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Unfortunately the conference has been postponed in light of the current coronavirus pandemic.

There isn’t a timetable for rescheduling the event, however please sign up to our newsletter to keep an eye on future announcements of when the event will take place.

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Throughout the last century, the Palestinian people were subjected to policies that have often been described as genocidal. They included acts aimed at destroying their national culture, political autonomy and national will. A central feature of this tragedy was the destruction and depopulation of some 418-531 villages. These acts were not consequences of war; they were, in fact, carefully planned and executed.

Similar methods are being utilised in China today, where a million people are being held against their political will in internment camps in an effort to “re-educate” them. Though the charge of “crimes against humanity” has been levelled at the Chinese authorities, Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region have called out the system for its attempts to eliminate their identity through measures such as forcibly transferring children away from their families, restricting the use of their national language, banning cultural activities, destroying schools, religious institutions and historical sites.

While more than 700,000 Rohingya in Myanmar have been forced to flee as a result of military genocide in the country which threatens to wipe out all remanence of the group’s presence in the country.

Doors open at 9.30am for a 10.00am start.

Reserving a ticket does not guarantee entrance. Seats are allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis - once capacity is reached, we will not be allowing any further entries.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

The venue will be at a location near Parliament Square, London. Full venue details will be emailed to you 2 days before the event.

Speakers include:

HE Prof Celso Amorim (Brazil)

Former Minister of Foreign Relations, Brazil

Dr Salman Abu Sitta (Kuwait)

Renowned Palestinian historian and founder of the Palestine Land Society

Prof Beverley Jacobs (Canada)

A Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) community representative from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, in Southern Ontario. An Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor

Prof Penny Green (UK)

Professor of Law and Globalisation at Queen Mary, University of London

Prof Arlene Clemesha (Brazil)

Professor of Contemporary Arab History and the History of Palestine at the University of São Paulo

Dr Mahmoud Hawari (Palestine)

Palestinian archaeologist and academic.

Haydee Dijkstal (UK)

A US attorney, currently a UK-based barrister practicing international law, representing Gaza Freedom Flotilla members at the International Criminal Court

Tye Tavaras (USA)

Associate Director of Global Strategy and Initiatives, Emory University

Abdürreşit Celil Karluk (Turkey)

Department of International Relation, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University

Prof Jeffery Hewitt (Canada)

Assistant Professor teaching constitutional law at the University of Windsor

Prof Salman Sayyid (UK)

Professor of Social Theory and Decolonial Thought at the University of Leeds

The Conference in Detail

Throughout the last century, the Palestinian people were subjected to policies that have often been described as genocidal. They included acts aimed at destroying their national culture, political autonomy and national will. A central feature of this tragedy was the destruction and depopulation of some 418-531 villages. These acts were not consequences of war; they were, in fact, carefully planned and executed.

In order to carry out the exploitation and subjugation of indigenous populations, settler-colonialists have always denied their humanity; claiming that such people of lesser cultures should make way for those of ‘civilized’ Europe.

According to declassified Israeli documents, the early Zionist leaders from Theodore Herzl to David Ben Gurion were never prepared to coexist peacefully with the Palestinians. Instead, they all favoured the option of ethnic cleansing.

What followed was a calculated attempt to delete Palestine from history and cartography. Israeli leaders replaced historical Palestinian place names with that of Hebrew names. This wholesale destruction fitted the definition of genocide as cited in the Genocide Convention Article II, [c].

The targeting of Palestinian cultural institutions and identity did not stop with the establishment of Israel. It has continued until today, taking various forms in Palestine and as well as against Palestinians in the diaspora.

During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the attendant massacre at Sabra and Shatila the Israeli army destroyed and transferred to Israel documents, artefacts and books associated with the Palestinian people.

Similar methods are being utilised in China today, where a million people are being held against their political will in internment camps in an effort to “re-educate” them. Though the charge of “crimes against humanity” has been levelled at the Chinese authorities, Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region have called out the system for its attempts to eliminate their identity through measures such as forcibly transferring children away from their families, restricting the use of their national language, banning cultural activities, destroying schools, religious institutions and historical sites.

While more than 700,000 Rohingya in Myanmar have been forced to flee as a result of military genocide in the country which threatens to wipe out all remanence of the group’s presence in the country.

FAQs

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Please pop us an email at events@memonitor.org.uk, or call us on +44 (0)20 8838 0231

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

Nope! It'd be helpful if you do bring a printed ticket or show us the ticket confirmation on your phone, but we can still sign you in without them - we will just need the name used during registration!

Will the event be Live Streamed?

Unfortunately not. However, we will be sharing snippets during the event on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, and will also be Live Blogging on our website through the event.

Please note: The event will be filmed and photographed by us and third-party media partners. By attending you consent to your image being used in broadcast and marketing by Middle East Monitor and our media partners.