With its walls built out of stones, some said to be “smuggled” from Palestine, and a peaceful atmosphere in which only water running from a fountain can be heard, it’s hard to believe that you are smack bang in the middle of London.
But this is what Palestine House is all about — this latest cultural hub offers a little slice of all things Palestinian in the capital for anyone from anywhere.
“If you can imagine this as a crowded place with people sitting, it’s exactly like the Middle East,” says its founder Osama Qashoo, as he shows me around the five-storey old Arabic-style building where guests are having Sunday brunch.
Located in Holborn, and close to the British Museum, Osama describes the centre as a “chameleon.”
“It can be anything that you want,” says Osama about the space, which will open either later this year or early next and host daily cultural events plus offer co-working space
“The whole idea is that you are giving energy to this space and you are taking energy out of it. You can upload and download. It’s a very contained, kind of bubble where hopefully there is more creativity around you.”
Forced to flee Palestine in 2003, after founding the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group dedicated to nonviolent resistance against Israeli occupation and known for organising peaceful demonstrations and opposing the construction of the apartheid wall, Osama arrived in the UK as a refugee. Over time he became a celebrated filmmaker.
In 2007, he co-founded the Free Gaza Movement, which aimed to break the illegal siege on Gaza. Osama was a key organiser of the Freedom Flotilla, a 2010 mission to bring aid by sea, culminating in the widely publicised journey of the ship Mavi Marmara. During the flotilla, the Mavi Marmara was attacked, resulting in the deaths of ten activists. Osama lost his cameraman and all his filming equipment. He was arrested and tortured while detained with nearly 700 others following the incident.
“This is what London needs, a cultural centre that welcomes all people of all faiths to learn about and celebrates the people of Palestine for who they are and not how the media portrays them”
Back in the UK, Osama continued his activism and creative work. In 2012 he founded Hiba, a chain of Lebanese and Palestinian restaurants across London.
Post-COVID the 43-year-old began work on Palestine House, which he has built himself. Today a giant key — which Osama says symbolises “the key idea, the key issue, the key problem, the key solution” — hangs from the ceiling of the centre.
Preserving Palestinian culture
In an interview with the Islam Channel in May, Osama laughed that “we had to smuggle some of (the materials) from Palestine… just a few stones, because we need to get some stones into London.”
There will be eventually artwork and exhibitions from Palestinian artists on display in Palestine House, a sound recording studio, editing suite, board meeting room and office media production room.
“We want people to really use this as a base to launch their activities, whether it’s Palestine-related or campaign-related,” Osama tells The New Arab. “This is to be a relaxed environment with no agenda and boundaries.”
Co-working spaces will be available on a daily, monthly or yearly basis. In the end, they will have six offices and co-working spaces for individuals and groups, equipped with high-speed wifi, printing facilities and access to networking areas.
On one of the top floors, an Arabic-style sitting room will have furniture that can convert into a bed, plus an ensuite so that Palestine House can host artists to stay.
Some rooms will be called Jericho, Nablus (where Osama is originally from), Al-Quds and Gaza. The Gaza one will have “something authentic from Gaza in it,” he adds.
As he takes a group for a tour of the top floor, he also says, prompting laughter, “We might have a Shisha lounge here. That’s my desire.”
He points to a McDonalds next door and adds, “I’ve put a massive Palestine flag there, just by the way.”
‘This is what London needs’
Recently, Palestine House hosted 400 people for an event and held six workshops where people created handmade designs.
“As a person who spent their formative years in Palestine in the 60s and 70s, it felt like coming home,” said Mary Evers, who has started an independent craft project, Stitch Their Names Together, to honour those killed in Israel’s ongoing onslaught in Gaza.
I am sharing a brunch table with Mary today. Before us on trays are falafel, mutabal, moussaka, halloumi, foul, labneh and tea.
“This is a fusion of authentic, cultured experience and heritage and the food is amazing,” Mary says.
“This is what London needs, a cultural centre that welcomes all people of all faiths to learn about and celebrates the people of Palestine for who they are and not how the media portrays them.”
On November 9, the centre hosted an interactive children’s workshop with an instructor to introduce youngsters to the basics of dabke, a traditional and lively Levantine folk dance. On November 30 there will be a comedy night to raise funds for the Al-Karama Hospital in Gaza.
During the brunch, we were also introduced to another invention of Osama’s, Cola Gaza. The drink, which comes in a cherry red can and has Arabic artwork and calligraphy and a red and white pattern seen on a keffiyeh, was developed as a “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) -friendly alternative soft drink”, according to its site. It’s on sale at Palestine House and next door at Hiba.
Palestine House was the first port of entry in London for Matt Ó Branáin when he moved there to support WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a few years ago. A fellow campaigner took Matt, who later organised a human chain for Assange, to the hub when he arrived to meet other supporters from around the world.
“It’s strange that I go to London now and it seems to be the only place I ever end up eating at in this gigantic city,” says Matt.
“But I’m not complaining, because it’s lovely. The staff are wonderful, friendly, passionate people. The food is really good and affordable. It’s a good atmosphere, and obviously it’s become even more significant now with what’s going on in Palestine.”
Almost there
In just 83 days with 166 supporters, Palestine House has raised £16,160 via Crowdfunding. Osama says that they are 80 percent of the way to officially launching the centre.
Although they are targeting changemakers, charities, entrepreneurs and students for co-working, he says that the hub will be an inclusive space open to all.
On its site, Osama talks about travelling around the world and meeting what he calls “Palestinos” from Cuba, Jamaica and Ireland. He says Palestine House has “taken the ingredients of Palestine and cooked up a space from the different flavours of Palestinian towns and cities – to share the incredible beauty of our treasured land.”
“It’s a place of safety for people who are oppressed within the community and the world, whether it’s in Kashmir, Kurdistan, Myanmar,” he adds.
“These communities are welcome to conduct their activities here and to use this space as their space because we believe that Palestine has become a symbol for all oppressed communities and injustices.”
You can donate to Palestine House here
Amy Fallon is a journalist and media professional with two decades of experience working for several global media outlets
Follow her on X: @amyfallon
