2025 conference program
Gaza is the Compass
Our conference will have 16 panels and a keynote address with speakers that will define our shared objectives from critical analysis of the current moment, to strengthening steadfastness and rebuilding Gaza, to documenting Zionist crimes and campaign strategies to confront Zionism, to advancing the movement for Palestine through coordinated global efforts.
Cultural performances will be woven into the opening ceremony and throughout the conference itself, celebrating Palestinian heritage through music, poetry, and visual arts.
Conference programming will run 12pm Friday - 9pm Sunday.
Over 70 speakers, organizers, scholars, artists, doctors, journalists, and voices from the front lines, will share their expertise, strategies, analysis, and resolve to continue the struggle for Palestinian liberation. From Gaza’s rubble to the halls of international power, we hope their voices will illuminate the path forward.
Stay tuned—more powerful speakers and panels will be announced soon. See below for children’s programming.
Speakers
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Ghassan Abu Sitteh
A plastic and reconstructive surgeon who worked as a war surgeon in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, South Lebanon and during the 4 wars in the Gaza Strip. On the 9th of October 2023 he entered the Gaza Strip and worked in Shifa Hospital and then Al-Ahli- Baptist Hospital for 43 days during the current bombardment.
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Mousa Alsadah
Writer and researcher specializing in the political dynamics of Arab liberation, with a focus on resistance movements, anti-colonial struggles, and the culture of resistance.
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Wasim Said
Born in 2003 in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, Wasim is a writer, a poet, and a student studying physics at the Islamic University in Gaza.
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Lama Ghosheh
A human before being a journalist from Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem. She was put under administrative detention in September 2022 for her social media posts, facing interrogation in al-Maskobiyya prison and solitary confinement in Hasharon before being transferred to Damon, the prison for Palestinian women. After she was released, she was put under 10 months of house arrest for her social media posts in September 2022.
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Dianna Buttu
Palestinian-Canadian lawyer, analyst, and writer; communications director for the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), and previously a legal advisor to the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
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Huwaida Arraf
A civil/human rights attorney and activist based in Detroit who co-founded the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and is one of the primary organizers of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla now and in 2010, when she was traveling with as it was lethally attacked by Israeli forces.
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Linda Sarsour
Palestinian-American author, racial justice and civil rights activist, and community organizer.
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Omar Assaf
Former Palestinian prisoner and coordinator of the executive committees of the Popular Conference.
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Thaer Ahmed
Palestinian American emergency medicine physician who served in Gaza during the genocide.
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Nora Barrows-Friedman
Nora Barrows-Friedman is a journalist, radio broadcaster, and staff editor at the Electronic Intifada.
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Abubaker Abed
A Palestinian journalist from Deir al-Balah Refugee Camp in Gaza. Initially a football journalist and commentator, he evolved into an "accidental war correspondent" due to Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, reporting on the genocide’s devastating impact.
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Hatem Bazian
A senior lecturer at UC Berkeley, co-founder of Zaytouna college, President of the Northern California Islamic Council, co-founder and national chair of American Muslims for Palestine, and chairman of the board of the Muslim Legal Fund for America.
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Fadi Quran
The founder of Thiqa, an initiative working to reconnect Palestinian communities.
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Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle
Co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide and lead of the Health for Palestine Pediatric Program, providing care and training in refugee camps across the West Bank.
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Mariam Barghouti
Mariam Barghouti is a journalist based in Ramallah, occupied Palestine. She has covered the region for more than ten years as a policy-analyst, researcher, and reporter.
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Dr. Nidal Jboor
Co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide, a global organization mobilizing healthcare professionals to confront and prevent genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
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Lamees Mehanna
Organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement.
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Layan Fuleihan
Education director at the People’s Forum.
Children’s Program: Generation after Generation
At the People’s Conference, we believe the hope and future of our struggle lies with the generation that will follow us. That’s why this year, we're proud to introduce a comprehensive 6-part program designed specifically for children.
We invite all parents of children aged 6 to 12 to enroll them in the People’s Conference Children’s Program, a two-day experience filled with engaging activities, entertainment, and an educational curriculum that helps children explore the history, culture, and the roots of the Palestinian struggle.
The program will strike a balance of learning and fun, from learning traditional Palestinian music, to making tatreez and other arts and crafts they can take home, to practicing dabke with instructors from renowned troupe based in Palestine. Most importantly, it will encourage them to understand the role they can play in shaping our collective future.
This program is designed to support both parents and children throughout the conference.
Full-day childcare will also be available during all conference sessions for registered participants.