Friendship and Twinning

The Britain Palestine Friendship and Twinning Network and its member groups actively work to build understanding, friendship and solidarity between British and Palestinian communities. Friendship and twinning links are constructive ways to show your support, solidarity and appreciation of Palestine, its people, and their culture. Such links promote human connections and friendship between British and Palestinian people from all walks of life and encourage learning, sharing and exchange of ideas and experiences. 

Friendship and twinning enables the stories of real people who are affected by the Israeli occupation to be heard in the UK and provides British citizens with an understanding of the difficult circumstances in which Palestinians live.

It also encourages local activism and campaigning and demonstrates to Palestinians that they have allies willing to support their cause in a world which has consistently ignored their calls for justice. Find out more about why friendship and twinning works here.

What does friendship and twinning look like?

Connections are often place based but can also be based on a shared interest such as cooking, cycling or shared religious beliefs. BPFTN members vary from small friendship groups to large and active campaigning organisations. Many of these groups have built links between local schools, churches, mosques, community centres and other types of organisations. Some have organised visits to their twin towns in Palestine giving British people the opportunity to experience the situation in Palestine for themselves. Other groups have brought Palestinians to the UK to tell their stories in their own words. 

Activities have included Palestinian themed dinners, photo exhibitions, public meetings, talks, film and music nights, poetry or book readings, and festivals featuring all of the above! They have also included solidarity activities and fundraising like sponsored walks which link to issues faced by Palestinians, such as restrictions on freedom of movement.  You can find more ideas for activities and events in our activity pack resource.

If you are interested in setting up a group in your local area, or as part of any organisation or group, such as a trade union branch, university, church, or mosque, we would love to hear from you. We can facilitate links and provide advice and support on how to start and run your group. Check out our resources here or get in touch here.