So that’s it. I have made the decision to leave my comfortable, well-paid job that I love with colleagues that…

I am a month away from walking away from my secure job which I love. I am leaving to go…

I have over the last couple of years been on a bit of a journey of self discovery. Yes I…

I recently texted a friend ‘Happy birthday!!’ And he replied ‘I’m 38. What have I done with my life? Al…

‘You will get through this.’ ‘You will be ok.’ People tell you this when you are going through a tough…

In the occupied Palestinian territories, the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus already stands at up to 15 percent of a population of more than 4 million. This is three times higher than in the West, and makes it one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in the area…..Because the restriction of movement on people also has a direct impact on access to education and information, dietary and fitness advice is difficult to disseminate. Furthermore, when problems do arise, Israel’s separation wall, checkpoints, military zones and a complex permit system mean access to healthcare is so challenging that many blindness-inducing illnesses are often detected late and monitored poorly.

“If what G.K. Chesterton said about education being the soul of society as it passes from one generation to another is true, then it seems Israel has managed to erect a cultural roadblock. The Zionist hope is that, in the absence of a collective Palestinian identity, those Palestinians who remain will adopt the Israeli national identity with less resistance, becoming a more malleable component within the Jewish state of Israel.”

The recent violence is as a result of the following: in the context of the anniversary of the Nakba (when we lost our country and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were massacred or exiled, then and since), and in the shadow of the US Embassy of Israel being moved from Tel Aviv (the recognised capital of Israel) to Jerusalem (agreed to one day be shared between Israel and Palestine), many Gazans took to the street to protest 70 years of refugee status and unspeakable living conditions. The result of these protests so far? Over 114 (that we know of) Palestinians dead, and several thousands injured. Were all these protesters doing so peacefully? In all honesty, no – but reports state that those killed and injured by the Israeli army were on the whole partaking in peaceful protest, and many were children. The UN have just released a statement that they saw no evidence that Israel tried to minimise the death toll, and Israel has rejected a call by the UN and the EU to investigate their actions further.

‘Perhaps it is the odd mixture of continents and blood, of here and there, of belonging and not, that makes me restless….’