A PRESTON man is visiting the occupied Palestinian town of Nablus recording a video diary of the plight of its people.

Bilal Patel, 34, from Frenchwood Avenue, arrived with his sister Sufia Makkan, 28, on February 14.

Before he left, Bilal told the Citizen :"I don't see myself as an activist, I am an observer, going to see for myself what is happening there.

"We are planning to record a daily video diary of the lives of ordinary Palestinians and put it on a website."

Bilal is not the first to bring the beleaguered town to the public eye. In October, following a campaign by Socialist Alliance councillor Michael Lavalette, a proposal to twin Preston with Nablus was put to the council, although it was rejected 18 votes to 33.

Bilal, a freelance IT consultant, and Sufia, a computer saleswoman, are hoping to visit as much of the area as possible, including the refugee camp of Balaea just outside Nablus. He added: "We hope to relate to the lives and experiences of Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation."

The pair are also planning to visit the city of Hebron and also Project Hope, which works with children.

Bilal, a Muslim, has taken a keen interest in Palestinian politics for more than ten years, and has visited Israel and Palestine three times. He ran in the last General Election to be the MP for Preston, gaining 3.5 per cent of the vote, in a bid to highlight what is happening in Palestine.

The visit of Bilal and his sister to Palestine coincides with a time when the plight of the Palestinians is coming back to prominence with human rights activists taking the Israeli Government to court in Jerusalem claiming that the security wall Israel is building is illegal.

Since their arrival, they have faced problems at checkpoints trying to cross the security barrier put up by the Israeli Government.

"There is no other word for it except for Apartheid, and I wish people could come here and see it," writes Bilal in his daily diary. Read about their experiences at www.patelscornershop.com on the internet.