The Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) hosted a briefing on the threats of forced, mass eviction and dispossession of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem with Palestinian poet and writer Mohammed El-Kurd, who grew up with Israeli settlers living in half of his Sheikh Jarrah home and whose family now faces further dispossession, and Hagit Ofran who works at the "Settlement Watch" project at the Israeli peace movement Peace Now. The event was chaired by Julie Elliott MP.
Settler organisations supported by the Israeli government are currently expediting legal procedures that will result in the displacement of hundreds of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem, and the destruction of entire communities. Based on two discriminatory Israeli laws this will be the largest takeover of Palestinian property since the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
About the speakers
Mohammed El-Kurd is a poet and writer from Jerusalem, Palestine. He is currently pursuing an MFA in Poetry at Brooklyn College. His work has appeared in outlets such as The Guardian, Al-Jazeera, The Nation, PINKO and This Week In Palestine. El-Kurd grew up with settlers living in half of his Sheikh Jarrah home and his family now faces further dispossession as settlers attempt to evict them entirely. You can read his most recent piece in 972 Magazine here.
He Tweets @m7mdkurd.
Hagit Ofran works at the Settlement Watch project at the Israeli peace movement Peace Now and is widely-recognised as one of Israel's foremost experts on a full range of issues related to West Bank settlements and settlement-related developments in East Jerusalem. Hagit's work includes traveling daily throughout the West Bank, examining aerial photos and browsing official Israeli documents. The Settlement Watch project serves as a resource for Israeli politicians, diplomats, international media organisations, and first and foremost - for the Israeli public.
Ofran was listed as one of "66 Israeli women you should know" by Haaretz: "women breaking barriers, defying stereotypes and wielding influence". She formerly worked for The Geneva Initiative and was Yossi Beilin's personal assistant when he was the Minister of Justice. She lives in Jerusalem and received her B.A. in Jewish History from Hebrew University.
She Tweets @hagitofran.
Caabu act as the Secretariat for the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group. caabu.org
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