The Palestinian peace advocate talks about his decades in the Shaufat refugee camp, and why he left B’Tselem to found an organization that documents human rights abuses against Palestinians by the Palestinian Authority.
WATCH ›A Palestinian Peace Advocate Talks Zionism
In these seven Defining Zionism clips, Bassem Eid — a Jerusalem-based Palestinian peace advocate, political analyst and human rights pioneer who spent decades in a refugee camp — says Palestinians are being failed by the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and talks about how and why we need to move beyond BDS and refugee camps — and how Americans can help.
DISCLAIMER: Hadassah is not affiliated with the featured speakers who participate in the Discussing/Defining Zionism series, or with their affiliated organizations. The opinions and viewpoints expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect Hadassah’s positions and Hadassah does not endorse or make any representations regarding the speaker or information presented by such speaker.
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Join Bassem Eid as he discusses the following topics:
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was set up to deal with Palestinian refugees. Eid calls today’s UNRWA corrupt, holding Palestinians hostage in refugee camps rather than solving the situation, with a cost of $1.6 billion dollars per year.
WATCH ›For Eid, Zionism isn’t a bad word. Instead, it’s a set of principles that originated in the Torah and show up in the Koran.
WATCH ›Eid says he feels the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more on American campuses than he does in Jerusalem or Ramallah. He feels that the pro-BDS students are misinformed, and stresses that Israel’s economy is based on things that are almost impossible to boycott.
WATCH ›Some 65% of Gazans live in refugee camps, where UNRWA-run schools teach hatred and incitement against Israel and Zionism while being funded by the international community, including the US. It’s time to change the curriculum and increase transparency.
WATCH ›
Eid tells the story of his father, who worked at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem for 40 years. Eid sees Hadassah hospital as a model for diversity in Israel, and believes it’s the perfect place for peace to take root.
WATCH ›
When it comes to the Mideast, Americans need to be more balanced. The US can help bring the two sides to the table, says Eid, but it is naive to think a US administration will be able to solve the conflict.
WATCH ›
Defining Zionism in Easy-to-Watch Segments
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Speakers are filmed in several short (3 to 5 minute) segments. Each segment is a different topic. This means you can “binge watch” a speaker’s videos all at once, or a couple at a time.
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