In Context Briefing – Seeds of Sovereignty: Food Justice and the Struggle for Palestinian Rights
Across the occupied West Bank and Gaza, food has become a battleground. In Gaza, the Israeli government has sidelined experienced humanitarian agencies in favor of a U.S.- and Israeli-backed private contractor, leading to chaotic, militarized aid distribution. Since late May, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured while attempting to access food. In the West Bank, settler violence and land confiscation continue to push farmers from ancestral lands, undermining Palestinian food production and sovereignty.
And yet, in the face of crisis, food remains a powerful site of resistance. From heirloom seed saving in the hills of the West Bank to soup kitchens sustaining displaced families in Gaza, Palestinians are reclaiming their food systems as an assertion of rights, resilience, and self-determination.
Join us on Thursday, July 10 at 12:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm Jerusalem time for Seeds of Sovereignty, an In Context Briefing featuring conservationists, legal experts, and humanitarian leaders who will examine how starvation has been used as a tool of war—and how Palestinians are cultivating dignity, memory, and power through food.
The briefing will be moderated by Suhad Babaa, Just Vision's Executive Director, and feature the following speakers:
- Vivien Sansour, an artist who founded the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library as part of her efforts to promote seed conservation and agrobiodiversity.
- Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Oregon.
- Hani Almadhoun, Senior Director of Philanthropy at UNRWA USA and co-founder of Gaza Soup Kitchen.
- Rula Salameh, Education and Outreach Director, Just Vision
This event is sponsored by Just Vision, the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), and Jewish Currents.