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A British Muslim's Journey from BDS Activist to Israel Educator

(Jewish News-UK) Ali Drabu - Growing up as a British Muslim, I would regularly hear about the Palestinians and the necessity to support their struggle and I became attached to the simplified notion of Israel being all-bad. I became heavily involved in campaigning in favor of Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions of Israel (BDS) and regularly took part in demonstrations in Manchester, branding myself an "Anti-Zionist." A year later I had the opportunity to visit major Israeli and Palestinian cities and had the chance to meet a variety of different people. What I learned was that both Palestinians and Israelis had absolute rights to statehood, liberty and justice. Back home, what was particularly saddening was being labeled as a "traitor" whenever I attempted to offer an account of the experience of the Jewish people and the Israeli narrative. The writer is undertaking a master's degree in International Security at King's College London.
2020-09-10 00:00:00
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