THE FULL STORY

The Full Story gained exclusive access to a parliamentary session about a campaign for a Palestinian visa scheme. Here’s what happened on the day.

 Baroness Natalie Bennett chaired the event to launch a Palestinian Visa Scheme campaign

A recent event at the House of Lords highlighted the power of a handful of concerned citizens. Project Save Gaza, a group of grassroots activists partnered with Baroness Natalie Bennett to launch a campaign to establish a Palestinian Visa Scheme.

Forty people attended, counting amongst them NGOs, MPs and councillors, media representatives and British Palestinian families, 300 of whom are trying to bring their families from Gaza to safety.

One such story is that of Dr Ibrahim Assalia. In September, he and his family travelled to see his father in Gaza who had lung cancer. However, his father was unable to receive treatment due to the ongoing conflict which broke out while they were in Gaza.

“On the early morning of October 22nd, my father died after inhaling what seemed to be a white gaseous substance sprayed into the air by the Israeli air forces,” said Dr Ibrahim Assalia, who was forced to flee Gaza with his family.

A graphic comic strip depicting Dr Assalia and his family fleeing Gaza was created by Pulitzer award winning illustrator Fahmida Azim and written by Haya Altamimi for the event.

A graphic comic strip released as part of the Palestinian Visa Campaign 

“My family and I escaped death on three separate occasions,” said Mr Assalia. First, two Israeli tank shells ripped through his flat when Israel bombarded nearby houses but luckily Dr Assalia and his family were taking refuge at his mother’s flat. The second was when his family escaped Israeli heavy artillery fire from Jabaliya. The third was when he and his family travelled along the ‘safe corridor,’ which connects northern and southern Gaza, when Israeli tanks opened fire at them, including the British convoy.

They later returned to the safe corridor, but cars were not allowed and his wheelchair-bound mother could not make it out of Gaza. By phone, his mother described the situation in the north of Gaza, “starvation, no water, no electricity and no medication.”

“Given that a century of foreign policy has helped to create this situation, we have a real responsibility to take action,” said Baroness Bennett. “Everyone who needs refuge should be able to get refuge, whether that includes the Ukrainian, Hong Kong, or a Palestinian visa scheme. That is not an either-or.”

Recently, Baroness Bennett echoed the same message in her open letter to James Cleverly, Home Secretary,  asking him to “extend a similar framework of compassion and solidarity” to people in Gaza as it has for people from Ukraine and Afghanistan. It has been signed by 36 MPs and peers.

MP Claudia Webb who attended the session said the visa scheme should be open to all Palestinians, “whereby people are able to come whether or not they have a British connection or not.” She is one of fourteen MPs who attended the event or sent their representatives.

The speakers discussed two schemes to help Palestinians, following the success of the Ukrainian Visa Scheme. The first being the Palestinian family Visa Scheme to offer Palestinian individuals impacted by war the chance to seek refuge in the UK, with the right to return. The second scheme is the Sanctuary for Palestinians scheme to house Palestinians with individuals who sign up to support the scheme, similar to that of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

“Through this scheme, we have created a framework and precedent that has been overwhelmingly positive. We are offering something that goes in the opposite spirit of war,” said Joy Wilder, executive assistant to the director of LoveBristol, a group of concerned citizens who created the scheme following the war in Ukraine.

Project Save Gaza is campaigning to add more signatories to the online petition, which has been signed by over 40,000 individuals, to secure 100,000 signatures before it can be discussed in Parliament. Currently, An Early Day Motion supporting the cause has also been signed by over 30 members of Parliament.

Established in January 2024, Project Save Gaza is a group made of concerned citizens, consisting of media professionals, councillors and activists, who are trying to reunite Palestinian Families through a Palestinian visa scheme.