dignified life. They’ve seen their parents and parents live under untold oppression, and continually be told they’re responsible for it. 4/6
So with this project at @AlShabaka, I’m going to take a different approach. How can Palestinians—with the limited control and resources they have—take control of their development? How can we rethink the Palestinian health and education systems to better serve Palestinians? 5/6
This is going to require imagination and a rethinking of what’s possible. And I don’t have all the answers, so I’m planning to talk to lots of people in these sectors and hear from them. If that’s you, please contact me! Very excited about this—will share more soon! 6/6
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🧵 As you witness the physical devastation in #Gaza (aside from the toll on lives & mental health), you might be asking yourself: 1. When will this be rebuilt? 2. Who pays for it? 3. Where will newly homeless people live? 4. What happens to orphaned children?
The answers 👇
1. A lot of it, never, due to the blockade of construction goods. 2. The Gaza Ministry of Housing will pay for some. Private money in Gaza for some more. But a lot of it- you, through tax dollars your gov uses as aid, or your donations to NGOs. Israel pays little compensation.
3. Some will move in with family, others to shelters. Some stay in their partially destroyed homes. But thousands will stay homeless, as they have for years since the last major bombings in 2014. Via @btselem: btselem.org/gaza_strip/201…
🧵Seeing a lot of interest in a "Palestine reading list." I wrote this one for an interested colleague last year and thought it might be helpful to some with the huge caveat that this is not comprehensive and no list can ever be (some titles trimmed for space) (1/x):
First, some foundational classics (a lot has changed since these came out, but still applicable and valuable): 1. The Question of Palestine- Edward Said 2. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine- Ilan Pappe 3. The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-Development- Sara Roy
Newer books, but will likely be classics: 1. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine- Rashid Khalidi 2. Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine- @4noura 3. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement- Angela Davis
In 1996, I won my school's history fair in the paper division writing about what I called then "the Arab-Israeli conflict." To be clear, I didn't win because it was any good, but because no one else at my middle school was nerdy enough to submit a paper.
(2/6)
I remember the quizzical looks from the judges. Why is this little kid writing about, what was even back then, a controversial issue? Because, based on where I was born (Nablus) & what I have seen, I couldn't not. And I know I have privilege living in the United States.
🚨 It looks like we need a thread debunking some #Oslo Accord myths, specifically on Article 17. Let's assume the faulty and erroneous premise that Oslo displaces Geneva (let's be clear, Geneva states that no agreement between occupied and occupier voids its protections). (1/5)
The often quoted line is "The Palestinian side shall continue to apply the present standards of vaccination..." In this case, the "present" is in 1995. This provision is for ROUTINE vaccinations (e.g. polio, MMR) that are widely accessible & for ailments that are rare. (2/5)
Don't believe me? Scroll down here and you can see the "routine vaccinations" in question. These are the same vaccines almost every child in the world gets.
This provision clearly has nothing to do with newly developed, emergency vaccinations. mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpol… (3/5)
Updates on #Palestinian vaccinations: After conflicting reports on negotiations between Israel/PA regarding #COVID19 vaccines (again, the PA is not required to "ask" under IHL), Israel rejected PA requests for vaccines for medical workers. (independent.co.uk/news/world/mid…).
(1/4)
Today, the Palestinian Authority reports that they won't receive their first shipments of vaccines (not from Israel, but from AstraZeneca and potentially Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Russia, and/or the WHO COVAX program for LMIC) until March: reuters.com/article/us-hea…
(2/4)
This after Netanyahu promised that all Israelis above age 16 (presumably including settlers in the West Bank) would be vaccinated by end of March, coincidentally before the next round of Israeli elections: cnn.com/world/live-new…
Seems like a lot of people are interested in the vaccination issues in #Palestine, so I've collected some additional resources you can check out to learn more about this and surrounding issues (1/10):
First, the text of the 4th Geneva Convention. Specifically, section 3 about occupied territories: un.org/en/genocidepre…
Note that most states and international bodies (UNSC, UNGA, ICJ, ICRC) continue to recognize Israel as the occupying power, even in #Gaza.
(2/10)
Now, Oslo Annex III. Here, we want to look at Article 17 regarding health, stating "The Palestinian side shall continue to apply the present standards of vaccination." Then I invite you to scroll through the rest of the provisions: mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpol…