On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the Law and Development Research Group (LDRG) at the Faculty of Law, University of Antwerp, collaborating with the Muwatin Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, Birzeit University, initiated the joint research project titled "Emancipatory Human Rights". Supported by the Belgian government through the Belgian Development Agency - Enabel, this project seeks to explore methods of utilizing human rights exclusively for emancipatory purposes, while also assessing strategies to safeguard human rights from colonial exploitation. In addition to conceptual exploration, the project involves developing policy briefs to analyse the influence of colonial dynamics on human rights in Palestine, research, and student exchange.
The welcoming remarks and project overview were delivered by Prof. Koen De Feyter, Spokesperson of the Law and Development Research Group, alongside Alaa Alazzeh, Vice President for Community Affairs, and Prof. Mudar Kassis, Director of the Muwatin Institute and Project Co-Director, from Birzeit University.
Mudar Kassis emphasized that collaboration with the University of Antwerp represents an open and strong expression of solidarity with Palestinians, grounded in principles beyond mere sympathy for victims. It signifies a comprehensive solidarity aimed at achieving peace, serving as the overarching goal of this partnership.
Koen De Feyter noted that the programme was written before the ongoing conflict in Gaza emerged. Therefore, an integral part of the exercise now is to rethink the project's activities in order to meet the rising needs in the education sector.
The main activities that are envisaged as part of this project are:
The Human Rights Factory – a bottom-up approach to human rights as defined, discussed and elaborated by Palestinian youth (university students) in the context of safe and self-organized spaces of reflection and deliberation.
Policy Briefs – academic research will focus on the themes of human rights protection of youth against violence (with a specific focus on gender-based violence) the right to education, and other human rights issues taken up in response to discussions at the Human Rights Factory and in dialogues with youth.
Intercultural classroom – setting up an intercultural and multi-disciplinary virtual classroom between Palestinian and Belgian students on “GBV” and “the right to education” as a component of the annual curriculum; a one-week in person joint summer school in Palestine or Belgium).
Workshops and seminars with local stakeholders and outputs produced.
Following the welcoming remarks, the first session of the event 'Positioning Palestine within the Growing Challenges of Human Rights' followed, where various layers of international law and its enforcement were discussed. Professor De Feyter mentioned that there have been several initiatives by different states, most notably the four procedures pending at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial body of the United Nations, including the South Africa v. Israel case invoking the Genocide Convention and the ongoing proceedings for an advisory opinion on the illegality of the occupation. In addition, De Feyter noted the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the pursuit of individual criminal liability.
He highlighted the fundamental difference between law and politics because it is important to understand that law operates universally, whereas politics tend to be more ad hoc. Despite the ICJ’s ability to alleviate some of the harm occurred, conflict persist unless parties willingly adhere to its decisions. Historical advancements in international law are often spurred by man-made disasters, revealing the inadequacy of existing regulations.
Prof. Kassis mentioned that in a transforming world, addressing the Palestine question involves confronting past failures and recognizing that self-determination extends beyond mere statehood. While a nation-state is crucial, reducing self-determination to statehood alone risks undermining broader human rights principles and perpetuates uncertainty. Emphasizing the necessity of adopting a comprehensive approach that prioritizes dialogue, inclusivity, and mutual respect among all stakeholders holds the power to pave the way for a sustainable resolution to the Palestine question.
The second session was dedicated to exploring snapshots of the research project’s main themes. Maha Abdallah, Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant in the field of Public International Law at the University of Antwerp, spoke during the second session on 'The Fusion of Violence and Racism in Palestine: Gender Manifestations during the War on Gaza'. Her intervention centred on how Israel's inflicted gendered harm, particularly throughout its current aggression against Gaza and the Palestinian people at large, is designed to have immediate and future consequences of disrupting the composition and fabric of the Palestinian society, as an inherent element towards its destruction and elimination. She highlighted that Israel's systematic denial of fundamental rights, including to life, health, liberty, dignity, underscores the normalized injustice against the Palestinian people as a whole, with women and girls facing additional heightened impacts due to the intersectionality of patriarchy, colonialism, supremacy, racism and racial discrimination in Palestine, which serve as pillars to Israel's settler-colonial project.
Dana Farraj covered the topic of ‘Popular Emancipatory Education in the Colonial Condition’ referring to educational initiatives aimed at empowering marginalized and oppressed communities. These initiatives focus on providing education that not only imparts knowledge but also fosters critical thinking, self-awareness, and collective action to challenge colonial structures of power and achieve emancipation.
The last speaker of the second session was Sahar Francis who spoke on ‘The Human Rights Based Approach in the Colonial Context’ exploring the application of human rights principles within regions and societies affected by colonial legacies.
The inaugural event ended with a round table discussion about similar student initiatives at Birzeit University, sharing experiences, challenges, and outlook to the role of such activities in Palestine’s reality today.