Service of Thanksgiving – Address by Sir Vincent Fean

On Thursday 16th July, we held a service of thanksgiving to mark 40 years of helping children with disabilities in Palestine, It was a wonderful evening of reflection, made all the more memorable by the the contributions of those who came to speak.

Our key note address, which you can read in full below, was given by Sir Vincent Fean who was British Consul-General in Jerusalem from 2010 – 2014, and who is now Trustee of the Britain Palestine Project charity.

For information about the charity, please email info@britainpalestineproject.org. or visit their website.

Sir Vincent Fean’s Address:

Reading the story of 40 years of ABCD, three words stand out : commitment, dignity and hope.

The commitment is mutual : ABCD is an inclusive charity, serving all where it can, regardless of race, faith or gender. Palestinian children with disability are not just beneficiaries. They and their families bring joy and fulfilment in abundance. The commitment is not judgmental. ABCD is a-political. It gets on with the job. It does not take sides, nor should it. There are plenty of other organisations eager to do that. It is on the side of people in need, full stop. The commitment over the past 40 years is clear, pure. The need is greater today than ever, for reasons I will touch on. I am impressed by the commitment of Val Jourdan and the late Georgina Mortimer, of all the trustees and distinguished patrons of ABCD, of Dr Firas Sarhan and the dedicated teams on the ground. Looking ahead, that commitment needs to be sustained, to increase, if such a thing is possible. Because the need now is greater than when Val and Georgina first went to Bethlehem.

ABCD works to restore and strengthen human dignity, in Bethlehem and in refugee camps across the West Bank. Against the odds. I was delighted to learn that ABCD is committed to extend its work into Gaza, which today and for nigh-on three years is hell on earth. TheUN Secretary General was right to refer to the blockade, the siege of Gaza since 2007. That was terribly dehumanising in itself. Today the suffering and trauma are compounded by grief, by homelessness and hunger, by desperation and despair. Gaza is unliveable, but almost two million people cling to life. ABCD will choose its partner and measure its intervention with its customary care. And it will make a real difference, doing nothing but good. There is a mantra, a motto in my former Government Ministry, now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office : do no harm. One can debate whether we have always realised that noble aim – but there is no doubt when it comes to ABCD. Nothing but good comes from it.

If human dignity is virtually impossible now in Gaza, it is under relentlessly increasing pressure in the West Bank. Illegal settlement expansion and unconstrained settler violence are the norm. The Israeli authorities state publicly that they want Palestinian land, without Palestinian people. An illegal settlement is under way in Beit Sahour, Shepherd’s Fields, where shepherds watched their flocks by night before hurrying to Bethlehem to worship the baby Jesus. Naturally there is opposition to this theft of land. A campaign to persuade the Israeli Government to stop the project is gaining momentum. Nidal al Atrash in Bethlehem Bible College and Alice Bragg here in the UK aim to film the normality of religious observance in Beit Sahour and contrast it with the encroaching settlement. That campaign deserves support, in the hope that it reaches Washington DC. Meanwhile, ABCD continues its essential work with the aptly named

Sheepfold Children’s Centre in Beit Sahour. ABCD is not going away. It is there to stay, and to help.

The 1967 Occupation, deemed unlawful by the International Court of Justice, makes no distinction between Palestinians : Muslims, Christians, people of all faiths and none suffer equally under its oppression. To quote the Archbishop of Canterbury speaking at last Sunday’s Synod of the Church of England :

Palestine, which the British Government recognised last year, is disappearing…The threat to Palestinian Christians in particular – whose numbers are becoming ever smaller – is existential. We are called to a new and active solidarity. We hear a cry that rises from the ruins of Gaza and from the violence and oppression of the West Bank .

The impact on ABCD is real. A key partner, the United Nations and Relief and Works Agency – which tries to support Palestinian refugees from 1948 and 1967 – is facing elimination by the Israeli Government. The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah can only afford to pay Palestinian doctors, nurses etc 40% of their salaries, mainly because since October 2023 Israel has withheld the tax and customs revenues due to the Palestinians. The situation is dire.

I truly believe there is hope in the midst of all this. ABCD is part of that hope. Good people gather around a good cause, and that is what has happened with ABCD, which needs to be sustained and grow. ABCD is in it for the long haul, and so should we be. I see hope in the increased awareness in our country and around the world of what is happening in Palestine, and of the need to work for peace with justice. For the good of both peoples, not just one. And I see hope in our collective presence here, to celebrate 40 years of achievement in restoring and sustaining human dignity of families in need. Which is how it all began, and how it needs to continue for as long as it takes.

Thank you so much to Sir Vincent for your wonderful words and your continued support.

If you would like to read more about our service of thanksgiving you can do so here.