EXCERPT
Struggle of the people of Palestine for their freedom and independence is probably one of the ‘don’t ask – don’t tell’ topics for many Ukrainians covered under such a generalisation as the ‘Near East’, and is associated with wars in the first place. At the same time Israel is often presented as a role model for Ukraine, both in terms of safety and economically. In order to challenge such stereotypical visions we decided to talk to the Palestinian researcher Dana El Kurd. She is a researcher in political science, and an assistant professor at the University of Richmond. Dana works on state-society relations in the Arab world with topics like authoritarianism and international intervention. Palestine is the focus of her research interest. Dana was born and raised in Jerusalem, and later she immigrated to the United States.
People in Ukraine, unfortunately, don’t know much about Palestine and they tend to perceive the situation through the Israeli lens. Could you describe the current situation of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza?
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, which came under direct Israeli occupation after 1967, live in an escalating situation of occupation. This has been an occupation for over 50 years now. But other parts of historic Palestine have been under direct Israeli control for even longer. In the case of the West Bank we can speak about increased colonisation, as the settlements are expanding. There's less freedom of movement, there's less freedom of expression. Because of just the sheer amount of land grabs that are happening, there's less space for Palestinians. And then, obviously, very heavy-handed military repression by the Israeli occupation forces is happening as well. That's the context in the West Bank.
Source:
https://commons.com.ua/en/intervyu-z-danoyu-el-kurd/