Visiting Palestine House/eating in Palestinian restaurant?

[Swalwey]

If you are Jewish, would you consider visiting Palestine House in London or eating at a Palestinian restaurant? Would you feel hurt if a (non-Palestinian) relative or very close friend did so and you found out? And would it make a difference if the relative/friend is not Jewish?

Background: I’ve been invited to an event there. I am not Jewish but I have close relatives and very dear friends who are, and we celebrate Jewish holidays/go to synagogue with them for big life events. I feel conflicted but maybe I’m overthinking this?

I'm not Jewish either, and was going to say you were definitely overthinking this on the basis that the grub will probably be delicious! And it would be petty to mirror the "boycotting Israeli goods" nonsense so popular on MN.

However, having looked it up, I couldn't help raising an eyebrow at the claims on their homepage: "The hub for art, food, heritage and resistance in London"...? Gaza Cola?

I'd say a restaurant and Palestine House are very different. As @Beachtastic says boycotting a restaurant would be hypocritical. But from its instagram account I can see Palestine House hosted an event on October 7th with the below description:

"Palestine: A Historical Overview

Join us for an evening led by adnanwzs that confronts not only loss and rupture, but also resilience, resistance, and the urgent need to remember. This interactive lecture will trace the path from 19th-century settler ideology to today’s ongoing catastrophe—dispossession, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and global complicity.

This did not begin on October 7."

I don't think you should necessarily base your decision on what your friends/family will think but rather if you personally want to support such an organisation.

😟

I'm miles from London and had never heard of Palestine House!!!

Glad I looked it up before telling OP she was being oversensitive 🫢

Thank you, that’s really helpful. The October 7 event makes me uncomfortable so I don’t think I will attend PH itself. I agree the decision may be different for the restaurant. I need to do a bit more research. Really appreciate the sharing of viewpoints 🙏

Well after more googling, it would seem the restaurant has lots of “From the river to the sea” and similar posters. I just can’t get behind that, so I have declined the invitation. It’s a shame, I’m sure the food is fantastic and the gathering itself is with people I love, but I just can’t.

Thank you for your solidarity.

I personally would hope to be a decent human and continue to live my life and eat wherever I like. But if I walked into a restaurant and found loads of posters like that I'd have to leave. There are a lot of places I just don't go anymore where I live.

I don’t go in any establishment that flies a Pally flag

Interesting thread. I bowed out of a Palestinian restaurant too. Was uncomfortable with various pounts around it. Thankfully it was a group event and mikes away from most of us so I could suggwst an alternative veey easily.