In an act of solidarity, a British activist, Mick Bowman, has embarked on a 2,200-mile trek from France's Calais to Palestine, aiming to shed light on the challenges faced by refugees and the human rights violations in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. 

Inspired by the book "Walking to Jerusalem" by Justin Butcher, which documents a similar pilgrimage by UK activists, Bowman was motivated by the unique approach of walking in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. 

Bowman's journey began on April 16, 2023.

While en route to Palestine, Bowman made a brief stopover in Amman for a couple of days. During this time, Roya's Dana Sharayri conducted an exclusive interview with him.

He said that he has been active in campaigning for the Palestinian cause since he was in his late teens.

Bowman said the predominant 'pro-Israel' narrative prevails in their home country and many Western European nations. This one-sided viewpoint often neglects the Palestinian voice and crucial issues such as the denial of the right to return, living under conditions akin to apartheid, and enduring colonialism.

"You never hear the Palestinian voice, you never hear anything about the denial of the right to return, how they're living under an apartheid state, how they're living under colonialism. So it's a very one-sided narrative," he adds.

According to Bowman, the central to the struggle is the Israeli Occupation's steadfast refusal to acknowledge the right to return, a right firmly entrenched in international law and supported by numerous UN resolutions dating back to the Occupation's inception in 1948. This denial affects a staggering seven million Palestinians, deprived of their basic human right to return to their homeland.

"Palestinians have the full right to live in peace, to have their own homelands, to be treated with dignity, to have control of their own borders, and to be free of occupation and colonialism."

 

 

 

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