International Conference
Palestine: The Economy of Genocide and Complicit Enterprises
October 5–6, 2026 Bilbao
Presentation
Why this International Conference?
These sessions aim to examine the role of corporations in the context of the colonization and genocide of the Palestinian people, addressing their responsibilities from a legal, economic, political, and social perspective.
It's meant to be a space to share knowledge and experiences, analyze specific cases, and collectively reflect on possible courses of action and accountability.
Information
Date: October 5–6, 2026
Venue: BilboRock, Bilbao, Euskal Herria
Organized by: Paz con Dignidad – OMAL
https://www.pazcondignidad.org/
e-mail: palestina_jardunaldiak@omal.info
SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION AVAILABLE
What is the goal?
To analyze the role and responsibility of enterprises and other global actors in the Palestinian context, addressing legal frameworks, economic and geopolitical dynamics, as well as specific cases.
We also seek to hear first-hand from Palestinian activists and experts, to foster the exchange of knowledge and experiences, and explore possible avenues for action, advocacy, and accountability.
Programme
Monday, October 5 (afternoon)
16:00–16:15 WELCOME AND OPENING OF THE EVENT
16:15–18:15 PALESTINE TODAY: POLITICAL CONTEXT AND PERSPECTIVES
- Sara Alqobbaj (BADIL)
Key insights into the current context - Yusi
Genocide, colonization, and grassroots organizing from a feminist perspective - Rula Mazzawi
The 1948 colonized Palestine: One Common Goal, Different Strategies of the Zionist Regime
18:15–18:30 Coffee break
18:30–20:15 LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF IMPUNITY
- Juan Hernández Zubizarreta
Corporate power and the architecture of impunity - Melissa O’Donnell
International law in Palestine: Between legal norms and their implementation
Tuesday, October 6 (morning)
9:30–9:45 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO THE DAY
9:45–11:30 COMPANIES, STATES AND GLOBAL CAPITALISM: STRATEGIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACTS (I)
- Sara Alqobbaj (BADIL)
Global complicity and international crimes - Erika González and Pedro Ramiro (OMAL)
Modus operandi of transnational corporations in contexts of human rights violations
11:30–11:45 Coffee break
11:45–14:15 COMPANIES, STATES AND GLOBAL CAPITALISM: STRATEGIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACTS (II)
- Maha Abdallah
From 1948 to Gaza: transnational corporations and corporate complicity across the different Palestinian territories - Mona Sabella
Corporate control strategies: practices and tools to challenge them - Toufic Haddad
Post-neoliberal capitalism: major US technology companies and their involvement in the genocide
14:15–16:00 Lunch – PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE ON THE REGISTRATION FORM
Tuesday, October 6 (afternoon)
16:00–18:15 CASE STUDIES: FINANCE, INFRASTRUCTURE, SECURITY AND POPULATION CONTROL
- Max Carbonell and Jordi Calvo (Centre Delàs)
The Armed Banking System and its responsibility in the genocide: the case of BBVA - Santiago González and BDZ EH
Infrastructure for the occupation: CAF and the Jerusalem Light Rail - Wassim Ghanthous
The global security industry: the Zionist regime, capitalism, and militarization
18:15–18:30 Coffee break
18:30–20:30 FROM ANALYSIS TO ACTION: EXPERIENCES OF ORGANIZING AND RESISTANCE, CAMPAIGNS AND PROPOSALS
Participants include:
- Giorgia Gusciglio
- Alys Samson Estapé
- Sara Alqobbaj (BADIL)
- Yusi
Speakers
Rula Mazzawi
Palestinian psychologist, psychotherapist, and activist. Internally displaced, her family was expelled from Beisan in 1948, and she currently lives in Nazareth. She is involved in organizations working on the rights of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced people.
Yusi
Palestinian feminist activist involved in the feminist movement since 2011. She is currently participating in a Palestinian women’s association. Her work focuses on the triple oppression faced by Palestinian women. She is also a trainer in cooperativism and feminist economics as alternatives for resistance in Palestine.
Maha Abdallah
Palestinian researcher and activist. PhD candidate at the Faculty of Law of the University of Antwerp. Her work focuses on international law, human rights, apartheid, genocide, and corporate accountability, with particular attention to the Palestinian context.
Melissa O'Donnell
Australian lawyer specializing in human rights and researcher at the International Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam. From 2023 to 2025, she served as a research adviser to Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
Sara Alqobbaj
Research and Advocacy Officer at BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, based in Bethlehem. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Global Studies and has a background in International Law and Human Rights, with experience in human rights research and advocacy in Palestine.
Wassim Ghantous
Palestinian and Senior Researcher in Political Geography at the University of Tampere. His work focuses on issues of coloniality, violence, surveillance, (in)security, and resistance, with particular attention to the Palestine/Israel context.
Mona Sabella
Coordinator of the Corporate Accountability Working Group at ESCR-Net. Palestinian specialist in international human rights and humanitarian law, she has worked for more than a decade with social movements, Indigenous communities, and human rights organizations to strengthen accountability mechanisms in relation to corporate power.
Toufic Haddad
Palestinian-American scholar and author specializing in the political and economic affairs of Palestine. He is the author of Palestine Ltd: Neoliberalism and Nationalism in the Occupied Territory and has worked as a journalist, researcher, consultant, editor, and columnist in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Santiago González Vallejo
Economist and co-founder of the Committee for Solidarity with the Arab Cause (CSCA). He is a member of the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine (RESCOP) and participates in campaigns calling for an arms embargo and opposing companies linked to the occupation, colonization, and genocide of the Palestinian people (CAF, eDreams, Carrefour, etc.). Through CSCA, he is involved in the Rumbo a Gaza / Freedom Flotilla campaigns.
Giorgia Gusciglio
European BDS Campaigns Coordinator at the Palestinian National Committee (BNC) of the BDS Movement. A BDS activist in Belgium since 2021, she previously participated in Palestine solidarity groups in Italy. She has a background in Political Science, Sociology, and SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) studies.
BDZ (Boikota, Desinbertsioa eta Zigorrak)
BDZ is the node of the global BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement in the Basque Country. It is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. Through pressure, divestment and consumer boycott campaigns, it takes action against companies that profit from the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Max Carbonell
PhD in Biology and specialist in Technopolitics and Rights in the Digital Age. Researcher and project officer in the field of Peace Education, currently working at Centre Delàs on the Armed Banking research line. He also participates in social movements focused on housing and solidarity with Palestine.
Juan Hernández Zubizarreta
PhD in Law, professor, and researcher, widely recognized for his critical work on the impact of multinational corporations on human rights and his analysis of the legal architecture of globalization. He is a member of the Observatory of Multinationals in Latin America (OMAL) of the Paz con Dignidad Association.
Pedro Ramiro
Member of the Observatory of Multinationals in Latin America (OMAL), where he researches and documents the impacts of the global expansion of transnational corporations. He is the author of several books and research studies on transnational corporations, corporate accountability, international cooperation, and social movements.
Erika González
Biologist, researcher, and activist, she is the national coordinator of Ecologistas en Acción and a member of the Observatory of Multinationals in Latin America (OMAL) of the Paz con Dignidad Association.
Alys Samson Estapé
Specialist in the prevention of corporate abuse in the context of occupation, and an expert in responsible public procurement. She coordinates research and advocacy efforts at the Observatory on Human Rights and Business in the Mediterranean (ODHE). Previously, she coordinated the BDS campaigns at the European level.
Jordi Calvo
PhD in Peace, Conflict and Development Studies, economist, and researcher specializing in peace culture, disarmament, defence economics, and the arms trade and financing. He is the Coordinator of Centre Delàs and a university professor. He has worked as a humanitarian project coordinator in several African countries and participates in international initiatives for peace and the reduction of military spending.
Venue and Date
Venue
Date and Time
Monday, October 5, afternoon: 4:00 p.m. –8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 6, all day: 9:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. (lunch included)
It means a lot to us to know that you’ll be joining us. Please complete the registration form. Remember: registration is free.
REGISTRATION FORM
Address
BilboRock: Muelle de la Merced, 1, 48003 Bilbao, Bizkaia.
Paz con Dignidad: Kalea Gardoki 9, 5 Der. CP 48005, Bilbao, Bizkaia
Contact
