When the London-based foundation’s co-founder said, during her speech, that there was an “edu-cide” happening in Gaza, suddenly everything that has been going on in the past six months in Palestine came into clear focus and explained for this writer Israel’s inexplicable actions.

The wounds of the Palestinian people run deep. First in 1948, during the Israeli mandated ethnic cleansing known as the Nakba, some were told to leave their homes “for a couple of weeks” and that they would be able to return, only to still be waiting for that return voyage more than 75 years later. Then in 1967, a second wave was forced to leave for the West Bank or Gaza, or even beyond into Jordan, Syria or Egypt. During the UN supported Naksa (the setback, in English) another 325K plus people were displaced and forced out of their rightfully owned homes.

But history forgets, or rather history remembers but we, we who may be unaffected directly by these humanitarian disasters, forget. We move on, and while we may call many of our Palestinian acquaintances and colleagues “friends” we also never give their greatness, their brilliance at just about anything they put their minds to a second thought. It is a brilliance driven by what Palestinian American comedian-slash-academic Amer Zahr called the inability to go back. “We Palestinians don’t have a plan B,” he admitted, reflecting on the excellence so often found in his fellow countrymen, and women, who live abroad. Because they, unlike us who have moved willingly somewhere to make a better life for ourselves, can’t go back.

Zahr was just one of many distinguished speakers who took to the stage at the Galilee Foundation’s Gaza in Our Hearts gala, held inside the Peninsula Hotel in London. He was preceded by Sawsan Asfari, the Foundation’s co-founder and Director but also Maha Alfarra who is the Managing Director at the Galilee Foundation, and Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a surgeon just back from his time in Gaza, healing the physical wounds left by the relentless bombing campaign. And now probably dealing with his own emotional wounds after witnessing the atrocities and disaster.

There was also a moving musical performance by Arab singer and songwriter Dana Salah whose own blend of “Fala7i Pop” is inspired by fusing traditional Arabic folklore with Classical Arabic instrumentation and contemporary Western sounds.

Something lit a lightbulb for me during the evening. Perhaps it was the coming together so perfectly of people of all backgrounds, for a common cause. I saw Hugh Grant sitting at the table next to mine and great Lebanese and Palestinian businessmen and women dotted around the large ballroom. The Foundation boasts legendary actress Vanessa Redgrave CBE as their Patron, and author and Al Jazeera English political analyst Dr. Marwan Bishara as Chairman. But also Asfari, who is a producer of some wonderful films like Hany Abu Assad’s controversial yet necessary Huda’s Salon and Annemarie Jacir’s Salt of This Sea, When I Saw You and Wajib — which I consider all must-watch works of the Seventh Art. Lately, she’s been busy promoting Farah Nabulsi’s follow up to her Oscar nominated The Present, her feature debut The Teacher and has a screening coming up of the documentary Tomorrow’s Freedom by Georgia and Sophia Scott, which follows the the family of imprisoned Palestinian political leader and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Marwan Barghouti. Barghouti is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison, and the film will screen, with a Q&A following moderated by Asfari, at the ICA in London.

But what also took up residence inside my heart and thoughts is the idea that all that is being done right now by the Israelis is yet another attempt to displace and conquer — this time the until-now forbidden land of Gaza. Hospitals and universities have been targeted, in an attempt to drive the resilient residents of Gaza into retreating, leaving their homes and foregoing their human and civil rights. It’s the oldest con in the book, a kind of bait and switch scheme, only here Netanyahu has substituted goods for people’s lives and wellbeing, all in an attempt to save his own skin and avoid a prison sentence.

During the auction part of the evening, wonderful works of art were auctioned off. They were all donated by artists and their estates, ranging from Egypt’s Wael Shawky (who is featured in the Egyptian Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale) to the late Lebanese sculptor Hussein Madi, as well as a beautiful necklace by London-based jewelry designer Noor Fares featuring a mother-of-pearl watermelon, the symbol of Palestinians, studded in tiny diamonds. The proceeds will directly benefit Palestinian education, which is under attack, through the Foundation as well as the IMET2000, Ajyal Foundation and FQMS.

At the end of the meal, a crescent shaped sweet came out along with chocolates and hundreds of pounds in donations had been secured, but the Foundation’s efforts continue…

For more information on the Galilee Foundation and to contribute to their campaign to help the people and students of Gaza, visit their website.