The “Man from Bethlehem” is coming to the UK in November 

 

NOVEMBER 5, 2023

Paul Seligman introduces an important series of events happening later this month. 

Scientist, author and indefatigable and independent campaigner for the Palestinian cause, Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, will soon be leaving his home in Bethlehem to embark on another monumental speaking tour to strengthen, broaden and deepen the Palestine solidarity movement.   

He starts in London on November 11th, and then visits Bristol, Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, the Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic and the USA.  

At each destination, Professor Qumsiyeh will speak at up to four engagements every day, with the overall tour theme being “Land, Nature, Justice”.  

Professor Qumsiyeh, a winner of multiple awards from peace foundations and other institutes, works hard and effectively at reaching new audiences and reinvigorating existing activists. “I spent 53 days in Australia and New Zealand (Aotearoa) earlier this year,” Prof Qumsiyeh says. “I gave 212 talks, and addressed 15,000 people, speaking to Aboriginal people, Maori, Churches, Mosques, Rotary clubs, environmental groups, museums, scientists, members of parliament in both countries and local and national officials.”   

We can’t offer Maori or Aboriginal people in the UK and Ireland, but I think we will include most of the other categories mentioned, including private visits to meet national politicians at the Senedd in Cardiff, Stormont in Belfast and Leinster House in Dublin. 

This ability to enthuse audiences outside of the established groups of supporters for Palestinian rights makes Prof Qumsiyeh a much in-demand speaker wherever he goes.  

His knowledge and interests go beyond those of his own people: “The situation in Palestine is extremely urgent. We face genocide and ecocide, and a drive to regional war that may lead to a catastrophic global war. Even without these factors, our planet faces an urgent need to mitigate and reverse climate change and to halt the rapidly accelerating extinction of animals, plants and entire species and ecosystems worldwide,” he observes.  

As the Founder and Director of the Palestine Institute for Biodioversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University, Prof Qumsiyeh is well placed to talk about Climate Justice. He will take part in a Zoom panel on this subject, as part of Climate Change Week Wales.  

Two other events in Wales exemplify how pro-Palestinian groups, in both these cases Palestine Solidarity Campaign, can work with new partners and attract new audiences.  

Newport PSC hold a joint meeting with XR (Extinction Rebellion) on November 13th, and the Welsh Centre for International Affairs and the Academi Heddwch Cymru (Wales’ first ‘Peace Institute’) will hear from Mazin at the prestigious Temple of Peace and Health in Cardiff on November 15th.  

A more unusual engagement for Mazin will be when he addresses the audience at the latest ‘Big Sing for Palestine’ event, presented by the Songs for Freedom choir with Charlotte Church and Côr Cochion (Reds’ Choir), in Cardiff’s historic Tabernacl.  

Do try and attend at least one of the events on this tour.  

You should expect to leave feeling more motivated, hopeful and empowered than when you arrived.  

Paul Seligman was conceived on a kibbutz, raised in a Zionist family in Cardiff. After High School, he received a year’s training in Israel to be an elite Zionist youth leader. He subsequently lived in Israel on border settlements for several years and served in the IDF. After becoming disillusioned, he returned to Wales and has been involved in campaigns for justice, and Palestinian rights for some 50 years. He has family in Israel as well as Palestinian friends. He posts on X as @PaulMSeligman. He has written previously for Labour Hub on the issue of Palestine solidarity here. 

Main image: Mazin Qumsiyeh. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xTTHYOvwgU. Author: PeaceActionMaine, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.