'Lullaby' Palestine charity single in bid for UK Christmas Number One

Sixteen UK and Palestinian artists and musical groups have come together to release a charity single for Palestine, Lullaby, in a bid to secure the UK Christmas number one spot and raise funds for life-saving aid to Gaza.

The single, which features artists including Leigh Anne Pinnock, Neneh Cherry and Nai Barghouti, is a reworking of the Palestinian lullaby Yamma Mwel El Hawa, ("Mama, Sing to the Wind") and retains its original Arabic lyrics, with additional English verses written by Peter Gabriel.

While Australian pop star Kylie Minogue is currently leading the race for the top spot in the UK Official Charts, musician Brian Eno, who performed on the track and helped organise the Together for Palestine concert in September, said it would be "fantastic" if Lullaby reached number one.

Barghouti said the song "has a very special place for a lot of people".

"It's basically saying that I would rather die in dignity than live a life without freedom," she said. "That's the main theme of the song. We want to live a dignified life that we deserve as Palestinians, where we can share the beauty of our identity."

Released on 21 December, Lullaby follows the Together for Palestine concert at Wembley, which raised more than £2 million for Palestinian causes, including £500,000 from ticket sales, with the rest coming from online donations and merchandise.

Although the song was originally intended to be performed and recorded live during the concert, the performance was cut after the event ran over.

Proceeds from the single will be donated to Choose Love's Together for Palestine Fund, which supports three Palestinian-led organisations: Taawon, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and the Palestine Medical Relief Society.

Together for Palestine said the artists were "coming together to send a message of solidarity to the very place where the Christmas story began", referring to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in present-day Palestine.

The release is accompanied by a music video directed by Lina Makoul, filmed in different parts of Palestine, showing daily life amid destruction, and depicting the realities of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.

"As a storyteller who works with music and visuals, I feel it’s my responsibility to push against that imposed image and show us as humans first," Makoul said. "You can see us as hopeless victims if you want, but I see us as stubborn in our dignity."