Nonviolent resistance in intractable conflicts

Foto Federica Stagni

Nonviolent resistance in intractable conflicts
COSMOS roundtable
Speakers

• Donatella della Porta (Scuola Normale Superiore) (chair)
• Federica Stagni ( Independent researcher)
• Daniel Ritter (Stockholm University)
• Micol Meghnagi (UCD, Dublino)

The recent Hamas attacks on Israel on Saturday, October 7, 2023, with rocket strikes and a simultaneous infiltration of over a thousand individuals into Israeli territory near the Gaza Strip, have elicited profound surprise and concern within the international community. The response from Israel to this assault has been even more aggressive, resulting in thousands of casualties in the Strip, primarily among civilian populations.

When covering recent developments, many newspapers and mainstream media outlets tend to overlook the extensive years of military occupation in the region and the last 16 years of a complete blockade that has afflicted the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, a discourse that has been entirely suppressed is the one related to non-violent resistance and all the social movements, groups, and organizations that have been actively mobilizing for years, striving to create a peaceful coexistence in Israel and Palestine.

Talking of these realities is a means to go beyond conflict's binary narrative and showcase alternatives that have historically existed despite being consistently overlooked and obstructed by political authorities in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Hence, this Cosmos round table endeavors to refocus the discourse on non-violent co-resistance alternatives to the conflict that have persistently advocated for an end to the occupation and the disruption of conditions that have led to a rekindling of the conflict over the years.

Entrance will be allowed up to the maximum capacity of the room.