It has been almost a month since I last posted anything, and for this I must apologize. I truly took advantage of my touristic opportunities and have been to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Oman (to visit a friend from the Canadian Gaza delegation) and am now in Turkey. I have had some incredible experiences and met some remarkable people. But mostly I have taken a break from in-depth involvement in the Israeli / Palestinian conflict, one which in hindsight was much needed. In Jordan I was watching Al Jazeera (a channel that individuals reading this can request their local cable carriers provide by going here) when a program called "Reflections of War" came on. The program revolved around two journalists who were trapped inside Gaza during the most recent attack. Seeing the sights and the sounds that people I have met and become friends with went through - I saw the war through different eyes, and realized how little I had processed my own experiences in this violence-ravaged area. I balled throughout the whole program. And I've realized that what I have experienced has affected me more than I could have ever imagined, and I have to wonder how the world would be different if everyone saw what I, and increasingly many others, have seen.
This will likely be my last post for at least quite a while as I am going to have to take it down soon before I attempt to go into Syria (to avoid the small chance that the border guards google my name and find this blog - I wouldn't put it past them, it happened in Israel!). I want to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to regularly read this blog - it is a small way in which I can share the strife Palestinians live everyday. I encourage everyone, although I'm sure many already do, to keep up to date with Middle Eastern news (such as the most recent Palestinian evictions in East Jerusalem) and more importantly to remember from where and from whom news sources are produced. If I don't write anymore before I go home, I hope to see everyone back in Canada!
Day 45 - July 4, 2009
I visited the Knesset, Israel's legislature, on Thursday and was quite struck by what I saw. I knew that Israel is a Jewish state, but the meaning of that really didn't hit me until I saw its most powerful force for my own eyes. The entire building has been inundated with Jewish symbols and scripture and art work, even the way the seats of the Knesset members are arranged are in the shape of a menorah. Our tour guide assured us that the system was fully democratic and that all citizens could attend, observe and sometimes participate in the Knesset process. But all I could think was - are Palestinians allowed here? Can they participate? Can they even vote for the people who are ruling over them? And how exactly is a one state solution even possible when the amalgamation of these two cultures would leave almost half of the population ostracized by the religious affiliation of its own government? I know the answers to these questions, but their relevancy struck me as though I had never even considered them before.
At the Knesset I met a young German woman who had been volunteering at a German guest house for a few months and is leaving next week. She and I chatted throughout the tour (and noted several times that we felt as though we were in an art galley, as a significant portion of the tour consisted of looking at artwork done by Marc Chagall), and afterwards she invited me for coffee with some of her friends who were also volunteering at German guest houses around the city. We went to a beautiful guest house in the old city near Damascus gate where we met with four of her friends, all from Germany. I asked them how they were treated being German in Israel, and surprisingly very few have had any negative encounters. But what interested me the most was when they explained to me that in Germany, many people are afraid to be proud of being German, as if this pride somehow insinuates that they agree with the Holocaust. They said outside of Germany most people bear their German nationality proudly, but in Germany people hardly even fly German flags. It has become part of their national psyche to be self-critical as a country and to be very careful in what they believe and do. Some of the people I was with seemed to think that this notion was changing through the newer generations, but there was a clear consensus that it is omnipresent in today's Germany.
For the past few days I've been staying in Jaffa with Elias at the Sadaka Reut commune where he stays. Here I met a fascinating young woman who stays here sometimes because her home with her family is in Ariel, a settlement close to Tel-Aviv in the West Bank. It is one of the larger settlements and consists mostly of Russian immigrants. Her family is originally from Russia, and used to live in Israel proper until approximately a year ago when it became too expensive for them to continue to live where they were living. They were faced with the options of either moving to a small, crowded, inner-city location or moving to a bright, spacious, new house in a settlement - each costing the same amount. Wanting her younger sister to have safe and positive surroundings (as this woman was just about to graduate high school), they chose the settlement. She realizes how terrible settlements are, but knows that her parents don't see it in the same light as she does. Having educated herself about settlements and in interacting with local Palestinians, she has broken what she describes at the settlement "bubble" which most settlers never escape - they simply drive on their Israeli-only roads to and from Jerusalem or Tel-Aviv to their daily jobs and don't see what is happening around them. It's really exciting to see a small glimmer of hope in these communities that can hopefully share their ideas with others.
I will be leaving Israel tomorrow to head to Jordan, where I will begin the more touristy part of my trip (although I believe I said this when I entered Israel, and that clearly didn't happen!). I will continue to blog as I go, but probably more infrequently. I am sad to leave here as I have learned so much and feel that there is so much more to understand. What I have realized in this conflict, though, is that whenever I learn something new, there is always exponentially more that I must then comprehend. This conflict is incredibly complicated and yet simply black and white. I leave this country feeling frustrated in that I still don't know exactly what can be done to solve the problem, and yet with hope that I believe that peace will prevail.
At the Knesset I met a young German woman who had been volunteering at a German guest house for a few months and is leaving next week. She and I chatted throughout the tour (and noted several times that we felt as though we were in an art galley, as a significant portion of the tour consisted of looking at artwork done by Marc Chagall), and afterwards she invited me for coffee with some of her friends who were also volunteering at German guest houses around the city. We went to a beautiful guest house in the old city near Damascus gate where we met with four of her friends, all from Germany. I asked them how they were treated being German in Israel, and surprisingly very few have had any negative encounters. But what interested me the most was when they explained to me that in Germany, many people are afraid to be proud of being German, as if this pride somehow insinuates that they agree with the Holocaust. They said outside of Germany most people bear their German nationality proudly, but in Germany people hardly even fly German flags. It has become part of their national psyche to be self-critical as a country and to be very careful in what they believe and do. Some of the people I was with seemed to think that this notion was changing through the newer generations, but there was a clear consensus that it is omnipresent in today's Germany.
For the past few days I've been staying in Jaffa with Elias at the Sadaka Reut commune where he stays. Here I met a fascinating young woman who stays here sometimes because her home with her family is in Ariel, a settlement close to Tel-Aviv in the West Bank. It is one of the larger settlements and consists mostly of Russian immigrants. Her family is originally from Russia, and used to live in Israel proper until approximately a year ago when it became too expensive for them to continue to live where they were living. They were faced with the options of either moving to a small, crowded, inner-city location or moving to a bright, spacious, new house in a settlement - each costing the same amount. Wanting her younger sister to have safe and positive surroundings (as this woman was just about to graduate high school), they chose the settlement. She realizes how terrible settlements are, but knows that her parents don't see it in the same light as she does. Having educated herself about settlements and in interacting with local Palestinians, she has broken what she describes at the settlement "bubble" which most settlers never escape - they simply drive on their Israeli-only roads to and from Jerusalem or Tel-Aviv to their daily jobs and don't see what is happening around them. It's really exciting to see a small glimmer of hope in these communities that can hopefully share their ideas with others.
I will be leaving Israel tomorrow to head to Jordan, where I will begin the more touristy part of my trip (although I believe I said this when I entered Israel, and that clearly didn't happen!). I will continue to blog as I go, but probably more infrequently. I am sad to leave here as I have learned so much and feel that there is so much more to understand. What I have realized in this conflict, though, is that whenever I learn something new, there is always exponentially more that I must then comprehend. This conflict is incredibly complicated and yet simply black and white. I leave this country feeling frustrated in that I still don't know exactly what can be done to solve the problem, and yet with hope that I believe that peace will prevail.
Day 42 - July 1, 2009
The last few days have been spent wandering the West Bank. I spent a few days in Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian Authority, where I journeyed around the streets and spent some time in quaint little shops. I ate enough pita, hummus and babaganoush to last a lifetime, and then ate some more. I discovered yellow soybeans which are sold in abundance at carts on the side of the road sprinkled with salt and lemon juice – needless to say, I also devoured these. I’m learning to tolerate the leering and comments made by some men as I pass by with my “blonde” hair (all hair here that is not black is blonde), although it still gets on my nerves.
I recently learned of rumors of the IDF targeting French nationals in the West Bank – apparently a French diplomat, with diplomatic license plates, was dragged from her car and beaten at the side of the road. We are assuming that this targeting has to do with Sarkozy telling Netanyahu that he must get rid of Lieberman, but we can’t be sure. Apparently the woman documented the injuries but was told by the French government not to say anything so as to not rock already unstable relations with Israel.
On Tuesday I spent the night in Nablus with a friend who is volunteering with Project Hope teaching English. I walked in the old city market - similar to Jerusalem’s old city but I was the clearly the only tourist present – and the next day ate the famous knafa that is Nablus’s pride. The posters or martyrs, as in Jenin, were omnipresent, and when I asked a local whether or not they were all suicide bombers or had been killed in other ways I was promptly informed of two facts: first, they were all killed in different ways throughout the second Intifada, and second, they are not referred to as suicide bombers, but only martyrs. I thought this last point spoke volumes as to the mentality of many Palestinians towards their struggle for freedom.
On my way back to Jerusalem from Nablus I had to go through three major checkpoints. At the first, we had been waiting in line for about five minutes when the man at the front of the line was pulled from his car and violently shoved persistently across the road and into an army outpost only to disappear, with the soldier returning a few minutes later. His car was left on the road, so everyone in the long line had to back up and move around it. Arriving at the second checkpoint consisted of staring down the barrel of a rifle held by one soldier while another interrogated everyone as to where they were going and where they were from. There were numerous soldiers on each side of the car, as if they were expecting us to flee the car and become violent. The third checkpoint, from Ramallah to Jerusalem, required all the passengers from the bus to get out at walk through the checkpoint (as we were passing through the apartheid wall), put our items through an x-ray machine, show our permits, and then find another bus on the other side. The turnstyles are similar to those in Bethlehem in that they are very small and stop randomly – I was the lucky one who was unexpectedly stopped and ran into the metal bars. In Bethlehem it was sufficient to simply show the front of my passport as an international, but here when I tried to do that the young female soldier harshly yelled from the other side of the window through a microphone “Open it.” It took every ounce of strength in me not to look her in the eyes and say: “Please?” but I opened it to my picture, not knowing what she wanted. This apparently was not good enough as I received another instruction of “Visa!” So I showed her my visa and was waved off. Now back to Jerusalem where one can escape the tirade of the occupation and live a normal, Western life.
A final note - I recently received a link by email to a video that I think is imperative for everyone to watch. While an uncommon situation, it is still an example of the atrocities taking place in Gaza.
I recently learned of rumors of the IDF targeting French nationals in the West Bank – apparently a French diplomat, with diplomatic license plates, was dragged from her car and beaten at the side of the road. We are assuming that this targeting has to do with Sarkozy telling Netanyahu that he must get rid of Lieberman, but we can’t be sure. Apparently the woman documented the injuries but was told by the French government not to say anything so as to not rock already unstable relations with Israel.
On Tuesday I spent the night in Nablus with a friend who is volunteering with Project Hope teaching English. I walked in the old city market - similar to Jerusalem’s old city but I was the clearly the only tourist present – and the next day ate the famous knafa that is Nablus’s pride. The posters or martyrs, as in Jenin, were omnipresent, and when I asked a local whether or not they were all suicide bombers or had been killed in other ways I was promptly informed of two facts: first, they were all killed in different ways throughout the second Intifada, and second, they are not referred to as suicide bombers, but only martyrs. I thought this last point spoke volumes as to the mentality of many Palestinians towards their struggle for freedom.
On my way back to Jerusalem from Nablus I had to go through three major checkpoints. At the first, we had been waiting in line for about five minutes when the man at the front of the line was pulled from his car and violently shoved persistently across the road and into an army outpost only to disappear, with the soldier returning a few minutes later. His car was left on the road, so everyone in the long line had to back up and move around it. Arriving at the second checkpoint consisted of staring down the barrel of a rifle held by one soldier while another interrogated everyone as to where they were going and where they were from. There were numerous soldiers on each side of the car, as if they were expecting us to flee the car and become violent. The third checkpoint, from Ramallah to Jerusalem, required all the passengers from the bus to get out at walk through the checkpoint (as we were passing through the apartheid wall), put our items through an x-ray machine, show our permits, and then find another bus on the other side. The turnstyles are similar to those in Bethlehem in that they are very small and stop randomly – I was the lucky one who was unexpectedly stopped and ran into the metal bars. In Bethlehem it was sufficient to simply show the front of my passport as an international, but here when I tried to do that the young female soldier harshly yelled from the other side of the window through a microphone “Open it.” It took every ounce of strength in me not to look her in the eyes and say: “Please?” but I opened it to my picture, not knowing what she wanted. This apparently was not good enough as I received another instruction of “Visa!” So I showed her my visa and was waved off. Now back to Jerusalem where one can escape the tirade of the occupation and live a normal, Western life.
A final note - I recently received a link by email to a video that I think is imperative for everyone to watch. While an uncommon situation, it is still an example of the atrocities taking place in Gaza.
Day 39 - June 28, 2009
It finally happened - I saw Naomi Klein in person! We made our way to Ramallah to see her speak as part of the Shock Doctrine being published in both Hebrew and Arabic and at the invitation of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign National Committee. Essentially, this is calling for the boycotting of Israeli products, divesting Israeli companies, and imposing sanctions on Israeli until the end of the occupation - a strategy very similar to that of South Africa. Naomi spoke a lot about the comparison of the Israeli and South African apartheid regimes, and noted that although they are not necessarily identical, the definition of apartheid was created after South Africa to ensure that all apartheid regimes, and not just those identical to South Africa (which is essentially impossible because each state is unique), would be recognized and abolished.
Noami outlined two main reasons that Israel currently has no interest in peace: the first is that its people are able to comfortably live a normal and fun life with no repercussions of the "war" being experienced by them. Secondly, and probably most importantly, is that Israeli companies are not feeling the financial pinch of war that often accompanies wartime, and they are therefore not pressuring the government to stop. There is actually a large sector of the economy that is profiting significantly from Israel's "homeland security" measures, as Palestine is essentially being used as a test laboratory for security products that are later exported to other countries. As the violence towards Palestine has increased over the last three years profit has increased - within the first eight months of 2008 exports to Canada from Israel went up 45%, and within the first seven days of the assault on Gaza the trade index in Tel Aviv went up 10.7%. Profitability is clearly a large factor as to why the focus in Israel is on security and not on peace.
The question arose as to whether or not the BDS tactic would hurt Palestinians. The thoughts on this were as follows: firstly, black South Africans were also hurt during the South African boycott, but most understood it to be temporary and as a tool for their liberation. Palestinians have suffered enough, and many believe that they can suffer a bit more as long as they can see the end of the tunnel. But secondly, and probably most importantly, is that the call to use the BDS tactic has come from Palestinians themselves and is overwhelming supported in Palestine. It is paternalistic and against the principles of solidarity for us as outsiders to deny their request because we are worried about the negative affects it would have on them. If this is what they feel will help most, then we should assist them in any way possible.
Today, some of us went to Jenin, a city and a refugee camp side by side in the north of the West Bank. The refugee camp was the site of the battle during the second intifada from April 3 to 11 2002, wherein 350 houses were demolished and 65 Palestinians were killed, some by being in their house when it was bulldozed. Israel claimed that the reason for the attack was that several suicide bombers had used the camp as a base. While I've been reading that Jenin at the time wasn't a very conservative place, the posters of martyrs and militia that were plastered all over the camp suggested to me that Jenin already was or has become somewhat extremist in its views. I have to wonder if the case would be different if the occupation did not exist. This is not to say that suicide bombings are ever permissable, but could at least some of them have been prevented if Palestine was given the soveriegnty and respect it deserves?
Noami outlined two main reasons that Israel currently has no interest in peace: the first is that its people are able to comfortably live a normal and fun life with no repercussions of the "war" being experienced by them. Secondly, and probably most importantly, is that Israeli companies are not feeling the financial pinch of war that often accompanies wartime, and they are therefore not pressuring the government to stop. There is actually a large sector of the economy that is profiting significantly from Israel's "homeland security" measures, as Palestine is essentially being used as a test laboratory for security products that are later exported to other countries. As the violence towards Palestine has increased over the last three years profit has increased - within the first eight months of 2008 exports to Canada from Israel went up 45%, and within the first seven days of the assault on Gaza the trade index in Tel Aviv went up 10.7%. Profitability is clearly a large factor as to why the focus in Israel is on security and not on peace.
The question arose as to whether or not the BDS tactic would hurt Palestinians. The thoughts on this were as follows: firstly, black South Africans were also hurt during the South African boycott, but most understood it to be temporary and as a tool for their liberation. Palestinians have suffered enough, and many believe that they can suffer a bit more as long as they can see the end of the tunnel. But secondly, and probably most importantly, is that the call to use the BDS tactic has come from Palestinians themselves and is overwhelming supported in Palestine. It is paternalistic and against the principles of solidarity for us as outsiders to deny their request because we are worried about the negative affects it would have on them. If this is what they feel will help most, then we should assist them in any way possible.
Today, some of us went to Jenin, a city and a refugee camp side by side in the north of the West Bank. The refugee camp was the site of the battle during the second intifada from April 3 to 11 2002, wherein 350 houses were demolished and 65 Palestinians were killed, some by being in their house when it was bulldozed. Israel claimed that the reason for the attack was that several suicide bombers had used the camp as a base. While I've been reading that Jenin at the time wasn't a very conservative place, the posters of martyrs and militia that were plastered all over the camp suggested to me that Jenin already was or has become somewhat extremist in its views. I have to wonder if the case would be different if the occupation did not exist. This is not to say that suicide bombings are ever permissable, but could at least some of them have been prevented if Palestine was given the soveriegnty and respect it deserves?
Day 37 - June 26, 2009
The past three days have been a whirlwind of activities. I spent Wednesday doing almost every major touristy thing possible, which entailed walking in the scorching heat for six hours straight. One of the more interesting sites I saw was the Western Wall tunnels tour, a rather controversial tour because of it's very obvious pro-Israel stance. It was actually quite intriguing, as there is significantly more to the Western Wall than is visible from the outside, and on the tour you can see the entir
e thing. I also really enjoyed it because normally there is a hefty fee to take the tour and tickets have to be booked in advance, but I found a nice tour guide who helped sneak me in for free! My favourite part of the tour was probably when the guide explained that the Dome of the Rock was built to ensure that Jewish refugees could never return - while that is probably somewhat true, the lack of the explanation that the Dome and the mosque beside it are two of the holiest sites in Islam was rather bothersome.
Thursday brought one of my favourite times of year - Pride! Pride in Jerusalem is usually a point of contention in the city because of the conservative nature of many of the Jewish citizens, however we were met with very few protesters. This was in part due to the very heavy police presence that sectioned off the protesters to an area which was not in our view - it was really nice to be protected by police instead of monitored by them for once! Elias (pictured left, and I'm not quite sure what he's doing but as always he looks cute) is part of a samba band that let me play with them, and I picked it up quite quickly! My female friend Iah, who wears a kippa, was there with her girlfriend Caroline and they were pretty much mobbed by photographers. All in all it was a really great day.
e thing. I also really enjoyed it because normally there is a hefty fee to take the tour and tickets have to be booked in advance, but I found a nice tour guide who helped sneak me in for free! My favourite part of the tour was probably when the guide explained that the Dome of the Rock was built to ensure that Jewish refugees could never return - while that is probably somewhat true, the lack of the explanation that the Dome and the mosque beside it are two of the holiest sites in Islam was rather bothersome.Thursday brought one of my favourite times of year - Pride! Pride in Jerusalem is usually a point of contention in the city because of the conservative nature of many of the Jewish citizens, however we were met with very few protesters. This was in part due to the very heavy police presence that sectioned off the protesters to an area which was not in our view - it was really nice to be protected by police instead of monitored by them for once! Elias (pictured left, and I'm not quite sure what he's doing but as always he looks cute) is part of a samba band that let me play with them, and I picked it up quite quickly! My female friend Iah, who wears a kippa, was there with her girlfriend Caroline and they were pretty much mobbed by photographers. All in all it was a really great day.
And today was my second and probable final shabbat in Jerusalem. Before shabbat began, however, I was finally able to find a really good bagel place (my first bagel experience here was terrible - it looked like the thing had been run over by a truck, AND they put olives on it - for anyone that knows me, they know that is a big no-no). For shabbat dinner we went to Rebecca's friend Jessica's house in Rehavia for a massive feast with about 15 people. Tomorrow I'm heading to Ramallah to see Naomi Klein, and then off to a few more days of travelling in the West Bank!
Day 34 - June 23, 2009
Yesterday at the lovely hour of 4am, Rebecca and I headed to the Bethlehem checkpoint to do checkpoint watch with a friend of hers, Debs, who is from South Africa and is here for 3 months working with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, which has been monitoring checkpoints for eight years. Every morning two individuals from this NGO monitor the checkpoint, both by counting how many people go through and how quickly (stats which are then sent to the UN), and by intervening when problems arise between soldiers and the Palestinians attempting to go through. Most of the individuals going through the checkpoint are men who work in Israel. The checkpoint opens at 5am, however there are over 2500 people that go through everyday, so people start lining up at 1am every morning and sleep on cardboard boxes in the jail-like queue they have to stand in - there are usually 800 already lined up by 4:30am. There is a "humanitarian" queue for the elderly, women, emergency workers and tourists, which means that they don't have to stand in line with the men and generally get through faster. To go through any checkpoint into Israel, one must have a permit, however only 15 000 of the four million Palestinians living in the West Bank have been able to obtain one.
The checkpoint is set up as follows: there are two lines, one with the men (who are in a surrounded by a long metal gate on the sides and top, with openings only at distant ends), and the humanitarian line. Beginning at 5am, a soldier lets only a few from each line go and will then close the turnstyles (which are significantly smaller than international standards) abruptly, often causing the hurried men to crash into them. Once the individuals do get through, they literally run over to the next terminal where they again wait in lines to go through a metal detector, even though most of them were only carrying their lunches. The solider patrolling the metal detector that I went through was asleep. There are three metal detectors present, but only two were being used, as is apparently normal and sometimes there is only one in use. Because some had missed morning prayers because they were crammed in the earlier metal gates, many men pray in the terminal. We watched as a soldier patrolled the area, often on beams overtop the Palestinians. In this terminal there are no bathrooms - one must either go back and have to wait in line again, or wait until he or she finally makes it out. Once through the metal detector, they must again wait in line to show another soldier their permits and be fingerprinted. Beside them in this third line are Israel tourism posters reading such things as "Israel - where it's vacation time all year round." I found the irony amusing and nauseating at the same time. Debs said that at this point permits are sometimes taken away for hours for seemingly no reason, being given back eventually with no explanation.
While Rebecca and I were talking about what we were seeing, she said what I was having trouble putting into words - Israel can put a checkpoint in place if it were a border crossing and Palestine was an independent state, or if Palestine is supposedly part of Israel, then the crossing should be without restrictions. But to have the checkpoint as-is is dehumanizing. At times I felt like I was on a cattle farm, watching the cows be herded. People should not be treated like this.
I slept until early afternoon and then finally did some touristy stuff - I walked the walls of the old city and saw the Wailing Wall. After dinner we saw an open air performance of Rent which was amazing, especially since a friend I've met here choreographed it. We then went to the best drag show EVER, which was made even better by the fact that it's Pride week in Jerusalem and the crowd was out in huge numbers. Pride is a very controversial subject in Jerusalem, so I'm really looking forward to the parade on Thursday.
Today I bussed across the city to Yad Vashem, or the Holocaust museum. The thought that such hatred can exist in the world was hard to take in, and to comprehend how such a thing was able to take place was impossible. The paranoia and fear of another Holocaust taking place is what fuels a large part of Israel's need to "defend" itself, and seeing this museum helped me to better understand the thought process of those committing modern day crimes against Palestine. And while nothing compares to what happened to the Jews and so many other groups under the Nazi regime, a few times it struck me - do they not see the similarities in what is happening today? The talking of random shootings and ghettos and systemic violence - isn't this what is happening now? In one of the videos a man, after talking about not stealing bread and then going hungry during the Holocaust, said "I will never again make the mistake of being moral. This is the jungle, and in the jungle, only predators survive." I really thought that spoke volumes to what so much of the current conflict is based on. I know that my opinion on comparing the Palestine/Israel conflict to the Holocaust is controversial, and I by no means think that they are of nearly the same magnitude. But I do truly believe that some of the similarities cannot be ignored and am surprised that they are not recognized by more people.
Day 32 - June 21, 2009
I have spent the last few days wandering Jerusalem. Friday evening was the beginning of shabbat, which was a wonderful experience. I went to a synagogue for the first time, and although I had no idea what anyone was saying or why they were doing what they were doing, there was something quite beautiful about it. Amidst the conflict of Israel, there is true beauty to be found in the Jewish faith.
We then had a traditional shabbat dinner at Rebecca's (well, as traditional as you can get with a vegan dinner). There were people from all over the world - South Africa, America, Brazil, Canada, and of course Israel. There were all different points of view on the conflict, and although we tried to avoid the subject, having one person working at ICAHD and another working at a right-wing think tank sitting beside each other, it was bound to come up. For the most part though it was a very peaceful (and delicious!) dinner. The guests stayed until 4am, with some staying over, as is tradition since it is not permissable to drive a vehicle (and because Jeff lives in Ramallah, which although very close in distance, would take hours to get to through the checkpoints at that time of night).
The next day was a perfect shabbat - we woke up at 1:30, had "breakfast" at 3:30, and then proceeded to take a nap. What a perfect day! That night we met up with Marvin and his Canadian friend for coffee in the German Colony, which I'm really confused as to why it's called that because it's filled with Americans.
Today I spent some time in the commercialized Ben Yehuda area and then headed down to the old city for the "Jerusalem Hug." It was quite the hippie event (which of course I loved) and began with songs in Arabic, Hebrew and English and we then made a banner of painted handprints to symbolize our solidarity with each other. We all then "hugged" the old city wall by holding hands. I was holding the hand of a beautiful little Palestinian girl from Hebron who was quite shy in using her English to talk to me but we communicated quite well. At the hug I ran into Flore, our photographer who had been arrested at the protest, and I was so excited! We grabbed dinner at a burger place, and I still was unable to find a place that will make me a cheeseburger - I'm now on a mission! I'm now staying up all night to do checkpoint watch tomorrow morning.
Day 29 - June 18, 2009
We spent the night at the Ein Gedi youth hostel which is in Israel proper, on the Dead Sea. Michelle and I attempted to go to Jericho yesterday, but after making it to Abu Dis and waiting in a service taxi for over an hour (as the taxi has to be full before it will leave), and having the driver ask us if we were married and / or looking more than a few times, we decided to head back to Jerusalem and take a bus to Ein Gedi to meet the boys. We immediately headed to the Dead Sea, and it HURT! I had so many mosquito bites, some still from Cairo and many from Tent of Nations (I counted 92 in total) but afterwards they felt great! The Dead Sea is so strange, we just bobbed around and I could "stand" straight up in the water and still be floating comfortably.
This morning we headed again down to the Dead Sea and then to Masada, where in 73 BC 960 Jewish rebels committed mass suicide as an alternative to being captured by the Romans and becoming slaves. It's atop a tall mountain, but Sascha and I were lazy and took the cable car up and down. As luck would have it, I took a huge fall as soon as I reached the top and badly scraped my knees and hands, something I haven't done since I was a child. Luckily, we weren't going to the Dead Sea again!
I am now staying again at Rebecca's, probably for at least another week. I will continue to update as I go with my new adventures!
This morning we headed again down to the Dead Sea and then to Masada, where in 73 BC 960 Jewish rebels committed mass suicide as an alternative to being captured by the Romans and becoming slaves. It's atop a tall mountain, but Sascha and I were lazy and took the cable car up and down. As luck would have it, I took a huge fall as soon as I reached the top and badly scraped my knees and hands, something I haven't done since I was a child. Luckily, we weren't going to the Dead Sea again!
I am now staying again at Rebecca's, probably for at least another week. I will continue to update as I go with my new adventures!
Day 27 - June 16, 2009
Since the end of the delegation I have been with Sascha, Gabriel, Michelle and Elias in the West Bank. Yesterday we traveled from Jaffa, where Elias lives, to Ramallah to meet with a friend of his that he hadn't seen in very long time. We then traveled to Tent of Nations where we are staying for two nights. Tent of Nations is a Christian Palestinian camp that promotes peace through non-violent resistance. The land is cultivated by a family that has been there since 1916 and luckily, unlike most Palestinians whose land claims were always through verbal agreements, have the papers to prove it and therefore have not been evicted (although the Israelis have tried, but Tent of Nations won the court battle). They are surrounded by three settlements, and their water and electricity have both been cut off, and the road leading up to their camp has been blocked by large boulders. These were all measures taken to pressure them into leaving after the Israeli government could not legally take their land. The tent that I was staying in technically has a demolition order - Dahoud, a brother in the family, paid $1000 to request a permit and was later denied.
Dahoud told us an amazing story of a woman from one of the neighbouring settlements. She was invited to a group event through a friend of hers who was visiting the country. While Dahoud was explaining the lack of water and electricity, she put up her hand to say something, and Dahoud expected a debate to ensue. Instead, she commented: "You don't have running water, and yet we have swimming pools?" This woman soon brought her husband down to visit the camp, and once made the long trek down (as the road is blocked, it is difficult to get to the camp) to say happy new year.
Dahoud explained some aspects of the West Bank to us that I had not previously well understood. The different laws that I spoke of earlier were clarified: the area is divided into three sections - Area A (completely Palestinian controlled), Area B (Palestinian civil control and Israeli military control) and Area C (completely Israeli controlled). One would think that Area A would be the majority, as the entire area is supposed to be Palestine. However, Area A only makes up 13% of the West Bank, Area C is 65%, with the remaining 22% being Area B. How is this a Palestinian territory?
Interestingly, a well, the Israeli government has had to change its tactics with the checkpoints. Earlier, soldiers were being placed at the same checkpoints for three to four weeks, but it became apparent that they were sometimes developing good relations, if not friendships, with the Palestinians. When there is interaction instead of segregation, "terrorists" suddenly become human. Now, soldiers are only stationed at checkpoints for two weeks or less.
Yesterday we went to Hebron, a city in the south of the West Bank and the site of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre. In 1994, an Israeli-American named Baruch Goldstein entered the mosque and killed 39 Palestinians and wounded 125 during Ramadan prayers. Hebron is also a city strictly divided, containing some of the only Israeli settlements found within a Palestinian city (normally the settlements surround the Palestinians, disabling the cities or villages to grow). There is a street that cuts through the entire city that Palestinians are not permitted to walk or drive on, and therefore if they want to get to the other side of the city they have to go all the way to the outskirts of the city and go around the street. Hebron is also known for the nets that hang above Palestinian inhabited streets, as the Israelis who live above them throw garbage down onto the people.
I was able to take some amazing pictures of the graffiti on part of the separation wall today. I also got to graffiti myself! There were two guys there doing it, and I asked if I could as well! I wrote "Plant justice, harvest peace" which is one of my favourite sayings. I also wrote it right under a watch tower :) I will post pictures as soon as I can!
Day 25 - June 14, 2009
I spent the majority of the day on the beach in Tel Aviv - it's a rough life, I know! We went swimming a few times and relaxed, and I fell asleep for a few hours. We really needed a little R&R after the days we've been having.
The remaining Codepinkers who haven't left the country yet then headed down to Bar Ilan university where Netanyahu was presenting his speech in response to Obama's speech in Cairo. We set up shop in our pink t-shirts, pink banners and pink signs across from signs that read "Barack Hussein Obama: Anti-Semetic Jew Hater" and "Palestinian State = The Destruction of Israel." Immediately we had police officers surrounding us and barricades put up in front of us. While the other side eventually had barricades erected as well, the police consistently faced and monitored us.
The protest quickly grew violent as we were not permitted to beyond where the police seem to have haphazardly decided where we could go (the boundaries were rapidly changing). If we went somewhere where it was deemed we couldn't go, which was sometimes literally a few steps to the left or right, we would be pushed quite forcefully. There was one police officer that was most often the peretrator of these pushings. Eventually, the pushings subsided as they were attracting significant media attention and we were given a great space in which to roam. Don't worry, mom, I was never pushed :)
The protest continued and we had one incredible moment - a Palestinian family exiting the university joined us in our songs. It was beautiful. We would also sometimes get waves from people in cars passing by, surprisingly not all Palestinians. There was a man in the opposing protest who, throughout this moment and afterwards, got on the megaphone and started yelling "Mother f*ckers, piss on you" "Kikes" and "No peace now." It's important to understand that these were extrememely right wing individuals, some followers of Kach, and I don't believe to be representative of the majority of the Israeli population. But the juxtaposition against us singing "This little light of mine" in bright pink was quite astounding.
Again the protest continued into the evening. Peace Now, an Israeli peace group, soon joined us and tripled our numbers. Our photographer, with a valid press pass, had attempted to cross the street to take photos of us, however she was told she wasn't allowed to. She took off her pink shirt to try once more, and was arrested. This created an uproar among our group who ran to the barrier and began yelling "Let Flor go." This didn't last very long, however, as the police officer who was earlier pushing members of our group began pushing several very violently, and at some point amidst the scuffle one of our leaders, Tighe, was hit in the head with the butt of a rifle and left bleeding quite profusely on the ground. To make things worse, he had an asthma attack after being hit. An ambulance was called and he was rushed off with a neck brace, and later had a CT scan and spent the night in the hospital. There were several other members of the group with bruises and cuts.
And still, Flor was in a police car. We were told by the Codepink lawyer that they would more than likely wait for the protest to end and then let her go. However nearing the end of the portest they drove her away. We found out which police station she was going to and Sascha and I went to be with her, while others went to be with Tighe and others went back to the hostel to wait for updates. It took us about two hours to get to the station because of the difficulty of finding a taxi, however luckily when we did she had already been released. We met her back at the hostel and everyone, minus the few at the hospital, spent the night eating chinese food (the only thing open that late) and toasting to Flor's freedom. Tighe was eventually ok, as far as I had heard. What an incredibly emotionall draining day to end my final delegation.
Day 24 - June 13, 2009
We headed far up north today to the area of Galilee to meet with Dahoud Badr from the Association for the Defense of the Rights of Displaced Persons. On the way, however, some of the women from the Coalition of Women for Peace informed us more of the legal system that affects Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank. There are apparently many legal systems in play at once, and Israel will often apply the system that works best for them at any given time. There are two systems in the West Bank, one for Israeli settlers and one for the Palestinians - the Palestinians must always be subjected to Israeli military court, while Israelis have civilian court (and it must not be forgotten that it is against international law for the occupier to impose its laws in the occupied territory). Israel has technically been in a state of emergency since 1948, which means that the government can do whatever it wants to ensure "security" (for American readers, this would be like having the Patriot Act always in effect) - this is often the logic used for demolishing houses, imprisoning Palestinians, etc.
With the Association we toured villages that had been destroyed in the 1948 nakba. The first we visited, Al Ghabiya, was the home village of our tour guide Dahoud. He was born there in 1942, and the only building left standing was the mosque. The village was evicted in 1948, even though they had an agreement with Israeli forces that they could stay (the evicting force would later say that they didn't know of the agreement). They were allowed back in but evicted again in 1950 for "security purposes." The land was then confiscated in 1953 through the absentee law (if the rightful owners do not return to their land within three years, the state can take it - in this case, and in most confiscation cases of Palestinians, they are barred from returning to their land for this purpose). The village was completely destroyed in 1956 to ensure that the refugees could not return, however the mosque was not touched as a "democratic" state would not destroy a holy place. Some of the living villagers tried to start using the mosque again in 1995 even though it was very delapidated, and on January 1, 1996, Land Authority came and threw everything out of the mosque and arrested Dahoud for trespassing, even though his own community had built this mosque. It was then opened again for one year beginning May 1, 1996 until Sharon, the Minister of Infrastructure, ordered in closed. Today, it is completely barred up and surrounded by barbed wire to ensure that no one can enter. Dahoud told us that his community still holds the deeds to this land, and if they request it back they are ignored; if they are willing to sell it they are given its worth in 1948 currency, which is essentially nothing.
We then went to Al Bassa, where a friend of mine, Elias's family is originally from (he now lives in Jaffa). The church, shrine (where both Muslims and Christians worshipped together) and the mosque were destroyed because they were worship places for Palestinians. At that time, there were 2000 Christians and 1000 Muslims, which puts to rest this massacre simply being about the "war" against Islam.
Day 23 - June 12, 2009
Today we went to the Palestinian village of Bil'in. In 2005 a wall was built in the village separating the farmers (60% of the village's workforce) from their lands. 1000 olive trees were uprooted in order to build the wall. Permission is only given to the owners of the land to cross the fence - Abdullah, the coordinator of the local resistance committee to the wall and settlements, told us that his grandfather owns the land that his family harvests, however his grandfather died several years ago and his family is not permitted access to the land. The land has since been burned and destroyed in order to build an Israeli settlement. Interestingly, this settlement was not permitted by Israel, and is instead tied to a mafia group. Two CANADIAN companies, Greenpark and Greenmount, are currently illegally constructing the settlement (note for those who are looking for Canadian companies on which to put pressure and / or boycott). There is currently a court date set in Montreal on June 22, which some of the Palestinians we met are hoping to attend.
On September 4, 2007, the wall was deemed illegal by the Israeli supreme court and ordered to be moved back. To date, no action has been taken. Protests have taken place at the wall, encompassing Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals alike, every Friday since February 20 2005 (today's protest being number 225). Tear gas, "rubber bullets" (metal coated in rubber), and sand bags are used everytime. 1300 have been injured since the protests began, including Tristan Anderson, an ISM member who was shot in the head with a tear gas cannister a few months ago. Bassem Abu-Rahme, a local Palestinian resident, was killed in April when he was shot in the chest with a tear gas cannister close range while attempting to assist a French protester who had been injured. Tear gas cannisters are supposed to be shot away from the protesters, often upwind so that the gas goes towards them, however recently the IDF have been shooting them directly at the individuals, essentially rendering the cannisters as massive bullets. When not protesting, the participants often beaten in their homes, sometimes infront of their families, as well as threatened with death, their family's death, or with the burning of their homes. And yet every week they return to ask for permission to cross the fence to land that is rightfully theirs.
On September 4, 2007, the wall was deemed illegal by the Israeli supreme court and ordered to be moved back. To date, no action has been taken. Protests have taken place at the wall, encompassing Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals alike, every Friday since February 20 2005 (today's protest being number 225). Tear gas, "rubber bullets" (metal coated in rubber), and sand bags are used everytime. 1300 have been injured since the protests began, including Tristan Anderson, an ISM member who was shot in the head with a tear gas cannister a few months ago. Bassem Abu-Rahme, a local Palestinian resident, was killed in April when he was shot in the chest with a tear gas cannister close range while attempting to assist a French protester who had been injured. Tear gas cannisters are supposed to be shot away from the protesters, often upwind so that the gas goes towards them, however recently the IDF have been shooting them directly at the individuals, essentially rendering the cannisters as massive bullets. When not protesting, the participants often beaten in their homes, sometimes infront of their families, as well as threatened with death, their family's death, or with the burning of their homes. And yet every week they return to ask for permission to cross the fence to land that is rightfully theirs.
Day 22 - June 11, 2009
Today was a great day - it was one of our only days off, so I slept in until noon! At four we headed to Tel-Aviv to see Seven Jewish Children - what a moving play. If you can, look it up on youtube, it's only about 20 minutes long. It was performed in the street so we had a variety of audience members, some of whom were infuriated and some of whom were moved to tears. We then did an impromptu small protest downtown, and what amazed me was not the objections that we received, as they were to be expected - it was the amount of support that was so clearly evident. We had an Israeli woman and her young child join our march, and we got thumbs ups and peace signs (among other hand signs) from onlookers. It has struck me recently how not all Israelis are supportive of this apartheid regime - many are ill-informed and unaware, and a growing number are against it. Tonight my hope for change was truly renewed.
Day 21 - June 10, 2009
We first headed to Bethlehem today to meet with some individuals from the Alternative Information Centre. This was the first time that I had witnessed the infamous Israeli settlements and was astonished by what I saw. They were beautiful buildings, royal-esque in their features, atop hilltops above the dilapidated Palestinian homes. The settlements are generally built on hills leaving their sewage runoff to culminate in the Palestinian villages.
First we met with Dr. Elias Rishmawi, a city council member. He was the first to tell us of the "mini Gazas" that are being created all over the West Bank and East Jerusalem, one of which we would see later in the day. We learned that of the 10 million Palestinians in the world, 6 million are refugees, and that Israel has complete control over the water aquifers in the West Bank and traps water from getting into the Gazan aquifers, which leaves Palestinians with no control over their own water sources, as is the case with most if not all utilities.
We then went of a tour of East Jerusalem and first saw a building site that is to be the home of the Museum of Tolerance. While this may sound great, the ground is currently undergoing the excavation of an ancient Muslim cemetary in order to build the museum. Irony, anyone? We then learned that the Israeli government does not issue building permits to residents of East Jerusalem (which is the supposedly Palestinian portion of the city) and therefore buildings can be demolished at any time. The purported plan is to have all Palestinians out of East Jerusalem by 2020 to the other side of the wall (into the West Bank, mostly) or to Jordan.
We then saw Shafat Camp, which is one of the "mini Gazas" we learned about earlier. It is surrounded by walls except for the one gate out to Jerusalem, and its buildings are not regulated and therefore all construction is illegal and often haphazard and very unsafe. It has 20000 - 50000 inhabitants, depending on who you ask. The residents pay the highest taxes (tax rates are dependent on your area, with more wealthy areas supposedly paying more), and yet receive absolutely no services - there is no garbage pickup, no police services, and the sewage outlets have been closed up thereby keeping all sewage inside the walls. ID must be presented everytime one leaves the gate, and if someone tries to leave who hasn't paid their incredibly high taxes, they are jailed until someone pays the taxes for them. There are currently five such communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Our day ended with a meeting with Jeff Halper from ICAHD - it was like meeting a celebrity, I was so excited. According to Jeff, there are currently 22000 outstanding demolition orders in East Jerusalem, or one third of Palestinian homes. He told us a current project of Beit Arabia, wherein a woman's home had been demolished four times and rebuilt each time. According to international law, an occupying force has no right to extend its law into the occupied territory (such as controlling building permits, demolishing buildings, etc) however Israel does this everyday in the West Bank.
Tonight and tomorrow night I'm staying with Rebecca, a young woman that I met in Cairo through a friend in the student delegation to Gaza. She had myself, Gabriel and Sascha over for an amazing vegan dinner and then - wait for it - I did LAUNDRY! It was a pretty awesome night!
First we met with Dr. Elias Rishmawi, a city council member. He was the first to tell us of the "mini Gazas" that are being created all over the West Bank and East Jerusalem, one of which we would see later in the day. We learned that of the 10 million Palestinians in the world, 6 million are refugees, and that Israel has complete control over the water aquifers in the West Bank and traps water from getting into the Gazan aquifers, which leaves Palestinians with no control over their own water sources, as is the case with most if not all utilities.
We then went of a tour of East Jerusalem and first saw a building site that is to be the home of the Museum of Tolerance. While this may sound great, the ground is currently undergoing the excavation of an ancient Muslim cemetary in order to build the museum. Irony, anyone? We then learned that the Israeli government does not issue building permits to residents of East Jerusalem (which is the supposedly Palestinian portion of the city) and therefore buildings can be demolished at any time. The purported plan is to have all Palestinians out of East Jerusalem by 2020 to the other side of the wall (into the West Bank, mostly) or to Jordan.
We then saw Shafat Camp, which is one of the "mini Gazas" we learned about earlier. It is surrounded by walls except for the one gate out to Jerusalem, and its buildings are not regulated and therefore all construction is illegal and often haphazard and very unsafe. It has 20000 - 50000 inhabitants, depending on who you ask. The residents pay the highest taxes (tax rates are dependent on your area, with more wealthy areas supposedly paying more), and yet receive absolutely no services - there is no garbage pickup, no police services, and the sewage outlets have been closed up thereby keeping all sewage inside the walls. ID must be presented everytime one leaves the gate, and if someone tries to leave who hasn't paid their incredibly high taxes, they are jailed until someone pays the taxes for them. There are currently five such communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Our day ended with a meeting with Jeff Halper from ICAHD - it was like meeting a celebrity, I was so excited. According to Jeff, there are currently 22000 outstanding demolition orders in East Jerusalem, or one third of Palestinian homes. He told us a current project of Beit Arabia, wherein a woman's home had been demolished four times and rebuilt each time. According to international law, an occupying force has no right to extend its law into the occupied territory (such as controlling building permits, demolishing buildings, etc) however Israel does this everyday in the West Bank.
Tonight and tomorrow night I'm staying with Rebecca, a young woman that I met in Cairo through a friend in the student delegation to Gaza. She had myself, Gabriel and Sascha over for an amazing vegan dinner and then - wait for it - I did LAUNDRY! It was a pretty awesome night!
Day 19 - June 8, 2009
Last night after I posted some of us went to Siderot which is a small town near Gaza that has experienced a disproportionate amount of bombing by Palestinians. There was a film festival showing Afghan Star, a very popular show in the Arab world, and we were given the option to see the movie or talk to people in the town about their thoughts and opinions. Gabriel and I had planned see the first few minutes of the movie to see if we would like it (expecting we wouldn't) and then wander around town, but we quickly found out why that show has been such a success and ended up staying for the entire thing. Fascinating!
Today we went to Erez again and brought "contraband" (ie. semame seeds, matches, chocolate, paper, etc) and set up a theatrical protest where we had a fake wall where we brought the contraband and dug tunnels to get it all underneath. I was a Gazan prisoner (as we all know that Gaza is the world's largest prison). We took our passports to the guard again but were promptly denied. A few individuals took our names to Tel-Aviv to officially request entry to Gaza through Eres but we were denied visas.
We then took the protest to Karni, another border that is only for the entry of the 40 products that are allowed into Gaza (Erez is for people, which begs the question as to why it exists). We tied balloons and put the products we brought on the fence and set up the playground - it was really fun.
We came back and after a lovely vegan lunch (although I'm really missing cheese right now) we met with a woman who taught us about boycotts, divestments and sanctions. The group's website is www.whoprofits.org. We talked a lot about the exploitation of Palestinian workers, who by law have the same labour laws as Israelis, which is a relatively new law and rarely enforced. We also discussed the fact that many Israeli companies are joint companies with the US so that they can hide the fact that they are Israeli, and that security is the most profitable industry in Israel. She suggested that divestments are actually more practical for Canadians and North Americans as Israel doesn't actually export a lot of products to North America. We also learned about Violia, a French company who recently dropped a contract to build a light rail system in Jerusalem because of international pressures.
Later in the evening we met with five refusenik women who are all around 18 and were part of the twelfth grade letter movement, wherein they write letters on their graduation to the Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister saying that they are refusing to participate in an army that commits war crimes. Two have spent time in jail and risk spending more time in jail, as each time they are released they are expected to join the army and can be arrested and charged each time they refuse, without a maximum. One claimed mental health issues (which can affect her future abilities to get jobs as she is labelled as mentally unfit), and one is taking a year off and will be refusing this year. There are two options if someone wants to avoid jail: they can claim mental health issues, wherein they have to be deemed mentally unfit by a doctor hired by the army, or they have to go in front of a panel and claim conscientious objection. The women said that the panel is basically a token institution as unless you say exactly what they want to hear and what they deem to be pacifism, you will be denied conscientious objector status. The two women who went to jail tried this route first but were denied - the one who claimed mental health issues essentially had to lie. One of the women who went to jail was very to the IDF about her objection to the occupation, as she feels that the crimes being committed there must be brought to light and will use her going to jail to do so. We also found out that suicide is the number one cause of death in the IDF, and of people ages 18 to 21 in Israel. I felt very honoured to have met these women.
Today we went to Erez again and brought "contraband" (ie. semame seeds, matches, chocolate, paper, etc) and set up a theatrical protest where we had a fake wall where we brought the contraband and dug tunnels to get it all underneath. I was a Gazan prisoner (as we all know that Gaza is the world's largest prison). We took our passports to the guard again but were promptly denied. A few individuals took our names to Tel-Aviv to officially request entry to Gaza through Eres but we were denied visas.
We then took the protest to Karni, another border that is only for the entry of the 40 products that are allowed into Gaza (Erez is for people, which begs the question as to why it exists). We tied balloons and put the products we brought on the fence and set up the playground - it was really fun.
We came back and after a lovely vegan lunch (although I'm really missing cheese right now) we met with a woman who taught us about boycotts, divestments and sanctions. The group's website is www.whoprofits.org. We talked a lot about the exploitation of Palestinian workers, who by law have the same labour laws as Israelis, which is a relatively new law and rarely enforced. We also discussed the fact that many Israeli companies are joint companies with the US so that they can hide the fact that they are Israeli, and that security is the most profitable industry in Israel. She suggested that divestments are actually more practical for Canadians and North Americans as Israel doesn't actually export a lot of products to North America. We also learned about Violia, a French company who recently dropped a contract to build a light rail system in Jerusalem because of international pressures.
Later in the evening we met with five refusenik women who are all around 18 and were part of the twelfth grade letter movement, wherein they write letters on their graduation to the Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister saying that they are refusing to participate in an army that commits war crimes. Two have spent time in jail and risk spending more time in jail, as each time they are released they are expected to join the army and can be arrested and charged each time they refuse, without a maximum. One claimed mental health issues (which can affect her future abilities to get jobs as she is labelled as mentally unfit), and one is taking a year off and will be refusing this year. There are two options if someone wants to avoid jail: they can claim mental health issues, wherein they have to be deemed mentally unfit by a doctor hired by the army, or they have to go in front of a panel and claim conscientious objection. The women said that the panel is basically a token institution as unless you say exactly what they want to hear and what they deem to be pacifism, you will be denied conscientious objector status. The two women who went to jail tried this route first but were denied - the one who claimed mental health issues essentially had to lie. One of the women who went to jail was very to the IDF about her objection to the occupation, as she feels that the crimes being committed there must be brought to light and will use her going to jail to do so. We also found out that suicide is the number one cause of death in the IDF, and of people ages 18 to 21 in Israel. I felt very honoured to have met these women.
Check out the new delegation as we go!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/codepinkalert/
And if you have a flickr account, join this group to see other photos:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/codepinkisraelgazadelegation/pool/
And if you have a flickr account, join this group to see other photos:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/codepinkisraelgazadelegation/pool/
Day 18 - June 7, 2009
We woke up bright and early and had vegan food for breakfast, which is all we'll be eating at the farm, and I love it. We headed to the Erez border and promptly got out of the bus - Patch did a great speech and then headed to the patrol station with all of our passports (he was fully in character, including a chicken on his head and a rubber fish in his hand). I have a video of the whole thing which I'm going to upload as soon as possible because I really can't describe the experience well enough. We had a samba band with us (most of whom are refuseniks) and four clowns from a group in Tel-Aviv dressed up in IDF-type costumes. The playground was quickly assembled and kites were soon in the sky. Patch made good friends with Ronnie, a border patrol officer, and we actually saw smiles on IDF faces!
It was overall a huge celebration and a ton of fun. We were eventually given back our passports and told we weren't getting in (which we very much expected), which prompted Patch to start a poker game with them (I wasn't quite sure how that worked, but it seemed to be quite popular, even with the border guards). After two hours, though, the IDF got agitated and came out in full force, huge rifles and gear and all - apparently clowns and women dressed in pink are very threatening. They forcefully put the clowns in the bus and took the mallets away from the drummers, and I still have yet to find out what happened to our playground. There was a really heated coversation between and IDF solider and one of the drummers, where the drummer was telling him that every solider plays a part in murder - apparently he didn't like that very much.
Back to the farm where we had a great lunch and then had two seminars, although I completely slept through the first one by accident. The one I did go to was about the boycotting of Israel, and I will hopefully soon post some websites that have more details.
I will be with this group for at least the next few days so I will continue to update as often as I can. There is a bit more free time here and more laptops to borrow so it seems possible :) And if anyone is interested, there is another convoy in early July with Galloway going through Rafah that I may attend, if anyone wants to join!
It was overall a huge celebration and a ton of fun. We were eventually given back our passports and told we weren't getting in (which we very much expected), which prompted Patch to start a poker game with them (I wasn't quite sure how that worked, but it seemed to be quite popular, even with the border guards). After two hours, though, the IDF got agitated and came out in full force, huge rifles and gear and all - apparently clowns and women dressed in pink are very threatening. They forcefully put the clowns in the bus and took the mallets away from the drummers, and I still have yet to find out what happened to our playground. There was a really heated coversation between and IDF solider and one of the drummers, where the drummer was telling him that every solider plays a part in murder - apparently he didn't like that very much.
Back to the farm where we had a great lunch and then had two seminars, although I completely slept through the first one by accident. The one I did go to was about the boycotting of Israel, and I will hopefully soon post some websites that have more details.
I will be with this group for at least the next few days so I will continue to update as often as I can. There is a bit more free time here and more laptops to borrow so it seems possible :) And if anyone is interested, there is another convoy in early July with Galloway going through Rafah that I may attend, if anyone wants to join!
Day 17 - June 6, 2009
Again I apaologize for the lack of updates. We were able to get out of Gaza without any issues, and I spent the next few days in a houseboat on the Nile. I know, it was amazing. Jen, Luke, Nathaniel, Wolf and I were staying there as the guys had lived there and were crashing for a few days with the new tenants. We soon found out at that Sarah, an incredible British filmmaker who we had seen at the border with the Project Hope convoy but who was turned back in the terminal, was staying in the houseboat next to us, so over the few days we spent a lot of time with her. I saw the museum and the mummies - creepy but cool things. I unfortunately never got around to seeing the pyramids, I don't really know why, I guess I preferred to stick with as much non-tourist activities as possible. We got together with the students from the group on the second and had a really great time. I'm really missing Gaza though, and am frustrated at how close it is and yet how inaccessible it remains.
I spent a day in Dahab after Cairo with Jen, Luke and their two upstairs neighbours. What a beautiful little place. I went snorkeling for the first time and saw coral and beautiful fish. I think I also swallowed half of the red sea.
Yesterday, after Dahab, I headed to Taba to cross the border into Israel. The plan was to meet three of the other students in Jerusalem and spend some time in the West Bank. However, when I got there I was promptly told to go to a special area because they needed to do some "investigating." I was then interrogated by a not so nice police officer who wanted to know everything about what I did in Gaza and what I was planning to do in Israel (this interrogation was expected because of the Rafah stamp on my passport). So I told her as much as I could, not offering any more than requested but being truthful. I then had to wait outside for a while, and was called back in and told that they knew why I was here, that I was going to a Codepink demonstration in Tel-Aviv. I actually had no idea what she was talking about, but when I told her that she insisted that I was lying. I even pulled up my hostel reservations in Jerusalem for the next two nights, but that apparently wasn't good enough. I then had to go out and wait for a few more hours. Luckily, they had really good food at this terminal.
Eventually I was called back into the police officer's office and handed a form that said that I would not enter a Palestinian territory while in Israel without the permission of the Israeli army. I was furious, but did a good job at holding it together. I told her that my full intention was to spend a lot of time in the West Bank, and asked whether or not there was any way around it. This was actually a different officer from before, and this one was a bit nicer and called the Ministry of Interior to find out. Again, I had to wait.
I used this next little while to start making phone calls. I called a friend who told me that the American Codepink group leaders were coming through Taba today and that I should call them. As luck would have it, her phone died before she could give me the number. I called my mom to see if she had Sandra's Toronto number, which she didn't, but she soon texted me a number of a Codepink woman in Israel. I soon found out that my mom went home, called some random Codepink person in the states who then gave her the Israel number. I also apparently worried her so much that she came home from work pretty upset... I guess I would be too if my daughter was crazy enough to try to cross the Israel border with a Gaza stamp on her passport, alone.
Finally, through the woman in Israel, I got the number of Medea, who said that they had just gotten into Taba and to wait until she got there. I actually didn't up seeing her or Tighe for a while because they had two extensive searchings of their bags, which contained some exceptionally, let's say, provocative material that wouldn't be welcomed in Israel. But I met with Ann, Annie, Pam and Billy while we waited for the other two, and it was quite comforting to be with others who understood my predicament, as they were all being interrogated as well.
I was eventually told that there was no way out of signing the paper if I wanted into Israel, and if I didn't sign it I couldn't get in. They wouldn't tell me why I had to sign it (as the three students who had gone through the border earlier didn't have to). I decided not to sign it until I found out if my new partners in crime were getting in. They went through their interrogations with yet another police officer, this one significantly more mean that the first two. She asked them if they believed in God, and told Pam that unitarian wasn't a a real religion, and Billy that he had to choose a religion since he said he didn't have one. Quite the interesting time.
13 hours later, we were all in. We skyped, got really good free food, and saw a beautiful sunset over Israel, Jordan and Egypt while waiting - who would have thought the border could be so frustrating and so much fun at the same time?
The 30 or so other delegates arrived from Tel-Aviv late in the evening where they had participated in a demonstration. Patch Adams and other clowns are leading the way, and it's so much fun. Did I also mention that I met Norman Finkelstein on my last day in Gaza? Who would have known I would meet so many celebrities!
I spent a day in Dahab after Cairo with Jen, Luke and their two upstairs neighbours. What a beautiful little place. I went snorkeling for the first time and saw coral and beautiful fish. I think I also swallowed half of the red sea.
Yesterday, after Dahab, I headed to Taba to cross the border into Israel. The plan was to meet three of the other students in Jerusalem and spend some time in the West Bank. However, when I got there I was promptly told to go to a special area because they needed to do some "investigating." I was then interrogated by a not so nice police officer who wanted to know everything about what I did in Gaza and what I was planning to do in Israel (this interrogation was expected because of the Rafah stamp on my passport). So I told her as much as I could, not offering any more than requested but being truthful. I then had to wait outside for a while, and was called back in and told that they knew why I was here, that I was going to a Codepink demonstration in Tel-Aviv. I actually had no idea what she was talking about, but when I told her that she insisted that I was lying. I even pulled up my hostel reservations in Jerusalem for the next two nights, but that apparently wasn't good enough. I then had to go out and wait for a few more hours. Luckily, they had really good food at this terminal.
Eventually I was called back into the police officer's office and handed a form that said that I would not enter a Palestinian territory while in Israel without the permission of the Israeli army. I was furious, but did a good job at holding it together. I told her that my full intention was to spend a lot of time in the West Bank, and asked whether or not there was any way around it. This was actually a different officer from before, and this one was a bit nicer and called the Ministry of Interior to find out. Again, I had to wait.
I used this next little while to start making phone calls. I called a friend who told me that the American Codepink group leaders were coming through Taba today and that I should call them. As luck would have it, her phone died before she could give me the number. I called my mom to see if she had Sandra's Toronto number, which she didn't, but she soon texted me a number of a Codepink woman in Israel. I soon found out that my mom went home, called some random Codepink person in the states who then gave her the Israel number. I also apparently worried her so much that she came home from work pretty upset... I guess I would be too if my daughter was crazy enough to try to cross the Israel border with a Gaza stamp on her passport, alone.
Finally, through the woman in Israel, I got the number of Medea, who said that they had just gotten into Taba and to wait until she got there. I actually didn't up seeing her or Tighe for a while because they had two extensive searchings of their bags, which contained some exceptionally, let's say, provocative material that wouldn't be welcomed in Israel. But I met with Ann, Annie, Pam and Billy while we waited for the other two, and it was quite comforting to be with others who understood my predicament, as they were all being interrogated as well.
I was eventually told that there was no way out of signing the paper if I wanted into Israel, and if I didn't sign it I couldn't get in. They wouldn't tell me why I had to sign it (as the three students who had gone through the border earlier didn't have to). I decided not to sign it until I found out if my new partners in crime were getting in. They went through their interrogations with yet another police officer, this one significantly more mean that the first two. She asked them if they believed in God, and told Pam that unitarian wasn't a a real religion, and Billy that he had to choose a religion since he said he didn't have one. Quite the interesting time.
13 hours later, we were all in. We skyped, got really good free food, and saw a beautiful sunset over Israel, Jordan and Egypt while waiting - who would have thought the border could be so frustrating and so much fun at the same time?
The 30 or so other delegates arrived from Tel-Aviv late in the evening where they had participated in a demonstration. Patch Adams and other clowns are leading the way, and it's so much fun. Did I also mention that I met Norman Finkelstein on my last day in Gaza? Who would have known I would meet so many celebrities!
Day 11 - May 31, 2009
Our last full day in Gaza began with a meeting with Sami Abedel Shafi, a journalist and an employee at the Carter Centre which works for Palestinian unification. He blames the the extremist views which have been developed within some groups in Gaza on the lack of dialogue between all parties involved. He believes that the conflict would be much more moderate if Hamas hadn't been boycotted, and pointed out that no one is going to be willing to compromise when the other party won't even talk to them. Sami said that in his view, the beginning of the solution is to talk to Hamas, not to continue to alienate the people and impose a siege. He said that there is a growing consensus in Gaza against the use of rockets, but that for as long as people are oppressed and deprived of the necessities of life, one can expect little other than militancy.
Our next excursion was to the Samooni family, which I had met once before. I was very hesistant to go as this was probably the hardest thing I have seen thus far. I learned more about them though - all the brothers and their families live in the same area, and of 23 houses in this area, only one was left standing, because the Israelis used it as an outpost (this was also the house where all the writing on the wall was found). I later got to go to the upstairs in the house where I hadn't been before, which had been burnt by white phosphorus and there had been a hole carved out in the wall where the snipers would sit. I also saw a new writing which I hadn't been able to read before, which said "this is written in blood, when he fell down the stairs." Beside it was some sort of symbol, which was clearly written in blood and had since dried to a brownish color.
The rest of the day was bittersweet, we prepared to leave but didn't want to. We had a bit of a party with all the youth we had met at a coffee shop overlooking the ocean, where we sang Backstreet Boys, a few songs in Arabic, and a few other randoms. A man at the shop told me that I had the most beautiful hair he had ever seen, but that he never sees much hair - I think that was a compliment? Afterwards in the late evening, a few of us went to a beautiful cafe on the beach and smoked our last sheesha in Gaza (we had planned to go swimming but I wasn't permitted to as a lone female with men). I'm going to miss this place!
Our next excursion was to the Samooni family, which I had met once before. I was very hesistant to go as this was probably the hardest thing I have seen thus far. I learned more about them though - all the brothers and their families live in the same area, and of 23 houses in this area, only one was left standing, because the Israelis used it as an outpost (this was also the house where all the writing on the wall was found). I later got to go to the upstairs in the house where I hadn't been before, which had been burnt by white phosphorus and there had been a hole carved out in the wall where the snipers would sit. I also saw a new writing which I hadn't been able to read before, which said "this is written in blood, when he fell down the stairs." Beside it was some sort of symbol, which was clearly written in blood and had since dried to a brownish color.
The rest of the day was bittersweet, we prepared to leave but didn't want to. We had a bit of a party with all the youth we had met at a coffee shop overlooking the ocean, where we sang Backstreet Boys, a few songs in Arabic, and a few other randoms. A man at the shop told me that I had the most beautiful hair he had ever seen, but that he never sees much hair - I think that was a compliment? Afterwards in the late evening, a few of us went to a beautiful cafe on the beach and smoked our last sheesha in Gaza (we had planned to go swimming but I wasn't permitted to as a lone female with men). I'm going to miss this place!
Day 10 - May 30, 2009
Today began with a meeting with a representative from UNDP which works in tandem with UNRWA to assist Gazans. He noted that with the almost constant conflict in Palestine, there in a unique situation in that development has to take place in the midst of conflict, wherein normally development assistance would wait until after the crisis was over. He had a really good point that made me think - Palestinians aren't necessarily lacking food, income, or shelter (although most are), but they are lacking a voice both in the relief that they receive, and in the outside world. They essentially have lost all right to self-determination as they are given whatever aid the UN and other NGOs feel is necessary. He explained some new programs that the UNDP is working on to cultivate the skills and interests of Gazans, such as a micro-finance project for a man who had skills as a washing machine repairman which was within a few months turned into a very successful business.
We then met with a representative from a human rights centre (whose name I couldn't quite understand) who gave a brief overview of the human rights work being done in Palestine. She sighted that humanitarian aid organizations are generally stuck at the first level of intervention (ie. emergency services such as food and water) because the blockade prevents any supplies from coming in. She noted a sewage spill that happened a few years ago in a bedouin village in the north which killed six people, and the facility is now in a constant state of emergency repair because no supplies can be brought in to properly fix it, which caused another spill recently.
Afterwards we went to meet with women who had been imprisoned in Israeli jails, but on the way everyone on the bus was asked if they had O type blood as there was an emergency at the hospital and they had a shortage (I don't know how they found out about it). About 15 minutes later we were told that they didn't need us anymore, but some people wanted to go to the blood bank to donate anyways. I decided not to as I'm pretty sure this would jeopordize my ability to donate at home (although I would have forfeighted this for the emergency). In the end, only one person could donate due to low iron, low blood pressure, etc. I have to say though that part of me was glad I didn't attend the other event, as I think it simply would have been too hard - I didn't hear many details as people seemed reluctant to talk about them, but the experiences of the Palestinian women were horrific. They were raped, tortured, and some forced to watch as the soldiers applied strong electric shocks to their son's genitals. And this is a developed, respected nation?
After lunch (they eat meals very late here) we went very close to the Israeli border to plant trees (probably within about a kilometre from the border - the buffer zone where we can be shot at is 300 metres). There was a large balloon in the air which is used by Israel to spy on the Palestinians. I could see the outposts where snipers sit to shoot at people who come to close to the buffer zone, including farmers who are harvesting their crops. I could also see the tower from the airport that was destroyed eight years ago. It's really no wonder why Gaza is termed the world's largest jail.
The evening ended with free time which was spent chatting over the best milkshakes (yes, multiple!) and of course sheesha. Only one day left!
We then met with a representative from a human rights centre (whose name I couldn't quite understand) who gave a brief overview of the human rights work being done in Palestine. She sighted that humanitarian aid organizations are generally stuck at the first level of intervention (ie. emergency services such as food and water) because the blockade prevents any supplies from coming in. She noted a sewage spill that happened a few years ago in a bedouin village in the north which killed six people, and the facility is now in a constant state of emergency repair because no supplies can be brought in to properly fix it, which caused another spill recently.
Afterwards we went to meet with women who had been imprisoned in Israeli jails, but on the way everyone on the bus was asked if they had O type blood as there was an emergency at the hospital and they had a shortage (I don't know how they found out about it). About 15 minutes later we were told that they didn't need us anymore, but some people wanted to go to the blood bank to donate anyways. I decided not to as I'm pretty sure this would jeopordize my ability to donate at home (although I would have forfeighted this for the emergency). In the end, only one person could donate due to low iron, low blood pressure, etc. I have to say though that part of me was glad I didn't attend the other event, as I think it simply would have been too hard - I didn't hear many details as people seemed reluctant to talk about them, but the experiences of the Palestinian women were horrific. They were raped, tortured, and some forced to watch as the soldiers applied strong electric shocks to their son's genitals. And this is a developed, respected nation?
After lunch (they eat meals very late here) we went very close to the Israeli border to plant trees (probably within about a kilometre from the border - the buffer zone where we can be shot at is 300 metres). There was a large balloon in the air which is used by Israel to spy on the Palestinians. I could see the outposts where snipers sit to shoot at people who come to close to the buffer zone, including farmers who are harvesting their crops. I could also see the tower from the airport that was destroyed eight years ago. It's really no wonder why Gaza is termed the world's largest jail.
The evening ended with free time which was spent chatting over the best milkshakes (yes, multiple!) and of course sheesha. Only one day left!
Day 9 - May 29, 2009
We woke up at 5am today (which meant that I got three hours of sleep as Lubna's, my host mom, family came over to visit last night and in true Palestinian style fed us a lot of very good food). Our day began by meeting fishermen and hearing how their lives have been affected by the siege. They have lost 10 men and countless have been injured from shootings, sometimes within the permitted 3km range. During the last war, the port was strategically heavily damaged as this is a foundation of the Gazan economy, as were farms and factories as mentioned earlier. The fishermen used to take four hours collecting fish, but now because there are so few fish within the three km that they are permitted to travel off shore, they now spend 10 to 20 minutes. After we talked with the men we got to go out with them on a boat which was fascinating. The Gaza city skyline is gorgeous against the sunrise.
After eating an odd breakfast of hummus mixed with bread, we got to see a tunnel! We weren't allowed to bring our cameras and we had to be quick as the area is being bombed regularly. I couldn't see the bottom - they are 14 metres deep and are several hundred metres long (they go into the bordering Egyptian town of Rafah), and there are several hundreds of them. Their construction, as I later found out from a lecture from local businessman, began 10 years ago to smuggle weapons, but now it is more profitable and necessary to ship goods, as only simple staples are allowed in through the Israeli borders (pretty much everything we eat is shipped in through there. It's so cool / sad to see the pop cans all scraped up and think of where they have been). 70% of all products in Gaza are smuggled, and therefore everything is very expensive (usually the same price as in Israel), however Gazans earn an income with a ratio of 1:30 of what the Israelis make. Even the petrol here is smuggled in. All cement that has come into Gaza to rebuild has come through the tunnels, which as you can imagine means that there is a significant shortage of cement. Even if people have the money to rebuild, they can't find the supplies.
We then met with UNRWA director John Ging, who so eloquently stated that there is a "deficit of truth in policy and decision making" which results in fundamentally flawed policies which are fuelled by propoganda. He reiterated what we have heard so often and have come to understand: the people in Gaza are not hostile - the conditions are hostile. Because of propoganda-filled policies, there has become almost a self-fulfilling prophecy phenomenon wherein the Palestinians act in ways that are produced by Israeli policies. He believes that accountability begets protection, and that a loss of confidence in the rule and application of law begets violence. The siege, the closed crossing points, the settlements and their expansion, and the building of the separation wall are all violations of international law and yet nothing has been done to hold Israel accountable. Does it not make sense then that the Palestinians feel that they have nothing left to do but take matters into their own hands? The international community has truly let this nation down by crumbling to partisan politics.
We concluded the evening by separating the boys and girls and having BBQs. The girls ate a LOT of meat, smoked sheesha, and learned how to dance - I'm really, really not very good :( Apparently the boys spent the evening chasing a rooster to eat (which they didn't end up eating) and playing silly games - not surprising :)
After eating an odd breakfast of hummus mixed with bread, we got to see a tunnel! We weren't allowed to bring our cameras and we had to be quick as the area is being bombed regularly. I couldn't see the bottom - they are 14 metres deep and are several hundred metres long (they go into the bordering Egyptian town of Rafah), and there are several hundreds of them. Their construction, as I later found out from a lecture from local businessman, began 10 years ago to smuggle weapons, but now it is more profitable and necessary to ship goods, as only simple staples are allowed in through the Israeli borders (pretty much everything we eat is shipped in through there. It's so cool / sad to see the pop cans all scraped up and think of where they have been). 70% of all products in Gaza are smuggled, and therefore everything is very expensive (usually the same price as in Israel), however Gazans earn an income with a ratio of 1:30 of what the Israelis make. Even the petrol here is smuggled in. All cement that has come into Gaza to rebuild has come through the tunnels, which as you can imagine means that there is a significant shortage of cement. Even if people have the money to rebuild, they can't find the supplies.
We then met with UNRWA director John Ging, who so eloquently stated that there is a "deficit of truth in policy and decision making" which results in fundamentally flawed policies which are fuelled by propoganda. He reiterated what we have heard so often and have come to understand: the people in Gaza are not hostile - the conditions are hostile. Because of propoganda-filled policies, there has become almost a self-fulfilling prophecy phenomenon wherein the Palestinians act in ways that are produced by Israeli policies. He believes that accountability begets protection, and that a loss of confidence in the rule and application of law begets violence. The siege, the closed crossing points, the settlements and their expansion, and the building of the separation wall are all violations of international law and yet nothing has been done to hold Israel accountable. Does it not make sense then that the Palestinians feel that they have nothing left to do but take matters into their own hands? The international community has truly let this nation down by crumbling to partisan politics.
We concluded the evening by separating the boys and girls and having BBQs. The girls ate a LOT of meat, smoked sheesha, and learned how to dance - I'm really, really not very good :( Apparently the boys spent the evening chasing a rooster to eat (which they didn't end up eating) and playing silly games - not surprising :)
Day 8 - May 28, 2009
Today, sadly, the Canadian delegation left Gaza. As far as I have heard they made it out of Gaza which is very good news. I am now staying with the Codepink student group which consists mostly of Americans, although there is also another Canadian and a Norwegian. There was a Palestinian, but she was turned away at the border as she had a new passport that did not have the Egypt visa in it. Most of the students are studying at AUC in Cairo, usually Arabic or political science of some sort.
I met them when they were meeting with the former chief of police (their program is much more structured then ours, and sometimes in lecture format). We then went to Al Azhar University for a tour and a presentation put on by the students there. It was really well articulated and well put together - clearly a lot of effort. The presentation sparked a rather heated discussion mostly between the delegation and the students, as although the university is considered to be a moderate institution, their aggression towards Israelis was marked. While understandable, the discussion revolved around what type of response Palestinians would be best off to take. While of course I would advocate for non-violent resistance on their part (with accountability being held by Israel), I felt uncomfortable coming from the outside and telling them what I think they should do. The debate finally subsided peacefully but it sparked discussion and thought for the rest of the day within our group.
Before our next meeting we were able to go to the beach and put our feet in (well, some people, for lack of bathingsuits, went in fully clothed). It's incredible that a few metres away lay bullet holes and demolished buildings, and yet on the beach Gaza is beautiful. I think that with the difficult things we are seeing and with the emotions running high, it's really important that we take the time to recognize the beauty that remains in this land.
We then met with a political science professor and a director of a human rights centre. I learned a lot from their opinions - they believed that one of the reasons that Egypt isn't more supportive of Palestine, aside from the US influence, is because Egypt fears that Hamas's ties with the Muslim Brotherhood Association would spread to Egypt, and therefore Hamas failing needs to be shown as an example of what will happen if that type of party takes power. We also learned that Hamas, because of the mixed voting system, has only 44% of the popular vote but 67% of the seats. And while Hamas is a fundamentalist group itself, the horrendous conditions of Gaza are inherently breeding fundamentalism and extremism.
What continues to amaze me about this land is how generous the people are when they have relatively nothing. Many of the keffiyeh that the Palestinian students were wearing were given to our students, and I received two Palestinian flag pins as good will gestures. One young woman, after I commented on how cute her smiling cartoon-like moon ring was (it's hard to explain lol), promptly offered it to me and wouldn't take no for an answer. In return I gave her a fake silver band I had - I felt badly as it was a cheap little thing, but she was thrilled, as was I. The peace and community present in the majority of Palestinians here should be a model for us at home.
I met them when they were meeting with the former chief of police (their program is much more structured then ours, and sometimes in lecture format). We then went to Al Azhar University for a tour and a presentation put on by the students there. It was really well articulated and well put together - clearly a lot of effort. The presentation sparked a rather heated discussion mostly between the delegation and the students, as although the university is considered to be a moderate institution, their aggression towards Israelis was marked. While understandable, the discussion revolved around what type of response Palestinians would be best off to take. While of course I would advocate for non-violent resistance on their part (with accountability being held by Israel), I felt uncomfortable coming from the outside and telling them what I think they should do. The debate finally subsided peacefully but it sparked discussion and thought for the rest of the day within our group.
Before our next meeting we were able to go to the beach and put our feet in (well, some people, for lack of bathingsuits, went in fully clothed). It's incredible that a few metres away lay bullet holes and demolished buildings, and yet on the beach Gaza is beautiful. I think that with the difficult things we are seeing and with the emotions running high, it's really important that we take the time to recognize the beauty that remains in this land.
We then met with a political science professor and a director of a human rights centre. I learned a lot from their opinions - they believed that one of the reasons that Egypt isn't more supportive of Palestine, aside from the US influence, is because Egypt fears that Hamas's ties with the Muslim Brotherhood Association would spread to Egypt, and therefore Hamas failing needs to be shown as an example of what will happen if that type of party takes power. We also learned that Hamas, because of the mixed voting system, has only 44% of the popular vote but 67% of the seats. And while Hamas is a fundamentalist group itself, the horrendous conditions of Gaza are inherently breeding fundamentalism and extremism.
What continues to amaze me about this land is how generous the people are when they have relatively nothing. Many of the keffiyeh that the Palestinian students were wearing were given to our students, and I received two Palestinian flag pins as good will gestures. One young woman, after I commented on how cute her smiling cartoon-like moon ring was (it's hard to explain lol), promptly offered it to me and wouldn't take no for an answer. In return I gave her a fake silver band I had - I felt badly as it was a cheap little thing, but she was thrilled, as was I. The peace and community present in the majority of Palestinians here should be a model for us at home.
Day 7 - May 27, 2009
I've got two days missing which are on a friend's computer from the Canadian delegation which I'm waiting to be emailed to me - I will post as soon as I get them :)
Our day was completely packed, as we had to fit as much of the original 5 day schedule into 1 as possible. We began with a great breakfast of hummus and other snacks at the restaurant on top of the hotel overlooking the beach - absolutely breathtaking. We then went to meet again with Dr. Yusuf Musa at his office where he prepared a presentation of the health effects of the most recent attack. Most interestingly, he presented us with some statistics about the massacre's effect on children: 100% heard explosive sounds, 95% saw dead bodies, 80% of childred have suffered from some sort of PTSD, 72% have had related nightmares, 68% feel that their parents are unable to protect them, 45% have suffered from bed-wetting, and probably most devastatingly, 41% have lost hope in the future.
We then visited Al-Awda hospital where we were given a tour of their facilities, and got to see new born babies! :) The damage they suffered from the attack was minimal in that they had broken windows, however because of the siege they have been unable to get the materials in to replace them. They also have a brand new surgery room and intensive care unit, however they are on the top floor and the necessary elevator has been stick in Israel for over a year. Somehow, though, they have almost a 0% infant mortality rate (they specialize in deliveries, with an average of more than 10 babies per day in two delivery rooms).
Next we visited the Jabalia Camp, where hundreds of people live in tents after becoming homeless from the latest attack. A woman who lives next to the camp took us to her home. I was fortunate to have taped what the women told us, because I was crying so much that I had difficulty paying attention. There were bullet holes everywhere, and she told us how she found an unexploded bomb on her porch. The IDF stayed in her house for two days (of course without her permission) - they tried to leave and were told by the authorities to leave the area, but there was no safe place to go. Another woman told us that although she took all precautions, she had a miscarriage because she was exposed to the white phosphorous. I will post the video as soon as I am able to, because I really can't do this story justice by reiterating it in my own words.
On our way to Beit Lahiya we saw the American International School of Gaza - I have taken pictures but until I post them, a good picture can be found here http://deafwalls.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/american-school-in-gaza.jpg. We also saw fields and fields of destroyed farmland, as well as demolished factories, both of which were strategically targeted because they are part of the foundation of the Palestinian economy.
In Beit Layiha we met with the Alsmoni family, a now well known family as 31 members of their family were killed in the war. They were ordered to leave their house so that the IDF could stay there, and told to go to a house down the street where they were subsequently shot at. We met a father whose daughter was killed, and whose 3 month old son only survived because his mother was clutching him and took the impact of the demolished building they were in. We saw white phosphorous burns, disfigured faces, and children with no parents, and one child with no family left at all. Again, I have video of our talks with them. The most disturbing thing about this entire ordeal to me though was the writings left behind on the wall - they clearly spoke to the deep-seated hatred and racism that is omnipresent in this conflict. While I have taken pictures, I think that it's important that whoever is reading this to see them, and some can be found here: http://israeldemocracy.blogspot.com/2009/01/writings-of-israeli-soldiers-on-walls.html. Again, I cried.
Finally some happy times - we did a press conference to tell of our struggle at the border and what we had seen during the day. Afterwards we met with ISM, who told us of the struggles of Palestinian fishermen, who were told that they had 5km in which to fish, and then 3km, and are now being shot at as few as a few hundred metres away from shore. They also explained that Israel is attempting to create a wider "buffer zone" between the border and Palestine, wherein farmers are being shot at for attempting to harvest their crops. They told us of one man who was shot by a sniper at the end of the day as he was leaving with the other farmers to go home. Even with ISM escorts, they are still shot at. The blogs for ISM's work in these two areas can be found at fishingunderfire.blogspot.com and farmingunderfire.blogspot.com.
We then met with an incredibly interesting psychologist who explained the psychological effects the war and the continued occupation and siege have had on the citizens of Gaza. I wish I had written more details down, but I was so exhausted - pretty much, he was explaining how difficult it is to mend the pain and suffering the Palestinians have gone through so as to avoid this pain developing hatred and violence. He also spoke about how he believes that the unhealed pain of the Holocaust is partly fueling the violence (a cycle of violence, if you will), which I thought was fascinating.
An absolutely emotionally and physically exhausting day, but it was worth it to know that I can share what I have learned with others.
Our day was completely packed, as we had to fit as much of the original 5 day schedule into 1 as possible. We began with a great breakfast of hummus and other snacks at the restaurant on top of the hotel overlooking the beach - absolutely breathtaking. We then went to meet again with Dr. Yusuf Musa at his office where he prepared a presentation of the health effects of the most recent attack. Most interestingly, he presented us with some statistics about the massacre's effect on children: 100% heard explosive sounds, 95% saw dead bodies, 80% of childred have suffered from some sort of PTSD, 72% have had related nightmares, 68% feel that their parents are unable to protect them, 45% have suffered from bed-wetting, and probably most devastatingly, 41% have lost hope in the future.
We then visited Al-Awda hospital where we were given a tour of their facilities, and got to see new born babies! :) The damage they suffered from the attack was minimal in that they had broken windows, however because of the siege they have been unable to get the materials in to replace them. They also have a brand new surgery room and intensive care unit, however they are on the top floor and the necessary elevator has been stick in Israel for over a year. Somehow, though, they have almost a 0% infant mortality rate (they specialize in deliveries, with an average of more than 10 babies per day in two delivery rooms).
Next we visited the Jabalia Camp, where hundreds of people live in tents after becoming homeless from the latest attack. A woman who lives next to the camp took us to her home. I was fortunate to have taped what the women told us, because I was crying so much that I had difficulty paying attention. There were bullet holes everywhere, and she told us how she found an unexploded bomb on her porch. The IDF stayed in her house for two days (of course without her permission) - they tried to leave and were told by the authorities to leave the area, but there was no safe place to go. Another woman told us that although she took all precautions, she had a miscarriage because she was exposed to the white phosphorous. I will post the video as soon as I am able to, because I really can't do this story justice by reiterating it in my own words.
On our way to Beit Lahiya we saw the American International School of Gaza - I have taken pictures but until I post them, a good picture can be found here http://deafwalls.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/american-school-in-gaza.jpg. We also saw fields and fields of destroyed farmland, as well as demolished factories, both of which were strategically targeted because they are part of the foundation of the Palestinian economy.
In Beit Layiha we met with the Alsmoni family, a now well known family as 31 members of their family were killed in the war. They were ordered to leave their house so that the IDF could stay there, and told to go to a house down the street where they were subsequently shot at. We met a father whose daughter was killed, and whose 3 month old son only survived because his mother was clutching him and took the impact of the demolished building they were in. We saw white phosphorous burns, disfigured faces, and children with no parents, and one child with no family left at all. Again, I have video of our talks with them. The most disturbing thing about this entire ordeal to me though was the writings left behind on the wall - they clearly spoke to the deep-seated hatred and racism that is omnipresent in this conflict. While I have taken pictures, I think that it's important that whoever is reading this to see them, and some can be found here: http://israeldemocracy.blogspot.com/2009/01/writings-of-israeli-soldiers-on-walls.html. Again, I cried.
Finally some happy times - we did a press conference to tell of our struggle at the border and what we had seen during the day. Afterwards we met with ISM, who told us of the struggles of Palestinian fishermen, who were told that they had 5km in which to fish, and then 3km, and are now being shot at as few as a few hundred metres away from shore. They also explained that Israel is attempting to create a wider "buffer zone" between the border and Palestine, wherein farmers are being shot at for attempting to harvest their crops. They told us of one man who was shot by a sniper at the end of the day as he was leaving with the other farmers to go home. Even with ISM escorts, they are still shot at. The blogs for ISM's work in these two areas can be found at fishingunderfire.blogspot.com and farmingunderfire.blogspot.com.
We then met with an incredibly interesting psychologist who explained the psychological effects the war and the continued occupation and siege have had on the citizens of Gaza. I wish I had written more details down, but I was so exhausted - pretty much, he was explaining how difficult it is to mend the pain and suffering the Palestinians have gone through so as to avoid this pain developing hatred and violence. He also spoke about how he believes that the unhealed pain of the Holocaust is partly fueling the violence (a cycle of violence, if you will), which I thought was fascinating.
An absolutely emotionally and physically exhausting day, but it was worth it to know that I can share what I have learned with others.
Day 4 - May 24, 2009
Off to the border again, this time with banners and songs in tow. We were all decked out in pink (again), and were hopeful that today would be the day. We arrived at the border to see an amazing sight - the European convoy had arrived this morning. Dozens of ambulances, driven down for the UK, representing almost every European country and filled with medical supplies. There were journalists, a woman on stilts, people everywhere! It was so different from yesterday, almost joyful. We could take pictures and film without repercussion (although Kathy, who is making a documentary about our journey, was asked twice to put the camera away, so then I took it and was never bothered). We walked around, chatted with other activists from all over the world, did interviews, sang songs and held our banners right in front of the gates. We played soccer and catch with the children who had come from the local area to see what was happening. They then discovered my camera and took a LOT of very cute pictures.
The European convoy was allowed past the first gate before we left, though they still had to make it through the terminal and so for all we know could have been turned away. As they were going in we found out that they had waited 11 days in Cairo for clearance. We were again turned away, but by the end of the day were told that 132 names were cleared for Codepink, which we believe includes us. So we have hope for tomorrow. Sadly, the hunger strikers, although with the group that was cleared, were not allowed in, as their non-violent protest has been deemed a "security threat" by the powers that be. Disgusting, really. Although I think that them and us not getting in may prove to be as beneficial as those who do. We have already been in the news (including Al Jazeera!) and are bringing attention to the fact that the siege is in full force. The Israeli government allows some groups to go in to make it seems as though the borders are easily penetrable, but they are not, and our mission is to show this to the world. So although the denial of entry is disappointing, it is hopefully making progress in the long run.
We didn't stay as long at the border today, as we didn't want to be labelled as a security threat as the strikers were. We returned to the hotel and then mama bear (ie Sandra) took us to the Mediterrean for a beautiful and relaxing swim. I bought my first pink gallabeya and finally started into my book, and Kenana gave me some much needed chocolate. Here's hoping for tomorrow!
The European convoy was allowed past the first gate before we left, though they still had to make it through the terminal and so for all we know could have been turned away. As they were going in we found out that they had waited 11 days in Cairo for clearance. We were again turned away, but by the end of the day were told that 132 names were cleared for Codepink, which we believe includes us. So we have hope for tomorrow. Sadly, the hunger strikers, although with the group that was cleared, were not allowed in, as their non-violent protest has been deemed a "security threat" by the powers that be. Disgusting, really. Although I think that them and us not getting in may prove to be as beneficial as those who do. We have already been in the news (including Al Jazeera!) and are bringing attention to the fact that the siege is in full force. The Israeli government allows some groups to go in to make it seems as though the borders are easily penetrable, but they are not, and our mission is to show this to the world. So although the denial of entry is disappointing, it is hopefully making progress in the long run.
We didn't stay as long at the border today, as we didn't want to be labelled as a security threat as the strikers were. We returned to the hotel and then mama bear (ie Sandra) took us to the Mediterrean for a beautiful and relaxing swim. I bought my first pink gallabeya and finally started into my book, and Kenana gave me some much needed chocolate. Here's hoping for tomorrow!
Day 3 - May 23, 2009
First day at the border! It didn't start out so well - we had thought that the Red Crescent Society would be escorting us (as Sandra discussed with them last night) but they didn't show up. They bus was over an hour late, and we weren't sure whether or not the police would take us to the border. They did, however, and we were able to pass all the checkpoints easily. They drove us right up to the gate and we were promptly told to park at the side.
Sonia, one of the British hunger strikers, quickly came up to our bus. She has been there for 53 days now, staying overnight for 20 and striking for 4. Her and her husband, Nicholas, are the only two left as the rest had to return to work. They have been trying to set up a cardiac unit in Gaza city, and were doing so successfully until their ability to enter Gaza had been cut off 53 days ago. She said that a European convoy was supposed to be coming tonight and that their names were on the list that was cleared, so hopefully they will be getting in. For now, they are sleeping on very thin foam mattresses under a tree beside the little convenience store.
Our passports were again taken and Sandra and Nabil went out to talk to the guards. There were groups of individuals waiting with their bags to get across the border. Kenana and I went into the very, very gross bathroom. As I was waiting for her, an Arab woman came in. She grabbed an old water bottle that was laying by the sink to fill with water to drink. She then came over, and once Kenana came out, asked us if we could wait for her as she did not feel safe being at the back of the store by herself. Afterwards we walked her to the front, where Kenana talked to her and later told me her story. She is 60 and had been waiting at the border for 2 weeks to get back in to see her husband and children. She is Jordanian and had been living in Gaza for 2 years. She goes into Rafah each night begging locals for a place to stay, and returns to the border each day. I saw her go up to the gate so many times only to be refused again. We gave her what we could, but else could we do? It is the Egyptians, not the Palestinians, who decide who gets into Palestine, and they clearly do not care about her.
To describe what I saw at the border and how I felt is impossible. To be able to see Gaza and yet not be able to reach it was heart wrenching. Men with huge rifles guard the gate - they were actually training while we were there, so we saw them running around pretending to shoot. There is an open passageway on the right of the gate with a single guard where we saw donkey-led trailers come in and out, with Palestinian women and children guiding them, but we don't know where they were going or what they were doing. We weren't allowed to take pictures (although I did anyways) and had to stay close to the bus unless going to the store, mosque (on the second floor of the store) or washroom. The soldiers stared at us (probably partly because, as I found out later, my long skirt was blowing up in the wind) and a few children came by to sell us almonds and figs. The border seemed solemn and desolate, and the sadness increased with every individual who was turned away. By the end of the day (we were there for at least 6 hours), we did see one group of Palestinians get in who had arrived before us, although they had carts and carts of belongings and were forced to enter by foot because no vehicles could cross with them.
Some of us sat with the hunger strikers for a while and learned what we could, others waited in the bus as it was cool and chatted amongst ourselves. Two girls came over to sell us figs and one played a game of patty cakes with Kathy - it was beautiful. Eventually, we were turned away. First, we needed clearance from the Egyptian national security. Then, we needed endorsement from the Canadian embassy (which we're clearly never going to get). After Sandra reemed a very, very large man out, we got back on the bus and the fury of phone calls started. We've been told by Codepink to stay strong and return tomorrow, which we will.
Sonia, one of the British hunger strikers, quickly came up to our bus. She has been there for 53 days now, staying overnight for 20 and striking for 4. Her and her husband, Nicholas, are the only two left as the rest had to return to work. They have been trying to set up a cardiac unit in Gaza city, and were doing so successfully until their ability to enter Gaza had been cut off 53 days ago. She said that a European convoy was supposed to be coming tonight and that their names were on the list that was cleared, so hopefully they will be getting in. For now, they are sleeping on very thin foam mattresses under a tree beside the little convenience store.
Our passports were again taken and Sandra and Nabil went out to talk to the guards. There were groups of individuals waiting with their bags to get across the border. Kenana and I went into the very, very gross bathroom. As I was waiting for her, an Arab woman came in. She grabbed an old water bottle that was laying by the sink to fill with water to drink. She then came over, and once Kenana came out, asked us if we could wait for her as she did not feel safe being at the back of the store by herself. Afterwards we walked her to the front, where Kenana talked to her and later told me her story. She is 60 and had been waiting at the border for 2 weeks to get back in to see her husband and children. She is Jordanian and had been living in Gaza for 2 years. She goes into Rafah each night begging locals for a place to stay, and returns to the border each day. I saw her go up to the gate so many times only to be refused again. We gave her what we could, but else could we do? It is the Egyptians, not the Palestinians, who decide who gets into Palestine, and they clearly do not care about her.
To describe what I saw at the border and how I felt is impossible. To be able to see Gaza and yet not be able to reach it was heart wrenching. Men with huge rifles guard the gate - they were actually training while we were there, so we saw them running around pretending to shoot. There is an open passageway on the right of the gate with a single guard where we saw donkey-led trailers come in and out, with Palestinian women and children guiding them, but we don't know where they were going or what they were doing. We weren't allowed to take pictures (although I did anyways) and had to stay close to the bus unless going to the store, mosque (on the second floor of the store) or washroom. The soldiers stared at us (probably partly because, as I found out later, my long skirt was blowing up in the wind) and a few children came by to sell us almonds and figs. The border seemed solemn and desolate, and the sadness increased with every individual who was turned away. By the end of the day (we were there for at least 6 hours), we did see one group of Palestinians get in who had arrived before us, although they had carts and carts of belongings and were forced to enter by foot because no vehicles could cross with them.
Some of us sat with the hunger strikers for a while and learned what we could, others waited in the bus as it was cool and chatted amongst ourselves. Two girls came over to sell us figs and one played a game of patty cakes with Kathy - it was beautiful. Eventually, we were turned away. First, we needed clearance from the Egyptian national security. Then, we needed endorsement from the Canadian embassy (which we're clearly never going to get). After Sandra reemed a very, very large man out, we got back on the bus and the fury of phone calls started. We've been told by Codepink to stay strong and return tomorrow, which we will.
Day 2 - May 22, 2009
We left Cairo this morning at 6:15 am and were crammed into a tourist bus on some of the scariest streets I've ever seen. Once we made it out to the desert it was beautiful - exactly as I had always imagined. We crossed the Suez Canal, saw many camels and donkeys, and were bitten by a million mosquitoes at our pit stops.
Our first checkpoint proved to be what we feared most - interrogation. We were asked for our passports and then questioned (sometimes quite aggressively, especially towards some of the Palestinians in our group) about our occupations. Sandra eloquently said (to be translated by Nabil) that she worked in an office for people who drink too much - she is the secretary. After the guards closed the door the van broke out in a laughing fit that lasted for the rest of the trip whenever the quote was mentioned. Our passports were then taken from us and taken to some important looking man, held for about 10 minutes, and then returned. Suddenly, we had a police escort! We were hysterically laughing - did they realize who they were escorting? Turns out these police will stick with us everytime we leave the hotel, saying they are here for our protection but telling us "not to forget" them (ie - tip please). But what else can I expect them to do when they are feeding their family on 60 Canadian dollars per month?
We decided to stay in the hotel for the day, as it was a long journey and we were all quite tired. The strategizing has begun as to who still needs to be contacted to ensure our entrance, and how exactly we're going to get the police to take us to the Rafah border.
For dinner, we went to a beautiful traditional Egyptian restaurant and met with a group from France that is also attempting to cross the border. Luckily Kathy can speak very fluent French so we often had translations from Arabic to English to French. They will not be traveling with us to the border tomorrow but we will remain in contact to try to assist them as much as possible.
Our first checkpoint proved to be what we feared most - interrogation. We were asked for our passports and then questioned (sometimes quite aggressively, especially towards some of the Palestinians in our group) about our occupations. Sandra eloquently said (to be translated by Nabil) that she worked in an office for people who drink too much - she is the secretary. After the guards closed the door the van broke out in a laughing fit that lasted for the rest of the trip whenever the quote was mentioned. Our passports were then taken from us and taken to some important looking man, held for about 10 minutes, and then returned. Suddenly, we had a police escort! We were hysterically laughing - did they realize who they were escorting? Turns out these police will stick with us everytime we leave the hotel, saying they are here for our protection but telling us "not to forget" them (ie - tip please). But what else can I expect them to do when they are feeding their family on 60 Canadian dollars per month?
We decided to stay in the hotel for the day, as it was a long journey and we were all quite tired. The strategizing has begun as to who still needs to be contacted to ensure our entrance, and how exactly we're going to get the police to take us to the Rafah border.
For dinner, we went to a beautiful traditional Egyptian restaurant and met with a group from France that is also attempting to cross the border. Luckily Kathy can speak very fluent French so we often had translations from Arabic to English to French. They will not be traveling with us to the border tomorrow but we will remain in contact to try to assist them as much as possible.
Day 1 - May 21, 2009
I woke up today at the bright and early time of 5pm - jetlag is setting in nicely. Peige, Taylor and I spent our layover in Amsterdam yesterday (quite a fun time!), got into Cairo at 2am, and went to bed at around 5am. We had to make up for the 36 hours of little to no sleep.
We had our first group meeting this evening. There are 9 of us in total, and we also met with some of the organizers of the student group, the organizer of the New York group, a Gazan doctor, and a Palestinian man who went with Codepink in March and was not allowed out (despite assurances from the Israeli government that he would be) until just this past week. We've received news that the Egyptian government has informed the bus company not to take us to Rafah (or the 41 students coming 3 days after us, or the 71 strong US Codepink group coming on the 28th) so we are renting a tourist bus. We were then told that there are at least 5 checkpoints between here and Al-Alareesh, and that the Palestinian-Canadian members of our group may come across some difficulties (as it is not uncommon for the authorities to take them off the bus and instruct the bus to continue on). As well, my mom has informed me that the Egypt-Gaza border was bombed 3 days ago, supposedly trying to attack the surrounding tunnels.
Some good news though: there is word of a group having recently been permitted to cross the border, so that gives us hope. As well, there is a British/Belgian medical group currently doing a hunger strike because they were in the midst of building a cardiac centre in Gaza city when they were no longer permitted entry as of May 4th, so I am excited by the possibility of being able to meet up with them. There are almost 200 people arriving at this border within the next 6 days from Codepink alone (including us), and Sandra is working hard to contact the media, so we're hopefully going to make some waves!
Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a nerve-wracking day. I will update as soon as possible. Tonight, Peige, Taylor and I took the edge off by going to a sheesha cafe and being taught how to play dominoes by a local man. What a great start! :)
We had our first group meeting this evening. There are 9 of us in total, and we also met with some of the organizers of the student group, the organizer of the New York group, a Gazan doctor, and a Palestinian man who went with Codepink in March and was not allowed out (despite assurances from the Israeli government that he would be) until just this past week. We've received news that the Egyptian government has informed the bus company not to take us to Rafah (or the 41 students coming 3 days after us, or the 71 strong US Codepink group coming on the 28th) so we are renting a tourist bus. We were then told that there are at least 5 checkpoints between here and Al-Alareesh, and that the Palestinian-Canadian members of our group may come across some difficulties (as it is not uncommon for the authorities to take them off the bus and instruct the bus to continue on). As well, my mom has informed me that the Egypt-Gaza border was bombed 3 days ago, supposedly trying to attack the surrounding tunnels.
Some good news though: there is word of a group having recently been permitted to cross the border, so that gives us hope. As well, there is a British/Belgian medical group currently doing a hunger strike because they were in the midst of building a cardiac centre in Gaza city when they were no longer permitted entry as of May 4th, so I am excited by the possibility of being able to meet up with them. There are almost 200 people arriving at this border within the next 6 days from Codepink alone (including us), and Sandra is working hard to contact the media, so we're hopefully going to make some waves!
Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a nerve-wracking day. I will update as soon as possible. Tonight, Peige, Taylor and I took the edge off by going to a sheesha cafe and being taught how to play dominoes by a local man. What a great start! :)
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