Ealing Amnesty is looking forward to welcoming Professor Julian Townsend to our next meeting.  He will be speaking to us about Palestinian child prisoners.

We must create a safe space for difficult conversations

We understand that conversations about human rights violations, committed by both the government and non-state actors, in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories can be difficult. But it is important for us to have these conversations.

Amnesty International UK encourages us to:

1.    Hold open and honest conversations on Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories.

2.    Base discussions and conversations within Amnesty International’s remit, i.e. international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

3.    Work towards the elimination of all forms of racism, discrimination and xenophobia in addressing issues on Israel and Palestine.

4.    Call out language and behaviour that is not rights respecting and in keeping with Amnesty’s values and attitudes, including but not limited to racism, Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.  

We aim to create a space where individuals can express their concerns honestly, where the feelings of the group are valued and protected and where challenges can be made respectfully. Such important discussions should take place in a safe, open and judgement free space. We want to allow respectful conversations to take place on an often misunderstood and divisive topic.

Amnesty International UK’s Guide to Respectful Conversations about Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Amnesty International UK have produced guidelines, summarised below, to help us all ensure our language and behaviour is rights respecting.

Be intentional about your language: think carefully about the language you are using, considering both intent and impact of your words. This means being context specific when using language such as Zionist, Islamist, militant, or Nazi.  Be factual and sensitive in how you use language, e.g. such as pointing to Nazi atrocities or the Zionist Federations’ work promoting settlements or armed groups which have Islamist ideologies.

Use fact and evidence-based arguments – humbly: human rights are not about who can win the argument but about facts on the ground that impact people in their daily lives and what can be done to make this world more rights respecting. Going into history or comparisons are not helpful and not Amnesty’s approach because ultimately, we want to see the human rights of all Palestinians and Israelis respected and protected.

Listen to lived experiences: Listen to the lived experiences of those who have lived through the issues discussed, whether they are rights holders with first-hand experience living under occupation, a person’s account of facing racism, Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, etc. However, also be mindful not to tokenise people and expect them to speak on behalf of their faith group, nationality or race.

Join us on Monday, 11th March 2019

Please join us and Professor Townsend in what promises to be an engaging talk about Palestinian child prisoners.

We will also be writing letters to international authorities, demanding respect for human rights around the world, as well as discussing future campaigning and fundraising events.

Date: Monday 11th March 2019

Time: 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Find us: Northfields Community Centre, 71a Northcroft Road, W13 9SS

Look for the blue door on the right and ring the bell for Room 3.