Reflecting on Gaza

Marking the one year anniversary of the Israeli military assault on Gaza in 2014, the Rachel Corrie Foundation presents Reflecting on Gaza, with special guests Maxine Fookson, Dr. Steve Niva, Eitan Isaacson, and Mohammed Usrof. Panelists will share their personal connections to the region and discuss 2014 events in Gaza, their impact, and what lies ahead. A community discussion on how to prevent a repeat of last year’s events will follow.

Maxine Fookson is a pediatric nurse practitioner and member of Jewish Voice for Peace – Portland. For nine days in November 2014 she was part of the Washington State Physicians for Social Responsibility Health Delegation to Gaza.

Eitan Isaacson, Jewish Voice for Peace – Seattle, grew up in a modern orthodox Jewish community in Rehovot, Israel, and served with the Israeli military from 2001 to 2004.

Dr. Steve Niva teaches International Politics and Middle East Studies at the Evergreen State College. His primary areas of research and writing include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, Islamist movements, and contemporary war and violence. He has written for and served on the editorial board of Middle East Report magazine (www.merip.org).

Mohammed Usrof was born and raised in Khan Yunis, a city in the Gaza Strip. After receiving a Bachelors Degree in Counseling and Guidance from Al-Aqsa University in Gaza in 2012, he moved to the Pacific Northwest for study at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland and at The Evergreen State College. He has been a coordinator of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and a volunteer for the Rachel Corrie Foundation.