Rebecca Bengtsson: Palestine Can’t Survive by Itself

As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict evolves, thousands are joining the Rally of Rage in Palestine. Meanwhile, the ComDev members have discussed how the international observer mission works in current conditions. Rebecca Bengtsson, the Communications Officer of Temporary International Presence in Hebron shares her experience with the C4D community.

Rebecca Bengtsson is a communication for development expert focusing on human rights, foreign policy and women’s empowerment in Europe and MENA region  as well as a former ComDev staff member.

Having met with Tobias Denskus and a group of students from ComDev, Rebecca Bengtsson shared her experience of working in Hebron while running communications at the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH). The organization itself has faced many challenges since its establishment after massacre in Hebron in 1994. Today’s TIPH  consists of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Switzerland and Turkey as participating parties, which signed a memorandum of understanding in 1997.

Hebron Through the Eyes of Children is a TIPH project that involved 35 children facing tensions everyday. Kids received disposable cameras and filmed the city as well as their daily life in Hebron, a constant conflict zone.

In this talk Rebecca Bengtsson covers topic of  the challenging scene for an international mission representatives in Hebron, difficulties of dealing with stakeholders and repercussions in the region in the context of Syrian War and ISIS. Most importantly, this dialogue touches upon electronic media as a catalyzer in the conflict escalation. “They should take some responsibility in their reporting,” says the TIPH Communications Officer.

Image via Flickr