In January, Father Jamil Khader – priest of St Philip’s Episcopal Church in Nablus – spent two weeks in Dundee as a guest of St Luke’s Episcopal Church in Downfield. The church twinning between St Luke’s and St Philip’s was inspired by the wider civic partnership between Nablus and Dundee. The aim is to grow friendships and increase awareness of the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Travelling to Scotland wasn’t easy
Father Jamil was joined by his wife Loma and baby daughter Naya, although travelling to Scotland wasn’t easy. Three Palestinian students who were meant to accompany them had their visa applications refused by the British consulate. Jamil and Loma had to exit the West Bank separately to fly out from Jordan because only Loma and Naya hold Israeli passports.
Busy Schedule
Jamil and Loma had a busy schedule while in Dundee, visiting different churches and church groups across Scotland. During their visits they spoke about the realities of life living under occupation. They also had a brief opportunity to meet with the Head of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Bishop Mark Strange, encouraging him to continue his support for the church in Palestine.
Highlights
Two particular highlights of the visit was a Scottish-Palestinian night at St Luke’s (incorporating food, displays of ceilidh and dabkhe dancing, and Scottish poetry) and an ecumenical service held at St Paul’s Cathedral in Dundee.
The service in Dundee was an opportunity to hear from Jamil and Loma. It also celebrated the wider, longstanding links between Dundee and Nablus, through the civic twinning, with representatives from DNTA and Dundee City Council.
Impact of the occupation
During their visit to Scotland, Jamil and Loma remained acutely aware of the impact of the occupation in Nablus. Jamil continued to monitor IDF movements outside the church campus on CCTV. They have returned to more frequent and extremely violent incursions against Palestinians in Nablus.
However, while in Scotland, Jamil and Loma were able to appeal for gifts of money to help support local Palestinians who are suffering economic hardship because of the war in Gaza. They will be distributing much needed food parcels to Palestinians of all faiths (and none) in the coming weeks.