Congress Roundtable August 21: “How WILPF Can Change U.S. Policy in the Middle East”

A mother paints the Palestinian flag on her daughter’s face amid Gaza’s ruins in July 2021. Photo by Sarah Murtaja; used with permission.

By Barb Taft
Co-chair, Middle East Peace and Justice Action Committee

August 2021

On Saturday, August 21, beginning at 3:20 pm PDT / 5:20 pm CDT / 6:20 pm EDT, our panelists will discuss the ways in which U.S. policy in the Middle East is detrimental to our goals of peace and justice for all of the peoples living there and on U.S. citizens, as well as how our work, in solidarity with other groups, can lead to change in those policies and the potential for a happier future for all.

Our committee, the Middle East Peace and Justice Action Committee (or MEPJAC), is tasked with working on issues throughout the Middle East region, but we believe that the problems there are centered on the dispute between Israel and Palestine. 

Our panelists will be: Odile Hugonot-Haber, co-chair of MEPJAC, speaking on U.S. weapons sales to the Middle East and how detrimental they are; Charlotte Dennett, attorney and author, on the role of oil and pipelines, and how that links to militarization and chaos in the region; Desmera Gatewood, activist from the Triangle area, whose topic is the importance of Black and Palestinian solidarity, including reflections from her recent trip to the region; and Barb Taft, co-chair of MEPJAC, who will talk about our work to have Hamas removed from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, the participation of all factions and views in peace talks, and the necessity of starting those peace talks again. Marlena Santoyo will also read a poem written by a female Palestinian prisoner.

We are hoping for a good attendance and a lively discussion. We believe that our issues are related to those of multiple other groups and individuals and that it is by working together that we will achieve our mutural goals. Please join us! Register here for the WILPF US 34th Triennial Congress.    

In addition, our MEPJAC member Nada Farhat, who is also a member of the WILPF Lebanon section, will be presenting a short video on Sunday, August 22 at 10:15 a.m. PDT / 12:15 pm CDT / 1:15 pm EDT. The video is called, “Lebanon: The Forgotten Country” and consists of interviews with women and girls in Lebanon. It has just been released and emphasizes the plight of refugees in that beleaguered country and the need for peace in order for them to be repatriated. The content may shock you, but it needs to be seen and heard.

For information, contact Barb Taft at beejayssite@yahoo.com.