Israel/Palestine and the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign

The Centre for Human Rights Education (Curtin Uni), Friends of Palestine WA and Students for Palestine invite you to a forum to explore the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) global campaign.

BDS calls for an end to the Israeli occupation and colonisation of Arab land, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel and the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

The forum comes in the wake of the current conflict which has seen more than 1,800 Palestinians and 67 Israelis killed. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has said that the recent deaths and destruction in Gaza have “shocked and shamed the world.” The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process has called the current crisis “a symptom of our collective failure” to address the underlying causes of the conflict.

Join our panellists Professor Stuart Rees, Sameeha Elwan and Dr Sue Hoffman to reflect on these events and explore the prospects of campaigns such as the BDS in bringing about peace and justice in Israel/Palestine.

6:30pm Tues 26 August

Curtin University

Book your free ticket here.


Professor Stuart Rees is Director of the Sydney Peace Foundation, a former Director of the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies and Professor of Social Work at the University of Sydney. He is the author of eleven books and has worked in community development and social work in Britain and Canada, in the War on Poverty program in the USA and with Save the Children in India and Sri Lanka.

Sameeha Elwan is an English literature graduate from the Islamic University of Gaza. She has a Masters Degree in Culture and Difference from Durham University and is currently a PhD candidate at Murdoch University. She was born and raised in Gaza City, Palestine, and started blogging in 2010 after the Israeli military attack on Gaza known as Operation Cast Lead. Her writings have been published on Mondoweiss, openDemocracy and the Electronic Intifada.

Dr Sue Hoffman is an honorary research associate at Murdoch University. Her research has examined refugee journeys from Iraq to Australia and she has spent time in Indonesia, Syria and Jordan with refugee communities. Sue is a board member of ASeTTS and has been advocating for refugees and asylum seekers for over ten years. Sue is also Jewish. Although brought up in England, her mother, sister and other relatives now live in Israel.