On 9 September, Caabu, Action for Humanity and FairSquare held a major Parliamentary reception marking 11 months on from the start of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, in which over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed. Numerous MPs, Lords, humanitarian organisations and others convened to hear from a delegation of Christian Palestinians from Bethlehem, including Dahlia Qumsieh and Mays Nassar, as well as HE Dr Husam Zomlot, in a reception hosted by newly appointed Caabu Chair Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP.
Newly-appointed Caabu Chair Alistair Carmichael MP opened the reception, welcoming new and returning MPs, humanitarian organisations and others. He mentioned that Rev. Munther Isaac was unable to attend due to the closure of the Allenby crossing- “just another day in Palestine.”
CEO of Action for Humanity, Othman Moqbel, said “the actions of the Israeli military must be understood not as isolated incidents, but as an existential threat to the Palestinian people that the ICJ says could plausibly amount to genocide.”
Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Dr Husam Zomlot, commented that “while Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, there is also a small genocide in the West Bank”. His Excellency drew attention to the need for “a full arms embargo and sanctions” stating that “failure to comply amounts to complicity.”
Palestinian Christian Dahlia Qumsieh, from Bethlehem, voiced the root cause of the oppression of the Palestinians as the colonisation and apartheid. She highlighted that “the sensitivity shouldn’t be that we use these terms, but that these crimes are happening in the 21st Century.”
Mays Nassar of Kairos Palestine, also a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem, explained how Bethlehem has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. She said that “Israel should not be allowed to act with impunity”, calling on increased pressure for a full arms ban.
Finally, Caabu’s director Chris Doyle closed the reception, thanking the speakers, and reiterating the need for a full ceasefire, full access to Gaza, and upholding international humanitarian law. He said “it is a chance for Britain to lead and put right what in the past we so often got wrong.”
