Last night I went to Christchurch Pitsmoor for a fantastic evening of song with the Tadhamon Singers and wonderful Palestinian food, to raise funds for humanitarian relief in Palestine.
As well as the fantastic singing, the evening concluded with this speech.
My name is Qasem Fara and I am a proud Palestinian. A few people will have noticed the other day that there was the sound of something rippling through the sky. these were in fact fighter Jets flying over Sheffield in memorial of the Flying Fortress crash.
Now thankfully, to hear this sound in England is a rarity. Which is why it came as a surprise when I heard the noise. Hearing that deafening sound it immediately brought me back to the panic I felt in Khan Younis. I stood at the window for a minute awaiting some form of devastation, my heart racing and mind all over the place. The sound of the jets stopped and I immediately let out a sigh of relief. I called my father and said, “Baba, did you hear them jets?” He immediately knew what I was talking about as he had felt the same way I did and set me at ease over the phone. At that moment I realised that what I saw in Gaza would stick in my mind forever. I am a person who only spent a brief duration in the war. Imagine the effect on the people in Gaza who go through spending every day in a war zone and who are still experiencing the ongoing trauma. Those who spend every day weathering the harsh conditions in Gaza, awaiting imminent devastation from the cruel and inhumane ways of the IDF. Those who lost their mothers, and fathers.
Now imagine that the people in Gaza have experienced the sound of those jets every minute for 140 days. No recollection of the sound of silence, for all you can hear is the constant bombardment of your neighbourhood. Families are living under this terrifying noise every day. The noise to them does not represent commemoration of the fallen, like the jets which flew over yesterday. No. To the Palestinians, this noise represents incoming devastation. All they know is when they hear the whistle of a bomb drop that somebody has lost their life, and a family will never be the same again. What is going on there is no doubt about it. we are witnessing war crimes. There needs to be a stop to this massacre immediately.
It’s now said that around 200 children are murdered every day. These are kids with no involvement, too innocent to understand the politics of our world. The sad truth is that those who survive have to live with the pain and suffering of remembering what is happening right now. When we allow these innocent kids to die we know that the world is failing us, we are being mocked by the West with their failure to call for a ceasefire. How can we live under the rule of leaders who will not halt the catastrophic violence which is going on? It doesn’t matter where or to whom this devastation is happening, we should be coming together as humans to stop any form of genocide. Being in Gaza I made golden memories. evenings at the beach watching the sunset. mornings with my cousins playing cards, walking the streets in the embrace of the sun and knowing I am home. Unfortunately, every memory has now been tainted with the thought that I will never be able to experience this again. I spent most days there playing with my little cousins, eating my favourite meals cooked by my teta, and having conversations with my uncles about a better life that they envisioned. My grandmother’s house has now been destroyed. All my family have evacuated their homes in fear of death, only to be forced into Rafah, which is now one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Now my family live in tents. they have no food. it has been reported they are making bread from bird feed. Gazans are eating animal food. I look back at this and understand the true definition of privilege. That is why when I see the continued support for Palestine it brings warmth to my heart. Me and my father spent days of the war setting up a foundation on the ground to provide food and essentials to struggling families. to this day our trusted associates in Palestine are continuing to deliver these packages, even under these dire conditions. This has been funded by the people in this very room. To see the continued support brings me hope, and makes me feel that we are not abandoned, strengthening my faith in humanity.
It is our duty to continue showing the Palestinians back home that they are not alone. We must continue to speak out for those who do not have a voice. We need justice and we need it now. We must call for a ceasefire now. Thank you all for your love and support and I hope you enjoyed your food. Stay vigilant.
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