Reem Badwan Atrium

Walid Daqqa Ballroom

Since the early 20th century, the Palestinian national liberation movement has cultivated a resistance project that sought to unify the Palestinian popular classes around shared vision and strategy. The various conditions facing the Palestinian people in the struggle against imperialism and colonialism—from exile to occupation, from siege to political isolation—has required creative forms of resistance. At the heart of the strategy for Palestinian liberation is the conviction that the struggle must transform the whole of society on social, political, psychological, and spiritual levels for it to succeed. More recently, the Palestinian resistance has proven itself resourceful and resilient in the face of conspiracies to liquidate the Palestinian struggle through normalization. This discussion will explore the advancements made by the Palestinian resistance over the last decade, demonstrating the role of the popular cradle in sustaining the Palestinian struggle.

Speakers: Tara Alami, Raja Abdelhaq, Abdaljawad Omar, Jeanine Hourani

Moderator: Sarah Abdelshamy

Track 1: Confronting Zionism in Higher Education

Refaat Alareer Room

Speakers: Emmaia Gelman, Sherena Razek, Jennifer Mogannam, Rabab Abdulhadi

Moderator: Ya’oub

The neoliberal university, like most institutions, is complicit in securing the interests of Zionism and imperialism. From financial investments in Israeli institutions and weapons manufacturers, academic collaborations and exchange programs, the pervasiveness of Zionism in curricula, administrative and militarized repression of Palestinian activism, and more. While students are on the front lines advocating for divestment in a myriad of ways – what is the role of faculty, staff, and scholars in the fight against Zionism on campus?

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Track 3: Cut Ties with Zionism in the Workplace

Shireen Abu Akleh Room

Speakers: Ariel Koren, Yajaira Cuapio, Brandi Alduk, Frank Hammer

Moderator: Tamar Ghabin

This session will offer concrete examples of sectoral-based organizing within workplaces, unions, and institutions to cut ties with Zionism. Challenging us to look beyond the demand for a ceasefire, this discussion will push us to consider how we can continue to build the fight against complicity in Israel’s settler colonial project in all sections of our society.

Track 2: Every Time the Media Lies

Walid Daqqa Hall

Speakers: Eugene Puryear, Yumna Patel, Mnar Adely, Layla

Moderator: Zoe Alexandra

This session will investigate on mainstream media’s role in manufacturing consent for the genocide in Gaza. Panelists will address the disinformation and myth-making campaigns waged to undermine the shift in popular support for the Palestinian struggle. This session also aims to answer the question of how can we expose or counter media lies?

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Track 4: Teaching Palestine and K-12 Organizing

Khader Adnan Room

Speakers: Dr. Samia Shoman, Dr. Theresa Montano, Zayna Elkarra

Moderator: Celine Qussiny

High school students have organized massive walk-outs throughout the past seven months, mobilizing thousands of students across their cities. This session will be an opportunity to hear from the organizers direcly. , . Students and teachers will speak to the anti-Palestinian climate at their schools and their organizing efforts to overcome censorship and repression.

Walid Daqqa Hall

Since the early 20th century, Palestinians have a long, sustained history of political organizing in the North American shattat (diaspora). Throughout that period, Palestinian political organizing in North America was always impacted by transformations that unfolded in Palestine and within the region, as well as by shifts in the racial, political, and cultural landscape of North America. Like other moments in our history, today the movement for Palestinian liberation in North America is undergoing tremendous changes, expansions, developments and challenges. This panel provides an assessment of the growth, development and impact of the movement for Palestinian liberation in North America before and after October 7, through the lens of organized struggle.

Speakers: Mohammed Nabulsi, Roua Daas, Monadel Herzallah, Lara Kiswani

Moderator: Rama Kased

Track 1: Cultivating and Sustaining Revolutionary Optimism

Rouzan al-Najjar Room

Speakers: Lara Sheehi, Lina Assi

Moderator: Sarah

How do we sustain movements during an ongoing genocide and during heightened repression? This session investigates the practice of revolutionary optimism– an optimism grounded in analysis of oppressive forces in order to change material conditions and struggle for a just world.

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Track 2: The Pen as the Sword: Palestinian Literature in Moments of Crisis

Khader Adnan Room

Speakers: Ashraf Hazayen, Kaleem Hawa, Louis Allday

Moderator: Kate Gonzales

In the history of the Palestinian national liberation movement, knowledge production has played a key role in nurturing the growth of revolutionaries who can advance the struggle under any conditions. combative spirits capable of participating in revolutionary movements. This session will explore the role of Palestinian literature and revolutionary knowledge production in times of occupation and crisis. What does resistance literature mean? How can education, knowledge, and study contribute revolutionary praxis? What is the role of the pen the national liberation struggle?

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Track 3: The Role of Anti-Zionist Jewish Organizing in the Palestine Movement

Shireen Abu Akleh Room

Panelists: Jersey Noah, Jesse Strauss, Emmaia Gelman, Asher Firestone

Moderator: Nadya Tannous

This session will offer a critical analysis on the current landscape of and the role of Anti-Zionist Jewish organizing, its history and lessons, and reflect on base-building strategies in this moment. Panelists will address the importance of Anti-Zionist Jewish organizing as part of collective liberation and the trajectory of growth from being marginalized to becoming mass movements. Panelists will also speak to how we can expose and counter the role of liberal Zionist institutions, highlight the contradictions of Zionism and Progressive principles and agitate against Zionism across the spectrum.

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Track 4: The Role of Labor Unions in the Palestinian Struggle

Refaat Alareer Room

Speakers: Clarence Thomas, Monadel Herzallah, Taher Dahleh, Rafael Jaime, Taghreed Ahmed

Moderator: Husayn Karimi

Over the past century, labor unions have heightened consciousness about Palestinian liberation as a central component to workers’ struggle. This session will provide an overview of the labor movement in relation to the historical and contemporary role of Palestine in labor struggles.

Walid Daqqa Hall

Since its inception, Zionism has enjoyed significant support from imperial powers—first the British who colonized and delivered Palestine to Zionist settlers, and then the resource-hungry United States, keen on expanding its scope of power across the world. In exchange for acting as a proxy power for advancing US interests in the region, the Zionist project receives unconditional political and military aid. The mass movement for Palestine has exposed the shared agenda between US imperialism and Zionism throughout the past seven months, firmly charging the United States with the genocide of the Palestinian people. This session will deepen our analysis of the so-called “special friendship” between the U.S. and Israeli State as one rooted in racist state violence domestically and global domination abroad.

Speakers: Richard Becker, Sara Kershnar, Yara Shoufani, Rabab Abdulhadi

Moderator: Layan Fuleihan

Walid Daqqa Hall

Born in Deir Al-Asas in the Galilee, Sana was raised in a musical family where she developed her passion for classical Arabic music as well as traditional Palestinian music. Currently preparing her PhD in microbiology, Sana also studied the basics of classical Arabic music and scale (Maqam) at the Al-Urmawi Center for Mashreq Music in East Jerusalem.