In Memory of October 2000: Educational Events on the 10th Anniversary of the Killings
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the October 2000 killings, during which 13 unarmed Arab youth were shot dead by Israeli police and security forces during protest demonstrations in Israel, Adalah and its partners held a series of seminars and conferences to raise awareness and shed new light on the events of October 2000 and their aftermath, including the lack of accountability for the deaths ten years later.
The first event, a seminar entitled “Political Violence and the Lack of Accountability,” was jointly held by Adalah and Mada al-Carmel on 27 September 2010 in Haifa's Al Meidan Theatre. Approximately 100 people attended the event. Adalah Attorney Abeer Baker opened the seminar by providing a multi-media visual overview of the October 2000 events and the subsequent legal proceedings. Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh, a lecturer on International Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway gave a keynote lecture in which she offered a comparative perspective from the Northern Ireland conflict and the difficulties at arriving at the truth in contested situations. Dr. Cavanaugh gave a historical account of the Irish experience, the events leading up to Bloody Sunday and the subsequent tribunals of inquiry, including some reflections on the new report issued by the Lord Saville Inquiry this year. The first panel of speakers included Dr. Amal Jamal from Tel Aviv University; Dr. Maha Al-Taji-Daghash from the Abraham Fund Initiatives; and Mr. Mtanes Shihadeh of Mada al-Carmel, who discussed the Israeli government's shift in policy towards Palestinian citizens in Israel from “containment to hostility”. The second panel consisted of Adalah Attorney Orna Kohn, who gave a critical review of the Attorney General's decision in 2008 to close the October 2000 killings cases; Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein, who discussed the issue of civil lawsuits and accountability; and special guests Craig and Cindy Corrie, the parents of the young American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003, who ended the event on an inspirational note by speaking about their ongoing fight for accountability for their daughter's death. Attorney Baker commented that “the series of lectures were significant because they encouraged those who have grievances to continue their struggle for accountability and to fight for their political rights.”
Program of event:
http://www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/sep10/docs/madaadalah.pdf
Photo album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2091495&id=1432532466&l=0d7f011ee2
The second event, a public conference entitled “A Decade of Concealing the Truth and the Absence of Justice”, was held by Adalah and the Municipality of Tira on 30 September 2010 in Ashkool Hall in Tira. Approximately 100 people attended this event. Attorney Fuad Sultany, member of the Board of Directors of Adalah, opened the evening of events with a chronology and contextualization of the events which led up to the October 2000 uprisings and Second Intifada. This was followed by a screening of a short film on the October 2000 events and the subsequent investigations. Professor Mohammad Haj Yahia, another member of the Board of Directors of Adalah, gave a lecture on the psychological effects of state violence on the Palestinian citizens of Israel. During his talk he pointed out that political activity today is limited to a small elite group of Arab society. He concluded by warning against societal apathy in regards to the situation of Palestinian citizens of Israel and urged all sectors of Arab society to be politically involved. He was followed by Ibrahim Abu Siam, father of Ahmad Abu Siam (one of the youths killed in October 2000), who gave a moving speech about the death of his son and the continuing struggle for accountability by the victims' families. Lastly, Abeer Baker informed the audience of the results of the Or Commission and the events which followed.
Program of event:
http://www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/sep10/docs/tira.pdf
Photo album:
http://www.panet.co.il/online/articles/1/2/S-336643,1,2.html
The third event was a seminar and film screening organized by Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I), and the Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI). The event, entitled “Bloody Sunday and October 2000: Lessons from the Struggle for Truth, Justice, and Accountability,” took place at the Felicja Blumental Music Centre and Library in Tel Aviv on 9 October 2010. Approximately 75 people attended this event. Speakers included Dr. Ruchama Marton, President and Founder of PHR-I, Attorney Hassan Jabareen, General Director of Adalah and lead lawyer for the families of the October 2000 victims, and Dr. Hala Khoury Bisharat, a member of Adalah's Board of Directors and an expert in international criminal law. The discussion focused on comparisons between Bloody Sunday and the October 2000 killings in Israel. The evening ended with a screening of the drama-documentary film “Sunday,” which tells the story of “Bloody Sunday”, the events of 1972 when British paratroopers shot dead 13 unarmed civilians and wounded a further 15 persons during a march for civil rights in Derry, Northern Ireland and addresses the impact of subsequent government investigations into the events.
Program of event: http://www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/sep10/docs/invitation.telaviv.english.pdf
Photo album:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2091500&id=1432532466&l=b9b20bc2ad
