Interview with Tareq Al-Qazzaz in North East Bylines

This interview, by Pete Sagar, was first published in North East Bylines, here.

Tareq Al-Qazzaz was recently interviewed by the BBC World Service about his 1,000-mile sponsored cycle ride around England to raise funds for Standing Together, a Jewish-Arab grassroots movement in Israel that campaigns for peace, equality and an end to the war in Gaza, as well as for families affected by the conflict in Gaza. I caught up with Tareq to ask him about the challenge, his motivations and what he learned along the way.

Over 12 days in June, Tareq cycled between towns and cities across southern and central England, covering around 90 miles a day while staying with families who supported his fundraising effort. Much of the route was planned around the homes of his hosts, many of whom were Jewish or Israeli, giving him the opportunity to have conversations that challenged some of his own assumptions.

What is your background?

I moved out of Gaza in late 2020 during Covid and went to France, where I completed a master’s degree in Computer Science. I then studied for a year at University College Dublin, and I have now been in the UK for two and a half years – one year in Edinburgh and the past year and a half in London.

How did you get involved with Standing Together?

When I first moved to London, I was living in north London, which of course has a large Jewish community. Before then, I had never really lived alongside a large Jewish community, and I felt a bit uneasy.

I had never had much contact with Jewish communities before, so I tried to find my way around it.

I googled “Jewish Palestine peace group” and Standing Together came up. I then attended a couple of vigils with Standing Together at King’s Cross and Hyde Park. Although I found a couple of other peace groups, Standing Together was the one that really appealed to me.

Why did you do the bike ride?

The ride raised money both for Standing Together and for families in Gaza through the fundraising campaign. It was based on something I did last year, when I cycled 1,500 miles. This year, however, I only had 10 days of annual leave.

I decided to do another long ride and, when I mentioned it to an Egyptian friend, he suggested turning it into a fundraising campaign. In my Middle Eastern mind, that sounded like science fiction!

I was amazed that people would actually donate money. I was genuinely surprised.

As I had become involved with Standing Together, I decided to do a similar ride in support of the Jewish-Palestinian peace movement.

I was mainly hosted by Jewish and British families, people I might once have thought of as being “on the other side”.

It was interesting because these British, Jewish and Israeli families had views on Israel and Palestine that were not hugely different from mine. I didn’t feel challenged because our opinions were not radically different.

The ride itself was physically demanding – about 90 miles a day. I planned my route around where my hosts lived and documented everything with GPS to show that I had completed the journey.

The last four days became especially difficult because of the heatwave. I had to start cycling at 4am because, by 2pm, the heat became overwhelming.

On what was supposed to be the final day, cycling from Colchester to London, there was a red heat alert and people were advised to stay at home. I had to postpone the final section for a week, but I completed the last 90 miles yesterday. So I rode for 11 consecutive days and finished the final day a week later.

Any stories from the ride?

I discovered just how beautiful this country is, but there were two particular experiences that stayed with me.

The first involved my host in Brighton. On the second day I cycled from Canterbury via Dover and Hastings to Brighton, passing through places such as Lewes.

When I arrived, I noticed a photograph on the fridge with writing in Hebrew. I realised that I had never before been inside a Hebrew-speaking home.

During dinner I asked whether the people in the photograph were Israeli. They explained that they were Jewish but not Israeli. I realised I was sitting in a Jewish home where Hebrew was spoken. Again, to me, that felt like science fiction.

The second experience came when I cycled from Coventry to Oxford. I knew the family hosting me were Israeli, and I felt slightly awkward before I arrived.

But when I reached my host’s home, I met their sons and daughters, and they were incredibly warm and welcoming. I had never been in an Israeli home before.

Again, their opinions weren’t really that different from mine. We had some differences over 7 October and what should happen next, but we didn’t have any major disagreements. It meant a great deal to me because they were as progressive as I could have hoped.

Why should people in the North East and elsewhere in the UK support Standing Together?

It is about being pragmatic. We have tried the other way, and it hasn’t worked. After 80 years of conflict, the old approaches clearly aren’t working.

I’m not saying Standing Together will solve all these deep problems. If you look at the polling, the reality is that many people are moving away from organisations like Standing Together.

But it is crazy to keep doing the same things and expect different results.

Standing Together creates a space where people can engage with the other side. Even in a world dominated by social media algorithms that only show us what we already want to see, it is still possible to have conversations across divides.

I am still a tough-headed Palestinian. I know previous peace efforts have failed, and I have grown up with that understanding. But the main reason to support Standing Together is that it offers a practical and pragmatic way forward.

What is your vision of a better future for Israel and Palestine, and for the UK?

I would like to see my mum, who I haven’t seen for six years and who is still trapped in Gaza. I want to see all my family again.

I would like to cycle from Gaza to Jerusalem and then have a picnic on Gaza beach with my family.

And I would like to be able to fly from London to Gaza Airport and take a ferry from Gaza to Cyprus.