Our latest delegation to Palestine/Israel was a group of Parliamentary researchers, Councillors and Labour Party members. We asked them what they thought of their visit with us.
Here is their feedback:
“I have visited Palestine on many occasions in the past but not for a few years. This was one of the best organised visits that I have been on giving us an opportunity to meet key players as well as meeting individuals and families and seeing at first hand the daily humiliation and injustice they face. It was good to be on such a well planned trip with such a cohesive and supportive group of fellow Labour Party members of all ages, many of whom had not met before. Delegates experienced a range of emotions – sadness, anger, despair, humility – in seeing people endure daily oppression and abuse with such resilience. What we saw on the ground was colonisation and apartheid on a scale that even surprised me. No one who goes on one of these visits could fail to be energised or re-energised in the campaign to end this injustice.”
John Austin, former MP
“Pleasurable, fascinating, worrying, horrible, ugly, and a 100 other adjectives in equal measure.” Tony Belton, Councillor in WandsworthÂ
“Couldn’t recommend this trip more. So much to see and learn – a must for anyone interested in the conflict. Thanks to Martin, Sara and Alex for everything.” Steffi H Parliamentary Researcher
“Superb experience” Cllr Martin Mitchell
“Excellent. Not enough time for tourism” (consider yourself warned!)
Cllr Stuart Bellwood
“A well organised trip that gives an unparalleled insight into the plight of Palestine. Go see the hardship that people face at the hands of the Israeli state.”
“I felt privileged to have met such a range of people on the ground and to be able to see so much first-hand. ”
“Overall it was an extraordinary trip, with a fantastic mix of history, moving personal stories and seeing a beautiful country. While I think most people know about ‘the wall’ what consistently shocked me was just how systematic the oppression of the Palestinians was, both in East Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank. And despite that, the fact that pretty much universally all the Palestinians we spoke to still framed their struggle in universal terms (‘we just want our children to have the same chances as anyone else’) gives me a lot of hope.” Â Rich Green, former Parliamentary ResearcherÂ
“Organisation and guides fantastic” Barry Wilson, journalist
“I will be entirely grateful for the opportunities given to me on this trip and the people I have met and the perspective i have gained. That is truly priceless and would genuinely never have been able to do that myself. I intend to take everything I can from this trip and continue my humble role in fighting the occupation.”
“The best thing was the access we had to people who could tell us their stories about how the occupation is affecting them. I enjoyed hearing from Salim and Ziad (house demolitions), the families at Susiya and the families of the Palestinian prisoners.” Chris Summers, Labour Councillor
“Like most others in the group I also believe in the two state solution, but a lasting peace can only be established on the basis of human rights and international law.Â
The 5 day programme was a condensed and an exhausting one, but it was enormously enlightening. I would like to congratulate the key organisers for their commendable effort, and for promoting the cause of Palestinian liberation and lasting peace in the area. My warm thanks also to all those involved in the project for their help and support.”
Del Hosain, former Wandsworth Councillor
Want to know more? See it in pictures!