Hope Flowers For Bethlehem

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Ann Keen MP encourages links between local and Palestinian schools

Last Tuesday March 20th Ann Keen MP for Brentford & Isleworth hosted a meeting 'Hope Flowers for Bethlehem' in the Houses of Parliament to meet the Headmaster of the Hope Flowers School, Bethlehem, Mr Ibrahim Issa.

The meeting was organised by the West London branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to support Mr Issa's application to the Global Opportunities Fund of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to further the special work of the school by training new teachers and to encourage links with schools & teachers in Israel and internationally.

To this end some schools in the area were represented notably Lampton School and the Green School, Isleworth. Pupils and teachers from Putney High School for girls were unable to attend at the last moment but said they were keen to be involved with the school in the future.

Mr Issa gave a moving account of the history of the school and the work that they do in fostering an ethos of peace and reconciliation amongst the children. They also have a programme of psychological support for children and families traumatised by the conflict in Palestine and everything is done to involve families in the day to day life of the school. He also described sadly how the school is under constant threat of demolition from the Israeli forces and how there were plans to knock down the cafeteria so as to erect the 'security' wall that is being built around Bethlehem.

Also present at the meeting was Lord Hylton who together with a number of MPs and members of the Lords is supporting Mr Issa in his application and the work he is doing.

This is the 2nd meeting in Parliament that West London PSC has arranged, the last being a debate 'Palestine in Crisis' in November 2004 with MPs hosted by John McDonnell MP.

The next meeting of the group will be on April 17th to hear a talk by Ramzy Baroud, journalist and editor of the US online paper The Palestine Chronicle.
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March 29, 2007