Witnessing the Occupation – life in the West Bank, with Tim Livesey and Julia Race

What does life under occupation look like - not through headlines, but through the eyes of those who have lived alongside Palestinian communities? We speak with Tim Livesey and Julia Race, recently returned Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAPPI), who spent months living and working in the occupied West Bank. Drawing on firsthand experience from the Jordan Valley and Bethlehem, they share eyewitness testimony of daily life under military occupation and the human stories behind the headlines. Together, they explore how settlement expansion, movement restrictions, demolitions, settler violence and the erosion of Palestinian communities fit into broader political and legal developments, including the International Court of Justice's 2024 advisory opinion declaring Israel's occupation unlawful. They also highlight the work of Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, the principle of sumud (steadfastness), and practical ways people in the UK can take informed action. Guests Tim Livesey first visited Palestine in 1987, six weeks before the outbreak of the first intifada, and has been a frequent visitor since then. He returned from a three-month spell as an Ecumenical Accompanier on the West Bank last November. He has been a UK diplomat, senior adviser to the Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster, Chief of Staff to Ed Miliband as Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Executive of the development charity Embrace the Middle East. Julia Race studied languages and has spent most of her career working for the British Council including postings to Cairo, Cape Town, Rome and Brussels. She now advises organisations from around the world on external relations, governance and fundraising. She first visited Israel and Palestine in 2007 and has just returned from three months as an Ecumenical Accompanier (or human rights monitor) based in Bethlehem. Listen & Subscribe Watch this episode on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others. Your support helps us continue bringing expert analysis and eyewitness testimony on Palestine, international law and UK policy. For more webinars, podcasts and events, visit the Britain Palestine Project.