Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, an environmental scientist from Bethlehem University was a keynote speaker at an August 14 forum on the Palestine ecocide. It was hosted by Palestine Justice Movement Sydney.
Qumsiyeh is also the founder and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University, where he teaches. He has published well over 150 scientific papers on topics ranging from cultural heritage to biodiversity, in addition to several books.
Qumsiyeh spoke of Israel’s devastation of Gaza’s natural environment and of Palestine including the “widespread habitat destruction, and removal of native tree cover” and the loss of water resources such as the Jordan River valley, which, he said “is now like a tiny, polluted stream”.
Qumsiyeh said a key reason for Israel’s attack on Gaza is because of its natural gas resources. “Israel has recently signed an agreement with Egypt to export a large quantity of gas to that country.”
He said his environmental education work in Jerusalem included a project called “Palestine Action for the Planet” which assists in the maintenance of community gardens in the West Bank. It involves 600 overseas volunteers from 47 countries.
“The unprecedented scale of environmental damage in Gaza reveals the inadequacy of environmental protection in international criminal law,” Qumsiyeh said. “We have seen the silencing and censorship of Australian artists and writers, of academics and students and journalists who have been sidelined, threatened and sacked for speaking out in support of Gaza.”
Sam Castro, operations coordinator and secretary of Friends of the Earth (FOE) also spoke as did Claire Parfitt, lecturer in political economy at University of Sydney and Dr Julie Macken, a social justice facilitator. Ahmed Abadla, a Palestinian from Gaza, MCed the event.
Parfitt discussed the challenge of motivating unions to take a stronger stand in support of Palestine and, in particular, to stand up against the university administrations’ repressive actions against pro-Palestine students and staff.
Castro talked about FOE’s historical stand for Palestine and highlighted the “failings” of much of the environmental movement, especially the NGOs, to take a stand with the people of Gaza.
Macken said threats to deny funding and charity status was behind many environment organisations’ failures to take a clear stand against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Rising Tide and Friends of the Earth are honorable exceptions.
Qumsiyeh said the attack on Gaza has “galvanised the whole planet” and that international solidarity with the people of Gaza was urgent.