On Sunday a friend and former colleague in Gaza called Mamdouh wrote to me, “By the grace of God, we’ve just prepared a delicious meal of falafel using all the traditional fresh ingredients – chickpeas, garlic, parsley and green pepper. It was a truly delightful experience, especially since it’s been a year a half since we last enjoyed falafel made from authentic ingredients rather than canned ones.” His photos and a video show Mamdouh using a hand-mincer to prepare the falafel mix.
Mamdouh was a librarian in one of Gaza’s universities. In the past two years he’s lost his livelihood, his family home, and, most tragically, one of his five children, killed in an Israeli strike only hours before the “ceasefire” was announced. So it’s all the more moving to hear him counting his blessings.
He also takes a great interest in the activities of Lib Dem Friends of Palestine, commenting in detail on photos I’ve sent of, for instance, Conference marking the Recognition of Palestine, or Lib Dems taking part in the regular London peace marches. He’s aware of the Lib Dems’ commitment to justice, the rule of law, human rights and self-determination and nationhood for the Palestinian people. I privately think of him as an honorary Lib Dem himself!
In response to his photos this week, I told Mamdouh that Lib Dems would be out on the streets again this Saturday on International Palestine Solidarity Day. He quickly replied, “I’m moved to hear about the upcoming march in London for the Palestine Solidarity Day – your support gives us strength and hope. May our shared voices bring about meaningful change and a brighter future for all. With heartfelt gratitude, Mamdouh.”
He went on to send me some background on this special day which I didn’t know. It can be tempting to thing these ‘named days’ are just randomly created at the whim of a marketing director somewhere. But Mamdouh sent this:
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed annually on November 29th.
This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1977 and is commemorated each year to express global support for the rights of the Palestinian people and to mark the anniversary of UN Resolution 181, which was adopted on the same date in 1947 and called for the partition of Palestine.
Purpose of the day: To affirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, national independence and the return of refugees.
Activities: Exhibitions, seminars, solidarity gatherings, and the raising of the Palestinian flag at UN offices worldwide.
Symbolism: This day serves as an opportunity for nations, organisations and individuals to express their support for the Palestinian cause.
In fact that Resolution 181 was no cause for celebration at the time, since Palestinians were, understandably, opposed to the partition of Palestine, and their leaders and their Arab neighbours voted against it. But I’m not going to quibble about this with Mamdouh now, because almost 80 years on from 1947 events have of course panned out very badly for the Palestinians, and at this point it seems appropriate for liberals to take any opportunity we’re given to stand up for the rights of this long-suffering people.
When I replied to Mamdouh that we’d be doing our best on Saturday to make Gazan voices heard in London, he wrote back, “You and your friends are truly remarkable in every sense of the word, because you see the truth and stand by it. We owe you our deepest thanks. Anyone who supports our right to live in peace and freedom – just like all the peoples of the world – deserves our utmost respect, love and gratitude.”
So we’ll be there on Saturday: Brits, Palestinians, Muslims, Jews, Young Liberals, whatever our ‘labels’. Lib Dem Friends of Palestine are all party members, but friends, family and supporters of any party are welcome to join us. The march route this Saturday is from Park Lane to Whitehall, and most of us meet for a coffee from 11am on before the 12 noon start. For information on our meeting place and anything else, please email us at [email protected]
* Judi Conner is a former journalist, a member in North Norfolk and a committee member of Lib Dem Friends of Palestine.
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
The mysterious mole men of New York caught on video
Doing better? The goal must be Sufficeincy
Michael Meadowcroft (1942-2026) - A Liberal to His Core
Labour deputy claims that Farage is a threat to democracy
Jason Connor
Mick Taylor
Chloe
theakes
Kira Collins
5 Comments
Thank you Judi for your continued interest in human rights, international law and liberal values. Anyone who upholds those three things will find themselves wanting to fight for the rights of Palestinians as all those in the Lib arena for Palestine.
We are either pro-occupation or against. Pro-human rights or against. Pro- one vote per citizen on land controlled by Natinyahu or against. Democracy is a technical term and Israel fails the threshold. One. Ore per person under the control of the powers. The sooner politicians understand this term the better. Calling Israel a democracy is an insult to actual democracies who give all people a vote regardless of religion or colour.
These London marches are so important as are the smaller marches and vigils taking place up and down the country every weekend, to remind people that the suffering and the injustices continue. What also continues to emerge is the complicity of the UK government in so much of the disregard for international humanitarian law. I knew of course that extensive collaboration between the UK and Israeli war effort had continued throughout, but I was still shocked to learn today that a government minister had admitted that “no more than 5” British military officers had been on training courses in Israel during the current war. https://www.declassifieduk.org/british-military-trained-in-israel-amid-gaza-genocide/ I find it extraordinary that this sort of cooperation has continued at all when the ICJ had clearly warned all signatories of the Genocide convention of their duty to prevent Genocide from taking place.
I am in daily contact with a couple of families I know in Gaza and others in the West Bank. It is often ignored that Palestine includes both areas. Gaza is largely out of the news right now because of Ukraine and the Budget, but Palestinians in Gaza are still being killed by Israeli forces in contravention of the so-called ceasefire as well as living in conditons that contravene the very basic requirements for life, and Palestinians are dying and being being displaced by both the IDF and illegal settlers in the West Bank.
As a Party we stand for human rights, international law and social justice. None of those exist for Palestinians right now and have not existed since 1948. The Palestinians have been denied human rights and self-determination consistently. As a Party it is incumbent on us to support such rights for all oppressed people and especially for a people living under an illegal occupation that is openly intent on ethnically cleansing them from their land. To require human rights and self-determination for one people should never mean the denial of such rights to another people.
A lasting peace based on justice can only be achieved with equality of rights for all in that area.
It’s nice to be appreciated by people in Palestine, but standing in solidarity with them against genocide is as much for our own souls, as it is for theirs.
The occupation continues after the supposed cease-fire. Hundreds of Palestinians are killed every day by the IDF in Gaza and by settlers in the West Bank. The Trump plan to turn Gaza into one of his golf courses with rule by a board with himself as chair and contains no Palestinians and is an affront to the right of self-determination. I’m marching on Saturday in what looks like to be pouring rain ( again)