On April 1, 2026, we hosted Issa Amro, live from West Bank. Long time Freedom Advocacy Network member and supporter, Karina Q, who also has also presented on two different topics, has kindly brought us our next three guest speakers after her visit to the West Bank a few months ago.
Agenda: Annexation of the West Bank, Hebron city as a case study.
On February 18, my new friend Iyas Sartawi shared heartbreaking about the reality and life in Gaza since the so-called “ceasefire”. He will be talking about how Project Hope Palestine is assisting the Palestinians in Gaza.
Agenda:
Talk about life in Palestine/Gaza after ceasefire
Go over Project Hope for Palestine – what it is and how it helps assisting the Palestinians of Gaza
A large portion of Iyas’s own down was confiscated Oct 20, 2025 – number of his family members were shot and some are still going through surgery and recovery
Iyas is from Sarta, hence the name Sartawi
Will focus on Gaza instead of West Bank
Occupation continues to carry out silent genocide
It is the Occupation’s policy to make life difficult for Palestinians
90% of Gaza has already been destroyed
601 Palestinians have been killed since the so called Ceasefire
1200+ ceasefire violations by IDF terrorists
Weekly floods destroyed people’s tents
Even when the tents are new, they are not suitable for human living
Life is very hard in the tents
There is no sense of privacy whatsoever
Over 20,000 children were martyred – many born and killed during the genocide itself
Team is assocaited with many journalists
Donation money is sent to help people in gaza
The Mutual Aid helps with food, medical expenses, schools and individual family expenses
Distribution of aid also considers children’s and other’s emotional needs as well, with entertainment for displaced people, through music, clowns, etc.
They sponsor musicians to entertain orphans and orphanages
Also partner with Civil Defense team to repair and build tents
Also supporting two churches in Gaza, got letters of appreciation from them
Project Hope Palestine is also supporting several schools as well
Got letters of appreciation from hospitals as well
My friend and Freedom Advocacy Network member Roel Zylstra, one of the organizers behind the United For Peace (U4P) campaign educated us on the U4P https://u4pal.com/u4p/ campaign’s goals, history and future plans. This is yet another tool in the belt for struggle for Palestinian liberation.
Agenda:
What is U4P?
• Versus UNSC resolutions and R2P
Why advocate U4P for Palestine?
• As opposed to:
o Boycott – generally by individuals
o Divest – by organizations, including commercial, governmental, and non-gov/commercial
o Sanction – by governments
o Legal – Hind Rajab foundation, etc.
o Material action – Palestine Action, etc.
• United Nations
o UNSC vs UNGA
o History of UNGA votes in 2024, 2025, and 2026
o Votes needed for U4P
• Columbia’s call for U4P
o Undoubtable coercion from the US prevented Colombia presenting its proposal earlier
o Is there a lack of support, perhaps shown by the lack of people at rallies?
• Trump’s plan
o Phase one and two
o Why did all UNSC countries (except Russia and China, who abstained) vote for the Trump plan?
o The inevitable failure of phase two of Trump’s plan due to, for example, lack of details, who provides troops, etc.
o Palestine Authority’s complicity in the genocide of its own people
o Understanding Mahmoud Abbas and the people who work with him
What do Palestinians want?
• PNGO, civil society
• Hamas, other factions
o Details of civilian help, armed troop locations, etc.
What should be done now?
• Continue to spread the word via various channels
• Target citizens in aligned countries to pressure their governments
o Messaging – Tie Palestine’s fate to the fate of regular people in the Global South, including other Arabic countries
• Embargoes? – this will not stop Israel’s genocide in the short term
I’m truly grateful to have recently connected with Dr. Izat El Amoor. After a few thoughtful virtual conversations, I feel honored to be welcoming him as a guest speaker on October 8, 2025. Dr. El Amoor is a queer Palestinian citizen of Israel, and he will be sharing his personal journey and lived experiences across Palestine, the U.S., and beyond. Too often, discussions about queer Palestinians are shaped by Israeli lobbyists and supporters, rather than by queer Palestinians themselves. This conversation is an important opportunity to listen directly to Dr. El Amoor, to learn from his story, and to center Palestinian voices rather than Israeli propaganda.
Agenda: Izat El Amoor (he/him) is a queer Palestinian (citizen of Israel) who will share his personal journey of coming out in the Palestinian society and family, combined with political and social reflections on queer life broadly. Izat will speak on his research on queer Palestine, and share his experience in academia being a queer scholar who recently decided to quit a job as a college professor in the U.S. and return to Palestine.
Jewish genocide and Holocaust scholars, including many Israeli Holocaust and genocides scholars overwhelmingly agree that Israel is committing genocide. Almost all the world’s top most respected Human Rights and Humanitarian organizations agree that Israel is committing genocide. Here are some (not all) references. The list increases EVERY DAY!