by Laura Stuart

Today there is a protest in London in support of the Palestinian Hunger Strikers, but I won’t be there. Not because I not totally against administrative detention and against the occupation, clearly administrative detention and occupation are morally wrong.

But I have come to the conclusion that such actions as protesting outside the Israeli embassy or Downing Street have zero value, of course it’s always nice to see my friends and fellow activists but I keep asking myself – what does this really achieve? I go home after such a protest happy to have seen my friends but

thinking so what really happened there? We waved a few banners and shouted a few chants but in reality nothing – absolutely nothing changed.  More than 60 years of protests and of petitions have not changed anything on the ground for the Palestinian people.

As a Muslim I am convinced that the situation in the Middle East will change only when the Muslims and particularly the Arabs decide they want to take action. When the Arabs and Muslims reach this point then as we have seen with the Arab Spring even the most vile and oppressive leaders and regimes can be toppled.