مرة السلطة، مرة الجيش (“At times it’s the [Palestinian] Authority, at times it’s the [Israeli] army”) – A Conversation with Palestinian Activists

Ideas and Futures contributing editor, RA Judy, speaks with Palestinian activists Waed Manaf Abbas, Rana Nazzal Hamadeh,  Razzan Quran and Ahmed Schwieke

Waed Manaf Abbas, is an MA graduate of Humanitarian Action with a focus on Statelessness and Forced Migration specifically under military occupation focusing on issues of identity and exile.  She has a  background in English Language & Literature. She is currently working as the Research and Campaigns Assistant with Amnesty International, and since 2014, she has worked in the development, health, and human rights sectors with local and international organizations. She’s published a number of articles on Palestine and Global issues. Other than writing, she enjoys the cultural and artistic scene and has volunteered in several initiatives and activities.

Rana Nazzal Hamadeh is a Palestinian artist and activist living between Ramallah in occupied Palestine and Tkaronto/Toronto. Over the past decade, she has been immersed in community organizing around issues of abolition, migrant justice, and Palestinian liberation, and has run multiple youth programs blending arts with social justice work. Her photography, film, and installation work draws on these wider movements to offer creative interruptions to settler-colonialism. Rana holds an MFA in Documentary Media and a BA in Human Rights and Law from Carleton University.

Razzan Quran (she/they) is a Palestinian organizer, psychologist and facilitator. Razzan is currently completing their doctorate degree in clinical psychology at the George Washington University. Razzan works as a clinical psychologist at the Palestine Counseling Center, where she provides psychotherapeutic services to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Prior to this, Razzan was the Regional Organizer in the US South with United Students Against Sweatshops while completing studies in Memphis, TN. Under the guidance and mentorship of black and queer organizers, Razzan connected  experiences and life in Palestine with the settler colony on Turtle Island, utilizing the differences and similarities towards cultivating collective liberation and transformative justice in the mental health field. In the words of Audre Lorde, “Revolution is not a onetime event”.

Ahmad Shweike is a Palestinian lawyer specialized in Land Law. He received his B.A. in law from Birzeit University and master’s degree from Sorbonne Paris. He is on the board of Baladi – Palestine Animal Rescue Team based in Palestine and An-Nas – Humanists Rising from Muslim Communities. His interests are politics, social studies, football and philosophy.