Carly A. Krakow
Mada al-Carmel — Arab Center for Applied Social Research
Palestine/Israel
It has been a whirlwind semester preparing for my fellowship work this summer, and the final few weeks leading up to the start of the summer have been no exception! Professor Vasuki Nesiah’s human rights seminar facilitated a wonderful engagement with human rights discourse, complementing the War, Law, and Memory course I completed with her last year, which provided a fascinating foundation in human rights theory and transitional justice.
In my independent study on water rights with Professor Sinan Antoon, I explored violations of the human right to water in Palestine and Israel in further depth. I also examined the infringement of water rights domestically in cities such as Detroit and across the globe in places including India, Bolivia, and Afghanistan. This comparative analysis affirmed my belief that the human right to water is a globally significant cause about which alliances can be formed across regions, as well as my belief that the Occupation of Gaza and the West Bank has created a situation in which the human right to water is being denied in uniquely profound ways.
The past two weeks have included a series of key events and encounters to kick off my summer research. On May 21, I had the opportunity to hear from Justice Salim Joubran, the first Palestinian to receive a permanent appointment to the Israeli Supreme Court. He plays a key role representing Palestinians within Israeli society, and his personal and professional history in the city of Haifa (where my host organization, Mada al-Carmel, is based) intersects in significant ways with Mada’s work to facilitate advocacy for Palestinians living inside Israel.
On May 24, I was fortunate to meet Hagai El-Ad, executive director of B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. Mr. El-Ad gave a powerful presentation entitled “Intractable Impermanence: 47 Years of ‘Temporary’ Occupation,” speaking about the injustice of an Occupation that has become anything but temporary.
Two days later, I paid a return visit to Human Rights Watch, where I interned earlier this year, to meet with Avner Gvaryahu, director of public outreach for Breaking the Silence. This organization of former Israel Defense Forces soldiers has as its mission to expose the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories. Mr. Gvaryahu delivered a briefing about Breaking the Silence’s new book featuring soldiers’ testimonies regarding their participation in the war in Gaza last summer.
Hearing about the work of these individuals and organizations has weighed heavily on me but I feel their work is exciting and I am hopeful about the increasing awareness being raised internationally regarding violations of Palestinian human rights.
Many of my remaining questions center on concerns regarding the worsening situation throughout Palestine, particularly in Gaza following last summer’s invasion. I have many meetings planned with both Israeli and Palestinian academics and writers, and I am brainstorming the most effective ways to respect individuals’ views while also asking necessary and challenging questions in the days ahead…