Sumud Palestine enjoyed a Skype call to Rana Nashashibi, peace activist and a founder of the Palestinian Counselling Centre, on 18 March. Rana is a member of a distinguished Jerusalem family with roots going back 800 years; the Nashashibis hold the keys to the Holy Sepulchre.
Rana spoke about her beloved city, the pain of its people and what motivated her to graduate in psychology. The oppression of Occupation weighs heavily on your shoulders making it hard to feel a complete person. What keeps hope alive? Non-violent resistance is gaining momentum and the BDS campaign is taking more captives. Rana believes that eventually Israel will be held to account and meanwhile Palestinians must remain “sumud“. By the time we said goodbye and singed off, there was a strong sense of personal connection and solidarity.
We were only a small group although this included two newcomers. What can we do, someone asked. We raise awareness, visit Palestine, support Sumud and its programme, get involved in the BDS campaign, write letters to MPs and MEPs, use the social media to engage the interest and commitment of others and, above all, not give up but work to keep the hope of Palestinians alive and ourselves.