Tue, 21 May 2019, 19:30
The Exchange, Twickenham (UK), The Exchange, 75 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 1BE
Event in Twickenham hosted by Richmond And Kingston Palestine Solidarity Campaign
We are privileged to have journalist, writer, activist and speaker Ben White come talk to us about how the rise in partisanship, populism and division mean that now’s the time to resolve the Palestine / Israel issue.
Ben is one of the most eloquent, well versed and widely read authors on the topic of Apartheid in Israel. This is a rare local chance to get to see him and ask him questions first hand.
Although the event is free, we ask for you to register as places are limited.
After decades of occupation and creeping annexation, Israel has created an apartheid, one state reality in historic Palestine. Peace efforts have failed because of one, inconvenient truth: the Israeli maximum on offer does not meet the Palestinian minimum, or the standards of international law.
But while the situation on the ground is bleak, Ben White argues that there are widening cracks in Israel’s traditional pillars of support. Opposition to Israeli policies and even critiques of Zionism are growing in Jewish communities, as well as amongst Western progressives. The election of Donald Trump has served as a catalyst for these processes, including the transformation of Israel from a partisan issue into one that divides the US establishment. Meanwhile, the Palestinian-led boycott campaign is gathering momentum, prompting a desperate backlash by Israel and its allies.
With sharp analysis, Ben White says now is the time to plot a course that avoids the mistakes of the past – a way forward beyond apartheid in Palestine. The solution is not partition and ethnic separation, but equality and self-determination – for all.
We will have copies of Ben’s book, “Cracks in the Wall: Beyond Apartheid in Palestine / Israel” for purchase and signing at the event.
Ben White is a freelance journalist, writer and activist, specialising in Palestine/Israel. He has been visiting the region since 2003 and his articles have been widely published in the likes of The Guardian’s Comment is free, Al Jazeera, Electronic Intifada, New Statesman, Salon, Christian Science Monitor, Middle East International, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and others.
