Sumud, an Arabic word that means steadfastness, has a distinct significance in Palestinian culture. It captures a collective response to chronic adversity and a people’s will to survive, endure, and remain connected to the land. In some ways, sumud intersects with the concept of resilience or the ability to adapt to difficult experiences. The Arabic word, however, carries deeper political meanings of defiance and determination to persevere despite historical erasure.…
The Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH) at Birzeit University, the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights, and the World Health Organization in the occupied Palestinian territory have launched the Palestine Social Medicine course. This intensive course is part of the activities of the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights, a partnership between ICPH at Birzeit University and the FXB Center for Health and Human…
The destruction and de-development of the Palestinian health system in the occupied territory, and the inequitable health outcomes of Palestinian citizens of Israel and refugees just beyond its borders, are often theorized as the results of a longstanding conflict. But these health realities are instead best conceptualized as part of a broader effort toward Palestinian dispossession, one in which the United States is an active participant. In the last few…
Please join the Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School, the Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative at Harvard Divinity School, and the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights at the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights for lunch and a discussion with Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei, psychiatrist and Director General of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), and Dr. Sara Roy, on the human rights and mental…
Forty-five years ago, the United Nations General Assembly deemed November 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The chosen date was no accident; it came thirty years to the day after the original plan to partition Palestine was adopted by the same United Nations body in 1947. The day is meant to allow time and energy for the international community to show solidarity with Palestinians, acknowledging…
Event Recording: Event Details: Hunger strikes have been used as means for non-violent resistance and protest over the past several decades by Palestinian political prisoners in Israel/Palestine. The featured panelists will draw on their expertise and experience in the fields of health and human rights to explore various legal, medical, and human rights dimensions of hunger strikes being staged by Palestinian political prisoners. Panelists: Dr. Lina Qasem Hassan, Physician and Chairperson,…
Congratulations to FXB fellow, Dr. Jumana Odeh, for her selection as one of four 2017 World of Children awardees. The award recognizes her for her long-standing work at the Palestinian Happy Child Centre in Ramallah with children who have developmental and learning disabilities or neurological disorders. This award is particularly prestigious as it is the alumni award–given to former awardees for their substantial further contributions. Dr. Odeh had previously been…
Guest Post by Dana Moss On December 12, 2016, after Israel’s High Court of Justice refused to end the administrative detention of two Palestinian hunger strikers, moving only to suspend it, the Palestinians  vowed to continue their strike—and additionally to stop drinking water, which put them at immediate risk of death. Their case highlights the continued and excessive use of administrative detention in Israel (a procedure that allows the Israeli…
