Creative Palestinian Non-Violent Resistance of the Scientific Kind

Palestinians have developed a number of creative, non-violent ways to challenge the brutal Israeli military occupation of Palestine. One of the more widely known forms of non-violent resistance is the BDS (Boycotts, Divestment & Sanctions) movement that was started in 2005 by about 150 Palestinian civil groups and joined by activists all around the world. When we spent a month in Palestine, based in Bethlehem, this past summer with the Holy Land Trust, one very innovative form of non-violent resistance came to our attention. We met Dr. Mazin & Jessie Qumsiyeh, who founded the Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability and the Palestine Museum of Natural History that is associated with Bethlehem University. This 14 minute video is a talk by Dr. Qumsiyeh, given at the meeting of the Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN) on Dec. 4, 2017. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo. Professor Qumsiyeh’s paper dealt with challenges and opportunities for sustainable development in the 21st century with globalized systems. He highlighted the example of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University in areas of research, education, and environmental conservation. As the only Palestinian speaker at this conference, Prof. Qumsiyeh took the opportunity to also highlight the issues of Israeli colonial policies that effect sustainability in Palestine.