On Thursday 26th of February the Middle East Committee hosted one of their first events of this new semester: an engaging and interactive guest lecture by Anmar Hijazi, the Ambassador of the Palestinian Mission to the Kingdom of The Netherlands, who provided critical insight about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank since the ceasefire was announced last October. The lecture was then followed by a long Q&A session, moderated by Dr. Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl, Senior Assistant Professor of Political Science at Leiden University. The event provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding and awareness on the current situation of Palestinians and how the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people has been developing since the ceasefire was announced on October 10th 2025.
This article will provide a summary of the main points and information that was brought up during the event.
Part One: Lecture by Ambassador Anmar Hijazi
One of the first things the ambassador made very clear was that the genocide of Palestinians continues, despite the ceasefire having been agreed upon. It should in fact not even be considered a ceasefire in the first place as nothing has yet to be changed. Siege, colonialism, forced starvation and apartheid are currently ongoing and the international community seems to be doing nothing substantial in alleviating Palestinian suffering.
Palestinian land is still being taken and seized by Israeli settlers: More recently, regarding the West Bank, the Israeli Government has approved extensive measures to expand its powers, easing restrictions on land sale to Israeli settlers, which allow them to purchase Palestinian land, something that has been considered illegal by the International Criminal Court of Justice.Because of this, 40.000 Palestinians have been left displaced in the West Bank this past year. Moreover, this theft of land and property is followed by settler violence as many small communities and towns in the West Bank have been continuously terrorized by armed settlers who are permitted to carry weapons while the IDF stand by and do nothing except protect the settlers. The kind of violence used by settlers and military personel against Palestinians include rape, torture and unlawful detention. Despite many of these aggressions being caught on camera, no IDF soldier nor Israeli citizen has been detained or faced charges. They are under the full protection of the Israeli government. No one is protecting Palestinians.
Since the supposed “ceasefire”, over 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, with over 1600 injured in Gaza. The Israeli Government continues to block essentials and aid into Gaza, many International Organizations are also not permitted to enter or provide help —including some that are registered here, in The Netherlands. It is essentially a blockade or siege of the Palestinian territory, which has caused mass starvation, horrendous living conditions and continuous suffering. Over 1000 gates and military points are set throughout Palestine, used to control what or who goes in and out. Even Palestinians that live in Israel and are citizens of Israel —those who are Arab, non-Jewish former Palestinian citizens or their descendants— face systematic discrimination and are being forcibly expelled.
Thus, there is no doubt that what Israel is doing and has been doing is nothing less than an ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian identity.
Another important issue Ambassador Anmar Hijazi focused on was how Israel has been able to get away with this —you could even laugh at how easily these crimes are being committed. And they are not being committed in a vacuum, they are being committed because no action is being taken to prevent it. The International Law is constantly being broken but no punishment has yet to be given to those breaking it. The International Community must intervene to defend the rights and laws that it’s constantly preaching about. This is not only a matter of Palestine, it is a matter of humanity. We must defend humanities rights to live governed by rules, rules that mustn’t be broken with such ease. Standing by and not doing anything normalizes the suffering of Palestinians, it normalizes occupation, normalizes colonialism: And what is normalized in Palestine can be normalized around the world. This should be a great worry to everyone.
Therefore, it is stated that there are two sides to this situation: Genocide backers and Humanity defenders. There is no in between, as you cannot be partially opposed to genocide. In cases such as these, neutrality does not exist.
Part Two: Q&A Session
The Q&A session was the longest part of the event and the ambassador was asked a multitude of questions, to which he responded to openly and in detail. Because this article cannot be too long, it will only cover some of the very first questions that were asked.
During the session, the ambassador explained how it is for Palestinians to travel back to Palestine. Something that is not an easy feat, as it involves sleeping for days at the border waiting to be let in as people accumulate in huge numbers (which causes the space to feel both crowded and inhumane). You are then, as a Palestinian, checked, double checked, even triple checked, reprimanded, stripped, and possibly assaulted amongst other ordeals. These means are not necessary, they are done simply to humiliate Palestinians.
The youth are targeted more, but we can see this in general, as the majority of violence towards Palestinians is against the younger generation.
Other small hardships that Palestinians face is that they have to pay taxes when they leave. Also, neither in Gaza nor in the West Bank are any airports allowed, forcing them to be subjected to border crossings. This is all much harder for Gazans, who have stricter laws and are essentially not being allowed to leave.
This all leads to the dehumanization of the Palestinian people, through which another question arises. How can we humanize Palestinians instead? Is it possible for Israelis to do so?
For Israelis to start treating Palestinians as equals, serious intervention must be required, meaning consequences must be enacted on crimes being committed. If nothing is being done to defend Palestinians we cannot expect anything to change, or for Israelis to view Palestinians differently. Moreover this dehumanization isn’t done by Israel alone, but internationally. Therefore real change is essential and is required. Even the smallest forms of change are beneficial: spreading awareness is beneficial, as is boycotting and protesting, something that students are capable of doing.
What is a possible solution to the situation? Is coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians possible? According to the ambassador, this is the only possible solution. Palestinians simply wish to be left alone, with their independence and free will. Although not easy, coexistence is possible, as long as it is aligned with International legitimacy and assures equal rights for both sides.
Conclusion
This event was highly successful, with a high number of attendees, many of whom participated throughout the session. The participants and organizers did their best in ensuring a respectful and welcoming atmosphere where open debate and questions could be made on the topic. Thelecture was overall able to provide critical insight on Israel’s occupation of Palestine, one of the longest military occupations in modern history, and a serious ongoing
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