The occupation under a microscope

April 17, 2015 by J-Wire News Service
Read on for article

Students and academics at the University of New South Wales in Sydney will hold a symposium to examine “Law, Rights and Resistance in Occupied Palestine”.

UNSWThe invitation to the event sent to university staff reads:

“The symposium Law, Rights and Resistance in Occupied Palestine is organised by postgraduate students, with support from a group of academic staff members at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). This event will examine and discuss the extent to which contemporary public international legal frameworks including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law, allow or disallow forms of resistance to occupied rule in Palestine. As well as a legal focus, it will feature theoretical, post-colonial, historical, political and anthropological perspectives on the notion of ‘resistance’. We believe an interdisciplinary approach is necessary in order to accentuate and engage with the diverse forms of resistance that take place in Palestine as a consequence of the nature and character of the occupation.

Some of the specific concerns that will be addressed include:

 

  • Whether there is a legal right, as opposed to a mere moral right to resist occupied rule under international law and, if so, under what conditions it can be exercised.

 

  • What characterises the right to resist? What forms can it take? What are the boundaries of resistance?

 

  • What are some manifestations of daily forms of resistance and civil disobedience from occupied Palestine?

 

  • How has Palestinian resistance to occupation evolved over time?

 

  • What is the role of academia, particularly scholars in international law, in perpetuating or resisting the occupation?

 

The speakers include Amira Hass, Lisa Hajjar, Ben Saul, Michelle Burgis- kasthala, Samah Sabawi, Peter Slezak, Rami Abdu, Ibrahim Qaadaan, Michaela Sahar and Say Zananiri.

 

The symposium will be held on Friday 24th April 2015 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at the Staff Common Room, Level 2, Faculty of Law, Building F8, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

 

We warmly welcome scholars, students and the general public to attend this important event. Entry is free however we kindly request an RVSP by emailing g.cuadradoquesada@student.unsw.edu.au with the subject line ‘Symposium Palestine’. Please be quick as spaces are limited.”

Dr Hilton Immerman, an Honorary Fellow of the UNSW told J-Wire: “This one-sided anti-Israel bash dressed up an academic symposium is very concerning and serves only to discredit this great university “.

Comments

21 Responses to “The occupation under a microscope”
  1. Victor Herbert Pigott says:

    For those of you who wish to attend please note that the venue has been changed to The Old Main Building (K15) in Theatre (G31). For those of you not familiar with the UNSW please go to a campus map. Such maps can be found at:

    http://www.facilities.unsw.edu.au/getting-uni/campus-maps

  2. Leon Poddebsky says:

    The activities of the global anti-Zionist movement are second only to the Nazi final solution in their monstrous intent.
    And, similarly to what occurred in the years prior to the Holocaust,”the international community” tolerates it; in many cases, such as in the case of Europe, encourages it, and rationalises its evil aim by resorting to mendacity, perversion of the course of justice, corruption and bribery.

  3. Leon Poddebsky says:

    Who is paying the overseas participants’ expenses, I wonder.
    The bill will not be small.
    Is it the same source that pumps money into the incubator of antisemites at The University of Sydney?

  4. Michael Wise says:

    For all the huffing and puffing, this event is taking place in a Common Room. Not a lecture theatre, a common room. Perhaps the best thing is to not give them the benefit of further publicity and leave them to talk to each other.

    • Suzanne aladjem says:

      I agree let them speak to each other compare their common hatred for Jewsand Israel hope the press totally ignore them that will hurt them more than anything No Publicity

  5. Eion Isaac Israel says:

    Going back to 1967 the six day War was a defensive war and the Areas conquered Defensive conquest and the Territories are defence Bulwarks for the Jews against the Islamic Aims of Mass murder of Jews or Mass expulsion of Jews by the Islamists .So they are Defensive Bulwark Areas .the AJewish armies in these areas form a Safer Security Zone against the Genocidal or Mass expulsion aims of Islam as expressed by Iran for example .Historically the Colloboration of the Palestinian Leader El Husseni with the Nazi Feuhrer in the Genocide of Europe and Mandated Palestine Still Remains the Aim of the Majority of the Palestine People at least in the areas of the Historically in the Past Mandated Palestine .
    There the Majority of the Palestine people ought be Regarded as Prisoners of war to be Treated according to the Geneva Conventions .

  6. Cynthia Cuomo says:

    Are there no pro-Israel groups to oppose these anti-Israel, Jew-haters?

  7. Graham Reitzin says:

    It’s a pity that even the title is provocative. Reading it seems to imply that Israel does not exist. It seems to imply that the whole country is ‘occupied’. Palestine used to exist before it was divided with UN approval. By omitting the expression, ‘occupied territories’ or ‘disputed territories’ the title wants readers to make that assumption. The word ‘resistance’ is being hijacked too. Mahatma Ghandi ‘resisted’ British rule by peaceful means and was very successful with that strategy. Palestinian so-called ‘resistance’ isn’t resistance at all – it’s pro-active and violent. I think this pretend symposium is just a nasty piece of propaganda using the university as a front for some Israel bashing.

  8. Erica Edelman says:

    “This event will examine and discuss the extent to which contemporary public international legal frameworks including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law, allow or disallow forms of resistance to occupied rule in Palestine”.

    Just as I thought. Contemporary public international legal frameworks ALREADY DEFINE the Palestinian dilemma as DISPUTED TERRITORY! IT HAS NEVER BEEN OCCUPIED! This uneducated, ignorant group don’t understand the frameworks on any number of levels – imagine what a forum such as this is going to reveal about them.

    “As well as a legal focus, it will feature theoretical, post-colonial, historical, political and anthropological perspectives on the notion of ‘resistance’.

    HOW ABOUT FEATURING SOME THEORETICAL, POST-COLONIAL, HISTORICAL, POLITICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES on the notion of THE HISTORY OF THE REGION itself before you go making inaccurate, inflammatory judgement about “resistance”. Of course, resistance is ALWAYS one-sided isn’t it? Or is it just one-sided when it comes to Israeli-Palestinian issues?

  9. Joseph Shellim says:

    I have studied this history, my book “Philistine-To-Palestine: Exposing the World’s Biggest Deception” is due in June 2015. None of the issues nominated by this symposium are historical or impacting and appears selected to extend the false charges again. Israel has never occupied another peoples’ land in all her 4,000 year history. There has never been a Muslim Palestinian before the Mid-20TH Century and Jews were the only people called by this name for 2,000 years. The changing of 4,000 year Hebrew town names to West Bank in 1951 was an illegal act by Jordan – it will hurt Christianity more so than Israel, by making Jesus of Nazareth as a Palestinian from the West Bank.

  10. Suzanne aladjem says:

    What hypocracy they should all go at United Nations not Sydney University with one sided anti Israel commentary shame Sydney University

    Editor: It is to be held at the UNSW

  11. Michael Burd says:

    I am stil waiting for the Academics and students
    To hold a symposium on why the Arabs
    In 1948 did not accept the umpires decision
    and accept the UN resolution 181.

    Could it be that the Muslims and their socialist
    Storm troopers won’t allow any such discussion ?

  12. Rami Reed says:

    Tis is going to be an anti Israel hate fest looking at the speakers like Slezak and Amira Hass

  13. Victor Herbert Pigott says:

    The Symposium promises to generate debate on an important issue to us all. Let us try to keep an open mind and allow the speakers their say. Australia is a democracy in which people are entitled to speak their view, even if it conflicts with the view of others. I have every confidence that both speakers and audience will treat each other with respect and dignity.

    • Joseph Shellim says:

      You are correct, Australia gives a fair go. But the title of this symposium already preempts the debate against Israel. Let’s hope Australia does not emulate the campuses in US, UK & Europe.

      • Eleonora Mostert says:

        As for Australia giving everyone a fair go, dream on, just watch the news.
        Pity the information on this “Conference” wasn’t given out earlier so people had the chance to turn up. I’m going to do my best to get there as I feel there should be people there to tell the truth.

    • Leon Poddebsky says:

      The entire premise of the conference is a lie and a deception, since there is no occupation.
      The Arabs of Judea and Samaria have a government and it’s called “The ‘Palestinian’ Authority.”
      They have an elected president and council.
      The president is serving the tenth year of the four year term for which he was elected.
      His government controls all matters in those territories except matters which impinge on Israeli security. Those are Israel’s responsibility because of the ongoing perennial hostility of ‘Palestinian’ society to Jewish national rights.
      The abuses within those territories are the product of ‘Palestinian’ authorities.

      Israel’s mortal enemies in the west, however, cannot be convinced by facts.

    • Leon Poddebsky says:

      Your platitudes ignore the fact that the participants are self-confessed enemies of Israel’s existence.
      Pablo Cristiani, Karl Marx, Bruno Kreisky, Isaac Deutscher, Amira Hass, Peter Slezak- they lived in different eras in different parts of the world but they have one trait in common.

      • Leon Poddebsky says:

        I inadvertently omitted the letter, H, from Pablo Christiani’s name in my preceding post.

    • Leon Poddebsky says:

      The speakers do not believe in “an open mind.” They do not believe in respecting opposing views, evidence, reason.
      Their co-ideologues at The University of Sydney recently once again proved this by their fascist behaviour.
      The very premise of the meeting is an affront to civilisation.
      That a group at a Western university is hosting such an abomination is but one symptom of the downward trajectory of the West.

    • Leon Poddebsky says:

      There will be no debate; there will be obscene consensus.

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