Tasty symbol of Palestinian resistance and boycott movement

In the heart of London’s Holborn neighborhood, a new product is stirring conversation and sparking interest.

On a bright autumn day, the Hiba Express, a fast food chain located in Holborn—a lively area in central London known for its restaurants, bookstores, and shops—is bustling with customers, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Above the restaurant is Palestine House, a multi-story venue serving as a gathering spot for Palestinians and their supporters. The building, designed in the style of a traditional Arabic house, features stone walls and a central courtyard with a fountain.

Osama Qashoo, a charismatic figure with his hair tied in a bun and a thick beard and mustache with striking curls, manages Palestine House in the six-story building. He co-founded Hiba Express in 2012 and remained involved with the restaurant until 2020.

At Hiba Express, the team serves a mix of Palestinian and Lebanese dishes. The interior is decorated with warm colors, tree branches, and placards featuring slogans like “From the river to the sea.” As patrons enjoy their meals, they move halloumi cheese, chickpeas, and falafel around their plates. Near the entrance, a doll wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh scarf sits on a table, accompanied by a sign written in blood-red ink: “Save the children,” referencing the many Palestinian children killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza over the past year.

On several tables, cherry-red soda cans adorned with the black, white, and green stripes of the Palestinian flag, along with Arabic artwork and a keffiyeh border, are placed. The cans bear the label “Gaza Cola” written in Arabic calligraphy, reminiscent of the script used by a well-known cola brand. It is a drink with both a message and a purpose. Qashoo, 43, is quick to emphasize that the drink, made from standard cola ingredients and with a taste similar to Coca-Cola’s sweet and acidic flavor, “is completely different from the formula that Coke uses.” While he won’t reveal the origins of the recipe, he confirms that he created Gaza Cola in November 2023.

Nynke Brett, 53, a Hackney resident in east London, first encountered Gaza Cola while attending a cultural event at Palestine House. “It’s not as fizzy as Coke. It’s smoother, easier on the palate,” she says. “And it tastes even better because you’re supporting Palestine.”

Qashoo created Gaza Cola for several reasons, with the primary one being, “to boycott companies that support and fuel the Israeli army and support the genocide” in Gaza. Another reason was, “To find a guilt-free, genocide-free kind of taste. The real taste of freedom.” While that may sound like a marketing slogan, Palestinian freedom is deeply personal to Qashoo. 

By Naila Huseynova