Hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated globally in outrage at Israel's genocidal bombardment of Gaza. In the Middle East in particular, protests have been massive, faced state repression, and evoked memories of the Arab Spring revolutions. In Egypt, for example, protestors marched to Tahrir Square for the first time since 2013. In Jordan, protestors faced regime and security forces preventing them from reaching the border to show solidarity with Palestinians.

The liberation of Palestine has long resonated throughout the Middle East and North African region. This connection is deeper than just sympathy: the settler-colonial project of Israel, its backing by US imperialism, and the complicity of the Arab regimes with Zionism reflect on the oppression of the people of the region more broadly. Because of this, one of the long-held slogans of the Palestinian left has been that the road to Jerusalem flows through Cairo, Damascus, and Amman, that Palestinian liberation will have to be achieved through regional revolt and revolution. This panel of revolutionaries from around the region will talk about the inextricable ties between Palestinian liberation and liberation across the region, and its special relevance in this crucial historic moment.

Speakers

Hossam el-Hamalawy is an Egyptian journalist and scholar-activist, currently based in Germany. He's also a member of the Egyptian Revolutionary Socialists, and was among the organizers of the 2011 uprising in Egypt.

Soheir Asaad is a Palestinian feminist and political organizer and a human rights advocate. She received a Master's degree in international human rights law from the University of Notre Dame (US). Soheir is the advocacy team member of Rawa, for liberatory, resilient Palestinian community work. She is also the co-director of the “Funding Freedom” project. Previously, Soheir worked in legal researcher and international advocacy in Palestinian and regional human rights organizations.

Dr. Banah Ghadbian (they/them) holds a Phd in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, San Diego. Their PhD dissertation, "Ululating from the Underground: Syrian Women's Protests, Performances, and Pedagogies" looked at the ways women and children in Syria utilize theatre, protest, graffiti, and freedom school spaces in the Syrian Revolution. Dr. G has taught using theatre and social justice curricula at the Syrian Women’s Association in Amman, Jordan and with displaced Syrian and Palestinian youth in the Arab Youth Collective of San Diego, among many other places. Dr. G holds a masters in Ethnic Studies and a BA in in Comparative Women's Studies and Sociology. Banah is an Assistant Professor of Comparative Women's Studies at Spelman College where they also serve as faculty advisor for the Students for Justice in Palestine. Banah is a member of Palestinian Feminist Collective.

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This event is sponsored by Haymarket Books and is part of Until Liberation: A Series for Palestine by Haymarket Books cosponsored by Palestinian American Organizations Network, Mondoweiss, Spectre, Dissenters, Tempest, Palestine Deep Dive, The New Arab, and more.

Watch the live event recording: https://youtube.com/live/FYFWQjjm7ac

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