• BOTH at the hands of the Israeli government and military and at the whim of the American president, the Palestinians get absolute racist disregard, violence and oppression.

This appalling approach needs to be changed as nothing but misery will come from it for this and future generations. It is time to give the respect and equality to Palestinians that we want for ourselves and everyone else.

CADFA, Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association, is a human rights charity. For over 21 years we have been building links between ordinary people (of all backgrounds) in Camden and beyond with ordinary people in Palestine.

Currently we are working with groups across the country in a project called Building Hope | Voices from Palestine. Each time we organise a visit of young people, women or others from Palestine to the UK we think how appropriate this name is.

Our next big project starts this week and we are bringing 15 people from Palestine to join many organisations in events of many kinds (see CADFA.org).

Some of the visitors come from Camden’s long-standing unofficial partner town, Abu Dis, and we’ve written to the mayor of Camden asking if she would join an event or if they can come and meet her.

We are really concerned that we have had no answer despite several tries and, ringing the mayor’s office on the phone, we have been told “it is sensitive”.

Although mayors are going to be meeting our visitors this month in Islington, Hackney, Sheffield, Pendle, probably more, there appears to be a particular problem in Camden. We would love Camden to explain its sensitivity about meeting the visitors.

We are concerned with Palestine because of the oppression of the people who have suffered the deepest racism for decades. The brutality of the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 2023 and also the appalling violence and dispossession raging in the West Bank and Jerusalem now are increasing the suffering dramatically.

Far from our visitors receiving solidarity from our council, they are being snubbed by Camden; and so are the thousands of local people who care about Palestine, appreciate the friendship with Abu Dis and want Camden also to stand for equality and human rights. Consistency in Camden is in a poor state.

We would like to have a council brave and clear, as it was in the days when they stood against apartheid in South Africa. But we know a meeting with the ceremonial mayor in Camden is not a political statement from either side.

We are writing now to put it publicly to Cllr Samata Khatoon, our mayor, please meet the Palestinian visitors. If you are able to, please name a date and we’ll bring our visitors to meet you.

NANDITA DOWSON
Director, CADFA