This August I've decided to do something memorable to celebrate two personal milestones: my 70th birthday and 40 years of marriage to David. I'll be walking 70  miles - more miles than I've ever covered! 

I'll be doing this over two weeks, at the same time as other supporters of
the Amos Trust [see links below fr more about them]. We have all have been stung into action by the  Israeli government's shocking announcement in June that it intends unilaterally to annex a third of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 

We all know this new threat to  long suffering Palestinian families living in the occupied West Bank must be taken seriously given the timing.  So between us, we're walking 3,000 miles - the distance covered by the Trust's 2017 Just Walk to Jerusalem. 

That 2017 walk, from London to the Holy Land, sought justice for communities in Palestine. On this walk we're raising funds for the Trust so that it can continue to work for justice and keep a spotlight on the annexation issue in this crucial period. Annexation is actually illegal under international law and governments around the world have already voiced their opposition, including the UK government. But Israel looks set to go ahead, despite its claims to uphold  the rule of law. Our walk will support our government's position as well as the work of the Amos Trust.

 Because of Covid we can't of course walk the original route. So we will each walk what we can in our local areas, covering the equivalent distance to a chosen section of the original Just Walk route across Europe. I’ve chosen to walk the equivalent of a stretch of the the route which I have been to myself - through France's Jura region, where David and I went walking in August 2005, to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. 

I can definitely walk five miles without collapsing, so I plan to do at least that every day till I reach my target. And as I walk, I'll be remembering a happy time in my own life and I'll know what the route looks like even if I can't walk it in reality. 

I'll also be thinking of the Palestinian people who do not have the chance to cross borders and walk freely as David and I did - and who now face not just losing their land but  more restrictions on their rights and freedom of movement. 

Finally I'll be thinking of my Uncle Finlay, whose stories of wartime service  in the Palestine Police under the British mandate first alerted me to the justice issues inherent in this longstanding conflict. 

If Finlay were alive now, I know he would be cheering me on. I agree with the Amos Trust that it's  time to Step Out, Step Up and Stop Annexation. Please help them spread this message far and wide by making a donation.