Supporters of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign have organised a public meeting in Darlington to raise awareness of the issues facing Palestinians. The event is part of the Nakba week of action that commemorates the 68th anniversary of the Palestinians’ loss of land when the state of Israel was created in 1948. This loss, known by Palestinians as the Nakba or ‘catastrophe’, involved the dispossession and removal of the native Palestinian population from their towns and villages.
Speakers will include Haya al Farra from the Palestinian Mission in the UK and Professor Bill Williamson, a Trustee of the Durham Palestine Educational Trust at Durham University and Chairperson of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, County Durham.
Professor Williamson said, “For most Palestinians the Nakba has continued. In 1967 Israel occupied the rest of Palestine, annexing East Jerusalem and Syria’s Golan Heights and Palestinians continue to suffer through Israeli violence and their development of illegal settlements. A UN report, for example, documented how Israel’s activities in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem resulted in the deaths of 2,314 Palestinians and 17,125 injuries in 2014 alone. Up-to-date figures for this year suggest almost 70 deaths so far alongside the demolition of 600 homes.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign includes people from all faiths and political parties, campaigns for peace and justice, supports international law and human rights and opposes all forms of racism including anti-Jewish prejudice and Islamophobia.
The meeting will be held at 7:00 pm on Thursday 12 May at The Friends Meeting House (Quakers), 6 Skinnergate, Darlington, DL3 7NB.
There will also be a Fairtrade stall selling Palestinian produce.
More information is available at www.palestinecampaign.org