The Friends of Al-Aqsa have launched their 2012 essay competition for an original piece on the Israel and Occupied Palestine

The Friends of Al-Aqsa Essay Competition has been established to encourage critical engagement with the issue of Israel and Occupied Palestine. Entrants should focus their essays on the issue outlined below.

The competition prize is £500. The submitted works must be original pieces of a minimum of 3000 and a maximum of 5000 words.

Question

Since Israel was established in 1948, Palestinians and Israelis have been unable to reconcile. Israeli expansionist policies have seen the displacement of Palestinians and violations of human rights protected by international conventions. Jerusalem has become a focal point of division and exclusion where Palestinian life is facing its stiffest challenges. How do these issues impact on the probability and possibility of establishing a one or two-state solution to the conflict?

For more info please visit the Friends of Al-Aqsa website.