A.05. Education, Democracy and Resistance in Occupied Palestine

While the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has reached unimaginable levels of violence and oppression, education remains on the margins of political discourse, forcing thousands of students, at all levels, to renounce their dreams and rights in the name of the so-called security. Segregation, restrictions, inequalities and trauma have become a permanent and repetitive condition, and cooperation projects may perpetuate this emergency status, obstructing structural progress and maintaining the status quo (Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, et al., 2024). But when education is seen as a peaceful strategy to counteract this, it can foster community, values, and peaceful coexistence over militant training (ethnically, religiously, linguistically). What kind of education is possible to build in such violent emergency environments?

The panel analyses educational practices that promote inclusion, empowerment, resistance and the right to education, as well as cooperation and capacity building/development to support civic participation, emancipation and political agency in asymmetrical contexts (Pacetti, Soriani, Castellani, 2024; Taddei et al., 2025).

Purposes:

• Examine Palestinian experiences that foster learning for democracy under occupation.

• Evaluate inclusive strategies that guarantee the right to education for all students.

• Identify approaches to capacity building/development and transnational cooperation that are useful for strengthening schools and communities.

Proposed themes

• Education as a practice of resilience and collective memory.

• Youth empowerment and active citizenship programmes.

• Mechanisms for international cooperation and professional training for teachers.

• Policies and practices to protect the right to education in conflict contexts.

• Inclusive education as an approach to remove obstacles to learning and participation.