‘IHTILAL | KIBBOUSH’

In June, it will be fifty years since the Six-Day War broke out. Since then Israel has occupied the Palestinian territories, one of the major obstacles to peace in the Middle East.
Over three evenings, in three Belgian cities, writers, human rights activists and politicians from Europe, Israel and Palestine will discuss this highly topical issue: on 5 June in Ghent (Vooruit); on 6 June in Brussels (BOZAR) and on 7 June in Antwerp (Elcker-Ik).

At BOZAR (Tuesday 6 June):
17:30 - Public action at the Mont des Arts 

18.30: Photo projection, testimonies and political debate
Photo projection Mashid Mohadjerin
Mashid Mohadjerin (°1976, Teheran) is an award-winning photojournalist and Visual artist. From North American Native Americans to the wives of migrant workers in Tajikistan, her work seeks to visualize aspects of our modern day struggle for freedom, independence, and dignity. For this evening in BOZAR Mohadjerin made a selection of her work in Palestine. These images, which are projected as the readings and discussions take place, show the day-to-day life of a people that has already been weighed down with decades of life under occupation.

Testimony from Issa Amro and Adam Aloni
What does an occupation consist of in concrete terms? What impact does this have on the daily life on Palestinian territory? And how do the Palestinians oppose this?
Issa Amro is a Palestinian human rights activist from Hebron on the West Bank of Jordan. As co-founder of ‘Youth Against Settlements’ he plays a leading role in the Palestinian occupation. This basic organisation peacefully condemns the Israeli occupation and provides help to Palestinian citizens who live in the part of Hebron that is controlled by Israel.
Adam Aloni works as a researcher at B'Tselem, one of the oldest and most important Israeli human rights organisations which are devoted to safeguarding the rights of Palestinian citizens in the occupied territories. Through reports about violations of international law and other initiatives, they contribute to a public realisation of the situation in Palestine, both in and outside Israel.

Political discussion: Six-Day War and the occupation of Palestine in a geopolitical context with Pierre Vimont (Carnegie Europe), Shawan Jabarin (al-Haq), Hagai al Ad (B’Tselem) and Issam Younis (al-Mezan Center for Human Rights)
The Palestinian issue is one of the longest running conflicts in the Middle East which still persists today. Over the years different peace agreements, often led by foreign powers including the United States and France, have failed to come up with a sustainable solution to the conflict.
How can both parties make a breakthrough in this deadlock and finally attain peace? What stance does the international community, and Europe in particular, need to take? And what role can the recognition of Palestine as a state play?
BOZAR is inviting four experts with first-hand experience to enter into dialogue with the far-reaching geopolitical consequences of the Palestinian question, both now and in the future.

20:30 - Nir Baram and Arnon Grunberg – Meet the writers