A former Kingston University student is getting ready to present a series of talks on the Isreal/Palestine conflict, following a three-month trip to the West Bank as a human rights worker.

Human rights graduate Nikki Ray, from New Malden, was sent to the village of Yanoun by the Quaker Peace and Social Witness in August, where she saw first-hand the lives of Palestinians living under Isreali control.

The village, located in the northern West Bank, is home to 85 Palestinians, whose main source of livelihood is agriculture.

The 25-year-old was the youngest of five international programme participants, who documented, blogged, and photographed the tension between Palestinians and Israeli police and settlers in the area.

Ms Ray said: “I don’t cry very often, but I’ve cried a lot since I got back when I realised things that happened.”

She said one of the most distressing situations she witnessed was a an Isreali explosion that killed an 18-year old boy and left his 10-year-old brother seriously injured.

The younger brother grew violent as a result of the bombing and did not want to attend school, while his father admitted contemplating suicide.

The trip also involved monitoring access to education, which she relayed to a mailing list of 200 readers.

The tension felt by Palestinian schoolchildren on the edge of villages was exacerbated by the continual presence of Israeli military, who patrolled outside schools each week.

Surrey Comet:

Surrey Comet:

Above: A bulldozer destroys an electricity supply in Tawayel; Palestinians being stopped and searched at Zatara Junction by border police. Pictures: Nikki Ray

She said: “The children’s education is really affected by this.

“A Palestinian schoolboy who was 15 at the time allegedly threw a stone at one of the Israelis outside. He was taken away, blindfolded, and it was a few days before he returned.”

Surrey Comet:

A man named Suheib in the rubble of his home, which was destroyed by Isreali armed forces. Picture: Nikki Ray

Ms Ray is now to present a series of talks on the situation in the West Bank, starting at New Malden Methodist Church on Tuesday, January 13, 2015.

Her return to England comes after a parliamentary vote last month, in which MPs voted in favour of recognising a state of Palestine separate to Israel.

Ms Ray said she felt the vote was an important step for Palestinians to live peacefully in the West Bank.