After weeks out of the public eye following his shock election defeat, former Reform Jersey leader Sam Mézec has resurfaced more than 2,000 miles away… revealing he has been travelling through Palestine to learn first-hand about the region, its people and their experiences of conflict.
The former Deputy, who lost his seat after running for Senator in this month’s election, said he had been “pretty quiet” since the result before making what he described as “a bit of an impulsive trip” to East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
In the first of several videos posted online, Mr Mézec admitted that he had been “pretty quiet” in recent weeks, and thanked those who had sent him “really kind messages in that time”.
“But since my diary has become unexpectedly open,” he continued, ‘I’ve gone on a bit of an impulsive trip somewhere that I’ve wanted to come for a very long time, and I am currently in East Jerusalem, in Palestine.”
“A great affinity”
Explaining the rationale for his trip, Mr Mézec said he had “always felt a great affinity with the Palestinian people as a Jersey man”.
“It was within our living memory that the people of Jersey were subjected to an occupation that brutalised our population and deprived them of their freedom and liberty, and that is something that the people of Palestine have been subjected to by the Israeli government, at least for decades and decades,” he said.
“…I’ve always wanted to do [this] for a very long time, and I think it’s really important as people from Jersey that we obviously never take for granted the freedoms that we have that many of our grandparents or great-grandparents lost during the occupation of Jersey, and therefore understand what it means for people across the world who are subject to those injustices today.”
During his visit, Mr Mézec travelled to Ramallah – “the administrative capital of Palestine” – where he said he wanted to meet local people and learn about their experiences.
Speaking on camera from the destination, he pointed out various religious landmarks, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock at Al Aqsa and the Western Wall, describing the “convergence of cultures and religion” as “amazing”.
“Frankly dehumanising”
Elsewhere, he described Ramallah as “a bustling city” but criticised the journey from Jerusalem, saying Israeli checkpoints and the separation barrier made travel between the two cities unnecessarily difficult.
He recounted passing through a checkpoint, where he said travellers were funnelled through turnstiles and security screening before continuing their journey.
He described the experience as “a completely pointless but deeply frustrating and frankly dehumanising thing for me, let alone the people who have to do that… sometimes multiple times a day, just to go about doing their daily business”.
The former politician also reiterated his long-held support for global sanctions against businesses operating in the disputed area.
“I hope it goes without saying that it’s always been a position of mine that any business or activity that is taking place in this illegally occupied territory should be well and truly boycotted, sanctioned and divested from all of the countries of the world – and of course that includes Jersey too,” Mr Mézec explained.
Previous calls for ‘twinning’
He added that Jersey “ought to do a lot more to connect with people in Palestine”, pointing to the work of Jersey Overseas Aid – which distributed around £1m on behalf of the Island in £1m – in supporting humanitarian organisations working in the occupied territories.
In 2024, Gaza-born journalist Yousef Alhelo told Express while on a visit to Jersey that there should be “twinning projects” between Jersey and Palestine – ahead of a key vote on whether the island will join international voices in supporting a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Days later, States Members voted unanimously in favour of a proposal calling for an “immediate suspension of hostilities” in Gaza, which had been subject to heavy amendments.
Changes included swapping a “permanent ceasefire” for an “immediate suspension of hostilities”, and removing references to “potential acts of genocide”.
In October last year, Jersey formally joined the UK in recognising the State of Palestine after Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham told the States Assembly that the Island “recognises and respects” the UK’s decision.
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Sign up for freeThe Chief Minister also said Jersey’s position aligned with the UK in condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks, criticising the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, and calling for restrictions on humanitarian aid to be lifted. Under Jersey’s constitutional relationship with the UK, responsibility for foreign affairs is aligned with the British Government.
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