“My dream for Palestine is this” says chef Fadi Kattan, gesturing to the peaceful streets of West London.
Fadi is the owner of Akub, an upscale Palestinian restaurant in Notting Hill, but he lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank, making the two day journey to London every month.
“I live in my grandfather’s home that was built in 1886,” he says. “Every stone speaks to me.”
Chef Fadi Kattan lives in Bethlehem but travels to London every month.
‘My body was here, but my mind never left Gaza’
At Hiba in Holborn the vibes are very different.
The refined decor of Akub is swapped for polyester flags and signs that say “bombing kids is not self defence.”
But the yearning for a peaceful homeland is the same.
Nadir, one of the cooks at Hiba, left Gaza in September 2023, just a few weeks before Hamas’ October 7th attacks on Israel that kickstarted 15 months of war. His wife and children are still there.
Signs supporting Palestine at Hiba in Holborn
“My body was here,” he says, “but my mind never left Gaza.”
“It’s a war of death, hunger, illnesses, cold.”
Nadir’s English isn’t great and my Arabic is non-existent, so we conduct the interview with help from Tamara, a dental student whose parents left the Occupied Palestinian Territories before she was born.
“I know Palestinians are the most resistant people in the world,” she says, “But it brings you so much sadness that the Gazans especially just have to be used to enduring this suffering all the time.”
When the ceasefire was signed last week Nadir was very happy: “Death was 24 hours a day and now it’s not.”
‘I hate to be hopeless but I just know [the ceasefire’s] not permanent’
Despite only being signed recently, the ceasefire was drafted in May last year.
Fadi is relieved it has finally been implemented but mourns the lives that could have been saved if it had been signed earlier.
“I’m angry,” he says.
Though the ceasefire brings a fragile peace to Gaza, none of the Palestinians I spoke to think this will be the end of their troubles.
“I hate to be hopeless but I just know that it’s not permanent,” says Tamara.
As for what should happen to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “An eye for an eye”, says Tamara.
Headline‘My mind never left Gaza’: Palestinians in London react to the ceasefire
Short Headline'My mind never left Gaza'
StandfirstAfter 15 months of war, destruction and protests, London’s Palestinian community reacts to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire
“My dream for Palestine is this” says chef Fadi Kattan, gesturing to the peaceful streets of West London.
Fadi is the owner of Akub, an upscale Palestinian restaurant in Notting Hill, but he lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank, making the two day journey to London every month.
“I live in my grandfather’s home that was built in 1886,” he says. “Every stone speaks to me.”
Chef Fadi Kattan lives in Bethlehem but travels to London every month.
‘My body was here, but my mind never left Gaza’
At Hiba in Holborn the vibes are very different.
The refined decor of Akub is swapped for polyester flags and signs that say “bombing kids is not self defence.”
But the yearning for a peaceful homeland is the same.
Nadir, one of the cooks at Hiba, left Gaza in September 2023, just a few weeks before Hamas’ October 7th attacks on Israel that kickstarted 15 months of war. His wife and children are still there.
Signs supporting Palestine at Hiba in Holborn
“My body was here,” he says, “but my mind never left Gaza.”
“It’s a war of death, hunger, illnesses, cold.”
Nadir’s English isn’t great and my Arabic is non-existent, so we conduct the interview with help from Tamara, a dental student whose parents left the Occupied Palestinian Territories before she was born.
“I know Palestinians are the most resistant people in the world,” she says, “But it brings you so much sadness that the Gazans especially just have to be used to enduring this suffering all the time.”
When the ceasefire was signed last week Nadir was very happy: “Death was 24 hours a day and now it’s not.”
‘I hate to be hopeless but I just know [the ceasefire’s] not permanent’
Despite only being signed recently, the ceasefire was drafted in May last year.
Fadi is relieved it has finally been implemented but mourns the lives that could have been saved if it had been signed earlier.
“I’m angry,” he says.
Though the ceasefire brings a fragile peace to Gaza, none of the Palestinians I spoke to think this will be the end of their troubles.
“I hate to be hopeless but I just know that it’s not permanent,” says Tamara.
As for what should happen to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “An eye for an eye”, says Tamara.
