“I just want the Palestinian and Israeli people to live in peace.”
Simon Collings from Renton grew up in the Vale, however his birthplace was many thousands of miles away in Jerusalem.
Charlie Sherry / Clydersider Magazin*
Born in 1979, he was adopted by a couple from Renton who brought him back to Scotland from war-torn Palestine when he was just a baby.
Simon explained: “My adoptive parents, who are devout Christians, were across in the Holy Land carrying out missionary work when they decided to adopt me and bring me back to Scotland.”
Being brought up in Renton Simon never really thought much about where he originally came from: “I had a very happy childhood with loving parents, although my appearance was different from the people I went to school with.
“Apart from the odd racist remark from some idiots, I never really had any problems.”
Find nationality
For most of his formative teen years Simon didn’t think about his identity.
“I didn’t really know what or who I was, most of my friends assumed I was of Pakistani origin, and I never knew any different, to be honest, I never really cared.”
It was only when he was 18 years old Simon discovered his true nationality.
He explained how this happened. “My adoptive mother decided I should see where I came from and took me to visit Palestine.”
Initially Simon didn’t feel much of a connection to the land of his birth, however it quickly grew on him to the point he fell in love with the country and its people.
Whilst in Palestine Simon’s adoptive mother asked if he would like to find his birth mother.
This was a revelation to Simon. “I had no idea my mother was still alive, until then I assumed she had died when I was a child, I immediately said I would love to find her.”
Building connections
On returning to Scotland Simon and his adoptive mother, through the charity Barnardos, contacted relevant authorities in Palestine to help find his birth mother.
After a short period they discovered she was alive and living in the town of Nazareth.
However, it was not until four years later in 2002 that Simon travelled to Nazareth to meet his mother.
He described their first meeting: “It was the most beautiful experience meeting her, we had an instant connection.
“We got on brilliant, chatted, shared stories and looked at old photographs, I loved her right away.”
Simon now visits what he describes as his Palestinian homeland each year, catching up with his birth mother, aunts, and uncles.
Over the years he has grown very close to his birth mother, although there was a period he was angry with her, “I blamed her for giving me away, but that anger has passed now,” he added.
He became more understanding when he learned his mother had not wanted to give him up for adoption, but social and religious pressures forced her to make that difficult decision.
Simon explained: “My mother became pregnant out of wedlock which in Palestine then, and even now, was treated with shame and social alienation.
“My father, my mother’s boyfriend at the time, on hearing my mother was pregnant with me abandoned her and left for America, so she never really had much choice.”
Equality, dignity & peace
His advice for any adoptee seeking their birth parents: “Go for it; it can be a beautiful experience, but be careful, there may be things you have to deal with that are not so positive.”
And since learning of his Palestinian origins Simon has developed a keen interest in keeping up to date with news from his homeland.
Although his mother and the rest of his Palestinian family live in and around Nazareth and in the West Bank, an area not directly affected by the latest Israeli bombings and military incursion in the Gaza strip, Simon is worried the violence is spreading.
With tens of thousands killed and millions left without a home in Gaza, he fears it is just a matter of time until the West Bank also goes up in flames again.
“I really worry for my mother. It feels as if once the Israelis have destroyed Gaza, they will turn their attention to the West Bank.
“I just wish they could find a solution where everyone gets to live in equality, with dignity and peace.”
Below is a list of useful information and resources to help understand the history of the conflict in Palestine.
https://palestine.un.org/en/stories – UN updates on the current conflict in Gaza
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/crisis-gaza-israel Amnesty International response
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-44124396 – History of the conflict explained
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20415675 – Gaza strip in maps Oct 23 – Jan 24
https://www.vox.com/2015/5/14/18093732/israel-palestine-misconceptions – 11 myths explored – although published in 2015 there is still a lot of useful information here
https://www.vox.com/2023/10/7/23907683/israel-hamas-war-news-updates-october-2023 – regularly updated story stream of articles
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/03/israel-and-palestine-a-complete-guide-to-the-crisis – a series of articles on the current conflict
https://www.unsettledpod.com/#home-section – a series of podcasts featuring difficult conversations and diverse viewpoints
5 Broken Cameras (2011) – award-winning documentary film co-directed by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat and Israeli filmmaker Guy Davidi is a first-hand account of protests in the West Bank village of Bil’in.
*Article originally published in Clydersider Magazine.
(End photo: Pixabay)
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