Palestinian restaurant in London facing daily storm of phone threats since October 7

“I’ll come over and take away your life … Israel forever,” said only one of the dozens of threatening calls that the restaurant has received daily amid the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged Palestinian enclave Gaza. The flood of calls has sometimes forced the London business to unplug its phone.

Located on Marylebone Road, the restaurant welcome customers with a wall-length banner of a waving Palestinian flag, along with other cultural images and objects that line the establishment, including embroidery and the national colors of black, white, and green.

It also features portraits of celebrities who have voiced support for Palestine, including US actress Angelina Jolie, Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef, and model Bella Hadid, as well as Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian journalist killed by Israeli troops last year.

“I just want people to feel they are in a Palestinian restaurant in Palestine,” Haleem Kherellah, owner of the restaurant, shared.

Kherellah said he also wanted people to feel like they were coming to “my parent’s kitchen, a home.”

In an exclusive interview inside the restaurant, he said they still received death threats via dozens of calls which have “gone crazy,” in the last 10 days.

“They are threatening to come and kill the staff, to come and beat them up. ‘We are coming to you,’” said Kherellah, adding that even before the current surge, they had been receiving threatening calls on a regular basis.

A person recently hurled an object at the restaurant and another put offensive stickers on the door.

His staff “feel that this restaurant has a mission to keep the Palestinian culture alive and we are not going to let people kill it,” Kherellah asserted.

Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation into the incident.

He also noted that when word of the abuse got out, the restaurant also received many calls from different groups expressing solidarity.