Bedford’s Links with Al-Walaja

Bedford’s informal twinning with Al-Walaja came about through a connection made by the vicar of All Saints Parish Church in Queen’s Park, and in 2012 a group of teenagers from Bedford made a visit to the West Bank and Al-Walaja to play basketball with the local villagers.  A Friends of Al-Walaja group was subsequently established and has been running ever since, supporting the village and raising awareness of the circumstances there, and through Palestine in general, in our local community.  

Bedford Friends of Al-Walaja

Bedford Friends of Al-Walaja is at present an informal, un-constituted community group.  It is part of a broader national initiative by The Britain Palestine Friendship and Twinning Network, "promoting twinning and friendship links".  The core aim of this twinning group is to promote human rights in Palestine and show political solidarity with the Palestinians.  The Twinning Network promotes formal and informal links at all levels between British and Palestinian communities, with emphasis on grassroots friendship links and providing resources that will enable Palestinian communities to improve their everyday lives.

What we do:

We seek to support Al-Walaja and raise public awareness to the difficulties our friends encounter as part of the occupied territories in the West Bank; and to build bridges between our two communities.

Some of the activities we have been involved in:

• Raising funds to bring small groups of residents from Al-Walaja to Bedford on educational visits

• Organising activities for visitors when they come

• Organising public meetings to raise awareness

• Running a ‘sponsor a tree’ scheme to fund planting of fruit and olive trees in Al-Walaja as an act of resistance in retaining their land

• Supporting a photography project by youth in Al-Walaja to enable their village to be seen in Bedford through their eyes

• Raising issues with our local MP relating to the injustices that villagers suffer 

• Organising a twin tree planting in 2022 with local dignitaries, on the same day in Al-Walaja and in Bedford

• Gaining recognition of our friendship link from Bedford Borough Council

• Supporting local and national peaceful initiatives in support of Palestine

• Holding regular zoom calls with Al-Walaja residents to discuss ongoing and future projects

Get in touch at Email: bedfordfriendsofalwalaja@gmail.com