Israeli author who faced death threats to attend Derry conference

Ilan Pappé was born in Haifa and is known as one of Israel’s ‘New Historians’ group.

The organisers of the Think Left conference in Derry said that Pappé used official Israeli and British government documents to demonstrate how nearly 800,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homelands through an organised and systematic terror campaign in 1948.

This is known among Palestinians as the ‘nakba’, and the group said Pappé is a vocal supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign and supports the creation of one-state shared by Jews and Arabs.

As a consequence of his historical work and activism, he has faced death threats.

Conference organisers Gavin Campbell and Meave O’Neill, in a joint statement, said:

“The struggle of the Palestinian people has been an inspiration to millions of people across the globe.

“Today, the movement challenging Israeli apartheid is growing stronger and stronger across Ireland.

“Ilan Pappé’s work and voice has contributed immensely to the understanding of the roots of conflict in the Middle East.

“We are grateful he can join us in Derry and we think people will benefit from his contributions at the conference.”

The organisers said that 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Balfour Declaration, and also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 war when Israel occupied the rest of historic Palestine.

“These are issues which will be addressed at the conference with the aim of strengthening the Palestine solidarity campaign,” they said.

Further information about the conference will be released in the days ahead.