The Center for Freedom and Justice (CFJ), also known as the Beit Ummar Center for Freedom and Justice, is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) based in the West Bank city of Beit Ummar that claims to advocate for developing economic and educational systems for Palestinians. The group claims that it supports non-violent means of achieving Palestinian independence. 1
Activity
Center for Freedom and Justice (CFJ) claims to support non-violent means of achieving Palestinian independence while establishing a Palestinian Arab state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. 2 It is an affiliate of the Children of Peace, a coalition of organizations promoting peace in the Middle East. 3
Activities that CFJ is undertaking include building a kindergarten in Beit Ummar with support for physically disabled children, 4 financing the construction of a “master composter” to support food security for Palestinians in response to climate change, 4 and redeveloping agriculture including parks. The group has also worked on constructing local infrastructure including theaters, cafés, museums, and swimming pools. 1 CFJ also ran a program that supported local female merchants, farmers, and goat herders until the COVID-19 pandemic. 1
Leadership
Bessan Adi has been the executive director of the Center for Freedom and Justice since 2018. 1
Musa Abu Maria is the head of international relations at the CFJ. In 2011, Abu Maria was described as a “leading member” of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Ummar and organized protests to block roads and Israeli construction projects. He is also a co-founder of the Palestine Solidarity Project. 5
Affiliates
The Center for Freedom and Justice has a U.S-based affiliate in Colorado that focuses on supporting the West Bank territory of Beit Ummar.The organization has raised funds for a kindergarten, financed a summer school, and raised awareness of the mistreatment of Palestinian children. 6 There is also a CFJ organization In Norway that has financially supported the CFJ. 1
References
- “Together with Palestine – Exclusive Interview with Bessan Adi, Director, CFJ-Beit Ummar.” YouTube. September 18, 2022. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=ekHZjzJVeQ0.
- Together with Palestine – Exclusive Interview with Bessan Adi, Director, CFJ-Beit Ummar.”” YoutubeYouTube. September 18, 2022. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://www.YoutubeYouTube.com/watch?v=ekHZjzJVeQ0.
- “Children of Peace Affiliates.” Children of Peace. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://www.childrenofpeace.org.uk/affiliate/.
- “Upcoming Projects.” Center for Freedom and Justice. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://www.cfj-pal.org/public/projects/2.
- “[Limerick] The Palestinian Nabka – An Ongoing Catastrophe: Mousa Abu Maria Speaks.” Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign. May 16, 2013. Accessed July 28, 2023. https://www.ipsc.ie/event/limerick-the-palestinian-nakba-an-ongoing-catastrophe-mousa-abu-maria-speaks.
- “Saving Beit Ummar.” CFJC Colorado. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://www.cfjcolorado.org/.