The Palestine Chronicle world tour continues.

Palestine Chronicle Editor, Dr. Ramzy Baroud, will speak about the Palestinians’ right to resist Israeli occupation in the 3rd panel, “Global Discourse of the Palestinian Narrative”, along with:

• Ayman Zeidan, Deputy Director General of Al Quds International Institution, who will speak about Jerusalem, the Capital of Palestine;
• Nafiz Abu Hasna, Director of Palestine Today TV, who will speak about the issue of the Palestinian refugees;
• Johnny Mansour, Palestinian Historian, and Writer, who will speak about Israeli Apartheid Policies: Gaza Blockade and the Apartheid Wall.
• Issa Qaraqr, ex-Minister of the Bureau of Prisoners’ Affairs, will speak about Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli jails.

The panel will be moderated by Al Jazeera Jasim Al-Azzawi, Anchor and Media expert.

11:00 am (+ 3 GMT)

Ramzy Baroud speaks about Palestinian Resistance:

Zionism is a narrative. The false notion that Palestine was a land with no people is still in place today, as well as the image of Palestinians as the aggressors, and that Israel is the only civilized country in the Middle East.

Palestinians so far have failed in countering the Zionist narrative.

For example, during the 2014 war on Gaza, China had greater sympathy towards Israel; many South American countries, which have historical sympathies for Palestine, are now moving to the Israeli sphere.

The reason is that for 25 years, we have been so distracted and invested in the so-called peace process: the two-state solutions, the peace negotiations, and so forth.

If a Palestinian wishes to deviate from this discourse, he is labeled radical and extremist.

And since the peace process narrative is dying, another one was created, one which sees Palestinians as victims.

But seeing thousands of Palestinians at the border, reclaiming their sense of self, means that there is a continuation of the legacy of the Palestinian fighters.

Jean Paul Satre, writing in Fanon’s preface, Wretched of the Earth, described resistance as a process where the a person recreates itself.

My point is that we must stop shying away from the only truthful narrative of the Palestinian people: the one related to their ongoing resistance.

We should not buy into a narrative which sees the Palestinian resistance as “terrorist”.

We should not apologize, we must liberate ourselves from the confines of Israeli, Zionist discourse.

The Palestinians who are fighting in Gaza and in the West Bank, in what is now Israel, and the Palestinians in the diaspora have to advance the only possible narrative, the resistance narrative, the only way in which the Palestinian woman and man can can finally recreate themselves.

10:50 am (+ 3 GMT)

Issa Qaraqr speaks about the issue of the Palestinian prisoners:

The current Israeli government is now the most racist and discriminatory government, and it keeps perpetrating the crimes of apartheid of the Palestinian people.

The oppressive and brutal violations against Palestinian prisoners are legitimized by Israeli laws.

The international community should be aware of the crimes that Israel commits against Palestinian prisoners.

The arbitrary detentions of Palestinian children,  the policy of administrative detention, are only an example of Israeli fascist practices, which are legitimized by a criminal legal framework.

Now Israel is considering the death penalty bill, even if it is daily executing Palestinians because it wants a legal justification.

Israel wants to project itself as a victim. This is the only country which gives immunity to Israeli soldiers, who torture prisoners.

Another shameful law is the one allowing Israel to uphold the bodies of dead Palestinian martyrs.

There is a double standard: Israel does not condemn terrorist acts committed against Palestinians, who are indeed protected by the system.

It is important for the media to focus on this issue.

10:40 am (+ 3 GMT)

Johnny Mansour speaks about Israeli apartheid policies:

Since its construction, Israel has claimed that the wall was built for “security” reasons.

The truth is the wall is a system of control: it seems more a border than a security fence.

It is a militarized tool, used to control Palestinians and prevent the foundation of a future Palestinian state.

It is only through the understanding of the Zionist ideology that we can understand the current Israeli policies in the West Bank.

The dispossession of Palestinian land and resources is aimed at isolating Palestinian communities and the destruction of Palestinian culture and identity.

It is important to look at the fence separating Gaza from Israel, too, which is controlled and is a tool to impose the siege on the Gaza Strip and implement the apartheid regime of Israel.

10:30 am (+ 3 GMT)

Nafiz Abu Hasna speaks about Palestinian refugees:

The inability to deal with the issue of Palestinian refugees led to the marginalization of the Palestinian refugees.

The agency now is trying to reformulate its own role.

Trump’s administration is putting pressure on UNRWA, making it unable to perform its tasks.

Americans, who are very good at promoting their initiatives, are now promoting the Deal of the Century. However, we didn’t’ see an actual plan, but we are seeing the implementation and the effects of the plan itself.

Americans are not better in using the media, but they are a superpower, which Trump uses.

We don’t have the same tools and the same power, but we can challenge this narrative, especially on three levels: normalization, Jerusalem and the issue of Palestinian refugees.

We should use the media to reverse the current narrative pushed by Israeli narrative, which overshadows the positive aspects of Resistance.

10:20 am (+ 3 GMT)

Ayman Zeidan speaks about Jerusalem:

The Palestinian issue is a central issue, coming from the centrality of Jerusalem.

We have to articulate the injustice towards Jerusalem. No city is like Jerusalem, where the three main religions are represented.

Historically, Jerusalem was mainly Christian, but Israeli occupation is cutting the ties with its Christian identity.

Israeli colonialism is different than other forms of colonization around the world: it is governed by a mindset of suspicion, fear, and the presumption of superiority as the ‘chosen people’.

Who is responsible for what’s happening in Palestine?

Jerusalem represents the symbol of civilization.

Now, the Israeli occupation is destroying the identity and the historical heritage of the city.

The city will remain in conflict until injustice is in place.