One of the most prominent Palestinian journalists who works through the medium of English will be the guest speaker at a special talk at the University of Galway this evening (Thursday ).
Ali Abunimah is the co-founder and executive director of the Electronic Intifada, one of the leading English language news websites in the world to cover the occupation of Palestine for over a quarter of a century.
His talk at the Emily Anderson Theatre at the University of Galway tonight (Thursday, 6pm ) is his only public speaking engagement during a brief visit to Ireland.
Ali is very familiar with Ireland, having studied in Dublin for a year before co-founding the Electronic Intifada in 2001, and expressed a wish to visit Galway after delivering powerful talks in Dublin and Ennis last year.
His talk, organised in conjunction with the Palestine Solidarity Society at the University, is on the theme of ‘Palestine: From Genocide to Justice and Liberation?’ and Ali will welcome questions from the audience.
Since its foundation, the Electronic Intifada has provided a strong voice in support of Palestinian liberation and, in particular, it has given a powerful platform to writers from Gaza over the past two and a half years.
“Ali’s website is known for its fearless reportage on the occupation of Palestine,” says independent journalist Ciaran Tierney, who is also a member of the Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign. “It is also known for the unwavering accuracy of its investigative journalism and for breaking major international stories.
“Ali is co-host of a weekly live stream which takes a deep dive into the issues affecting the Palestinian people and gives a powerful alternative to the narrative we are being given about Palestine in much of our mainstream media. In the past two and a half years, in particular, Ali has given a very important platform to young journalists and writers trapped in Gaza, some of whom, such as acclaimed poet Refaat Alareer, have been killed in this most recent onslaught on the tiny strip of land which is half the size of Co. Louth.”
Electronic Intifada also “broke” the story of the University of Galway’s partnership with Technion, the Israeli institute of technology which has strong links with the Israeli military, before it ever reached the Irish media last year. Ali is keen to talk to the Galway students about their ongoing campaign against the Technion agreement and the hurdles they have faced in trying to get the University of Galway authorities to end the agreement.
Last month, academics at the Irish Centre for Human Rights wrote an open letter to the President of the University of Galway, Professor David J. Burn, calling on him to terminate the partnership with Technion with immediate effect in order to restore the Galway institution’s reputation as a public University which is committed to human rights and equality.
Ali, who lives in Chicago, is the author of two books, ‘One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse’ and ‘The Battle for Justice in Palestine’.
The Emily Anderson Theatre is located next to the library in the main Arts Concourse building. Admission to the talk is free and all are welcome.
