Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 1:00 pm Eastern
The "Gazafication" of the West Bank
Israel is bringing to the West Bank its horrific disdain for human lives and international law in the Gaza War
Presented by United Methodist Kairos Response (UMKR) and Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA)
REGISTER HERE: https://palestine.events/9July2025
Rampant ethnic cleansing, terrifying rise in state-sanctioned violence, tens of thousands made homeless and entire communities disappeared...
We are NOT speaking of Gaza, that is the WEST BANK today.
With genocidal horrors continuing in Gaza, and the recent violent exchange between Israel and Iran, it is too easy for the world to overlook the extraordinary crimes Israel has been committing in the West Bank.
Military attacks on refugee camps, destruction of entire villages, vigilante settlers terrorizing Palestinian towns, extreme restriction of movement, mass arrests, prisoners tortured, almost 1000 Palestinians killed in 2025 including hundreds of children, and 29 communities completely uprooted - all this is being done by Israel with impunity and with little notice from the world. This, while Israel also sets new records for the expansion of illegal settlement homes.
Israel is betting that these crimes will not shock the world, not compared to the atrocities it is committing in Gaza.
But the millions of Palestinian children and adults in the West Bank must not be abandoned by the world.
Our eyes see and our hearts are with the Palestinians of the West Bank too.
On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, we will spotlight their current reality in this UMKR-MFSA webinar.
Carol Garwood, co-chair of UMKR's Steering Committee, has visited the region four times in the last year. She brings considerable firsthand experience to moderating this webinar, in a discussion with two on-the-ground expert witnesses.
Usama Nicola is an experienced Palestinian activist in the West Bank, where he serves as the Citizens Diplomacy Project Coordinator at Wi’am Conflict Transformation Center in Bethlehem.
Budour Hassan is Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa researcher, investigating and reporting human rights violations in Palestine/Israel.
Join us to find out from these on-the-scene experts what is happening in the West Bank, now at threat of massive ethnic cleansing.
Reserve your space for the webinar now
MORE ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
USAMA NICOLA is a Palestinian civil society activist, serving as the Citizens Diplomacy Project Coordinator at Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. He is an experienced spokesperson and guide and frequent online presenter on current events in Palestine. Usama has helped thousands gain a better understanding of Palestine/Israel and the struggles of Palestine's "living stones," the indigenous people of this land.
BUDOUR HASSAN is a Palestinian feminist, writer, and researcher. A blind journalist who was born in Israel and is based in Jerusalem, she has found her calling in bringing to light untold stories of her homeland. Today she is Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa researcher, investigating and documenting human rights violations in Palestine/Israel. She co-authored Amnesty's landmark report in December 2024: “You feel like you are subhuman”: Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
CAROL GARWOOD, our Moderator, is the Co-chair of UMKR's Steering Committee and the Education Committee. A longtime organizer for justice in Palestine, she chairs the UMC Great Plains Conference Holy Land Task Force, and is a member of Nebraskans for Peace – Palestinian Rights Task Force. Carol has visited Palestine/Israel on many occasions, four times in the last 12 months.