For almost 70 years, Palestine, what we now know to have
forcibly diminished to the Gaza strip and the West Bank, due to Israel’s mass
land theft, has been under an illegal and brutal occupation. The most sinister
thing about this occupation is that Israel are in breach of 66 UN resolutions
against international law through its illegal occupation in Palestine. As noted
by Amnesty International, Israel have committed some of the worst recorded
human rights abuses ever known to its organization.

Since returning from Palestine, I have never been more
shocked and appalled at our biased media and their lack of and even misreporting
of the true situation in Palestine, which now currently compromises of the
occupied West Bank and Gaza. In 2014 Israel’s brutal Operation Protective Edge
was launched against the 1.8 million civilian residents of Gaza. Sickeningly,
Israel’s assault against the people of Gaza saw 2,200 Palestinians massacred,
including 550 children in only 51 days.

Gaza, a strip of land which has no airport, no army, no
navy, no military, no defence whatsoever, was pounded with the 3^rd
most powerful military in the world.

Israel, with their F16 fighter Jets, tanks, bombs, drones,
apache helicopters, internationally banned weapons in which their use, during
OPE saw the bombing and destroying of hospitals, schools, play grounds refugee
camps and what can only be described as a school for the blind. As soon as the bombing of OPE stopped and the cameras
moved-on it was back to business as usual for the UK government and the arms
companies that fuel and profit from war. A mere 4 months after Operation Cast
Lead came to an end, the UK approved licenses worth over £4million to Israel.

Unfortunately, Gaza is now a city of rubble
home to almost 2 million residents, over a third of which are living with severe
disabilities, child trauma, psychological issues and grief from mourning the unnecessary
deaths of their loved ones from Israel’s latest massacre.  With little to no attempt by western powers to
make Gaza habitable again, the water is lacking along with electricity. Gaza is
still under illegal blockade by Israel which has meant that almost no
construction has taken place, nor has humanitarian aid reached the some 75,000
displaced Palestinians or 180,000 destroyed homes.

On 4^th August, myself, along
with several hundred other cyclists will be cycling from all over the UK to
eventually meet at Sheffield  to gather for a peaceful protest. We'll be hitting 50 miles a day.  In the process, I am raising money for MECA, The Middle
Eastern Children’s Alliance. MECA have been involved in various projects in
Gaza and the West Bank such as building water purification units within Gaza,
building playgrounds for children in the occupied West Bank and sending direct
Sports equipment and artificial limbs to the children of Gaza. Their website can be found at: https://www.mecaforpeace.org/
.

This 3 day bike ride has been organized in order to show
solidarity with the Palestinian and to ensure that Palestine has her voice
heard. All donations will go to The Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance to help
fund future projects.