Last week, FOA held events across the country as part of its second annual Palestine Awareness Week. We brought people together for a celebration of Palestinian culture and to raise awareness about Israel’s genocide and occupation, all to build community and strengthen our movement.
Our guest of honour for the week was Dr Naledi Pandor, the former South African Minister of International Relations who played a prominent role in bringing the country’s genocide case forward at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel in December. Dr Pandor spoke in Oxford, Leicester, London and Manchester, inspiring audiences with her powerful words and insight into the global struggle for Palestinian liberation.
While it would be impossible to adequately summarise all the important points that she spoke about on her visit, she emphasised the importance of reform at the UN, particularly in the Security Council (UNSC). At FOA’s dinner reception last Friday, she emphasised the need to make the UNSC more democratic so that it can become truly representative of the international community, rather than just the minority in the Global North. She emphasised the importance of the BDS movement and urged us to have courage, fight for our freedom of speech and not be silenced in our Palestine advocacy.
Dr Pandor was joined at the sold out Leicester event by MPs Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed, from Birmingham Perry Barr and Dewsbury and Batley, respectively, who represented the strong pro-Palestinian Independent MPs movement that emerged in July. In London, she was joined at the sold out annual Palestine Awareness Week dinner by FOA’s Chair Ismail Patel; co-founder of We Are Not Numbers, Ahmed Alnaouq; and rapper and activist, Lowkey. Attendees were treated to a feast of food and knowledge, all while being able to develop relationships and hear from some of the leading voices in the Palestine solidarity movement.
On Wednesday, FOA also organised its National Lobby Day for Palestine in Parliament. July’s election saw a record 335 new MPs enter government and this gave us a fresh opportunity to build relationships and a stronger coalition to bring about a change to UK policy. Thanks to the interest from Team FOA across the country, our representatives were able to meet with many MPs on the day, discussing ways in which they could affect meaningful change through their positions and distributing our up-to-date briefing packs, filled with information about Palestine, as well as Israel’s occupation and genocide.
Palestine Awareness Week was also an opportunity to celebrate and understand Palestinian culture, heritage and history. We held two cultural events in London: “One Ring, Many Stories” with Asherah Jewellery, where attendees made rings in the iconic watermelon colours of the Palestinian flag – a symbol of Palestinian resilience, identity and resistance; and “Unravelling Stories: Tatreez, Thread and the Art of Palestinian Embroidery” workshop with Adriana Rabu.
Elsewhere, there was also an exhibition on the importance of Al-Quds and its history. The event included exciting activities for children, including scroll and keyring making and colouring sheets. Local Team FOA branches went into their communities and hosted a roundtable discussion between students, local councillors and residents about ways that the pro-Palestine movement can be strengthened in their area. This will set the foundations for many more initiatives that are sure to follow in the future.
Palestine Awareness Week was an opportunity for everyone to come together, learn, build networks and renew their commitment to the Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination. Thank you to all of our volunteers who organised and supported events and to all those who attended.
Palestine Awareness Week was filled with hope and highlighted what is possible. As Naledi Pandor reminded us, we cannot “give up until the objective of freedom is achieved.”
