On Tuesday 28 February several ISM London activists answered the call from Palestine to show their support for the opening of 
Shuhada Street in Al Khalil (Hebron) by submitting a photo taken outside the Houses of Parliament in London, the heart of UK law making. This iconic symbol of the UK was chosen by activists to represent the divide between UK Parliamentarians and the UK population who widely support freedom and justice for the Palestinian people. This is also where, on 2 November 1917, Lord Arthur Balfour, then UK Foreign Secretary, sold Palestine to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland by issuing a declaration stating that “His Majesty’s government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”. A declaration the Palestinian people continue to suffer from to this day.
Beginning in February local organisers in Al Khalil (Hebron) and supporters have organised a series of events to commemorate the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre and demand the re-opening of Shuhada Street, once the commercial heart of Al Khalil, now off limits to locals, Palestinians in general, and even international supporters following the massacre that claimed 29 Palestinian lives.
While one street may seem insignificant or small, the segregation, economic strangulation, violence, and oppression that Shuhada Street suffers is a microcosm of the overarching system of Israeli apartheid suffered by all Palestinians. As extremist settlers continue to harass and violently attack Palestinians and internationals, and the Israeli Army continues to show no accountability or concern for international law, it is all the more essential that this street be the symbolic avenue of freedom for Palestinians.
The residents of Al Khalil, Palestinian activists, and International Solidarity Movement called on the international community to display their support for a project that will showcase international solidarity for the opening of Shuhada Street. Diversity in support for human rights can humanise the victims of Zionist oppression in Al Khalil and elsewhere. London answered that call and stands in solidarity with the residents of Al Khalil and will be steadfast in our dedication to the pursuit of freedom and justice for all of Palestine.