Dr Ghada Karmi at 'Jerusalem: Legalising the Occupation' conference

Address by Dr Ghada Karmi at MEMO’s ‘Jerusalem: Legalising the Occupation‘ conference held in London on March 3, 2018.

Dr Ghada Karmi is a leading Palestinian academic, activist and writer. She is a research fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. Karmi was born in Jerusalem and was forced to leave her home with her family as a result of Israel’s creation in 1948. The family moved to England in 1949, where she grew up and was educated.

Panel: Exploring the Historical Context

Throughout history, Jerusalem has always been the cultural, administrative and commercial centre of Palestine. Palestinians regard it as their capital city. Yet from the onset of their movement Zionist leaders set their eyes on the city.

In a letter to Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour dated 30 May 1918 Chaim Weizmann wrote: “Only one [holy place] which is…left to us…our most sacred monument, in our most sacred city, is in the hands of some Maghreb religious community… ”