Critical Perspectives on Israel & Palestine: Feminism & Activism in the Knesset
- Pacific Time Virtual Program
Critical Perspectives on Israel & Palestine consists of five stand-alone sessions, each requiring separate registration. These sessions invite participants into serious, pluralistic engagement with sharply different analyses and visions for the future of Israel/Palestine. We'll also examine the moral and political frameworks that shape those visions.
In each session, we feature a scholar, organizer, or public leader offering a distinct critical lens—followed by moderated conversation and public Q&A. The goal isn't consensus. It's clarity: hearing arguments on their own terms, understanding what's at stake, and sharpening our ability to think and speak with rigor in a time of polarization.
This session: Member of Knesset Aïda Touma-Suleiman
Aïda Touma-Suleiman is a Member of the Knesset, representing Hadash-Taʿal. She is a longtime Palestinian feminist organizer. First elected in 2015, she chaired the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality for seven years, and before entering parliament she founded Women Against Violence, the largest Palestinian women's organization in Israel, and served as editor-in-chief of Al-Ittihad. Her work on gender equality and peace led to her nomination for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. In this session, she brings a legislator's perspective on the realities facing Palestinian citizens of Israel and the political choices shaping Israel/Palestine—linking questions of democracy, equality, and rights to the pressures and possibilities of policymaking.
Who this is for: Anyone seeking a serious, pluralistic exploration of Israel/Palestine—students, educators, organizers, and community members ready to engage difficult questions, encounter disagreement, and think critically about what they hear. No prior expertise is required.
What you'll leave with: Clearer insight into the debates and choices shaping Israel/Palestine today, exposure to a sharply defined political framework on its own terms, and sharper tools for critical, informed engagement—in study, dialogue, and public life.
You may be interested in other sessions in this series:
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| January 26 | Hadar Susskind | New Jewish Narrative: Diaspora-grounded political lens on peace, security, and justice |
| February 1 | Reda Mansour | Diplomacy, Poetry, and the Druze Perspective |
| February 8 | MK Aïda Touma-Suleiman | Activism and Feminist Organizing among Palestinian Citizens of Israel |
| February 22 | Rula Daood & Nadav Shofet | Standing Together: Jewish-Palestinian grassroots organizing against occupation and for shared futures |
| March 1 | Daniel Boyarin | On The No-State Solution: recovering Jewish peoplehood beyond the nation-state |
- Format: brief introduction to our guests, ~60 minutes of moderated conversation, and ~25-30 minutes of participant Q&A
- Recording: this session will be recorded. Access to the recording will be available separately (details to follow).
- Conversation norms: we welcome disagreement and will moderate to keep the conversation rigorous and respectful. Q&A is for concise, good-faith questions; personal attacks, dehumanizing language, or advocacy of harm will be moderated.
Register to join the live session—and be part of the conversation.
