Impressions from Gaza

Wow. Impressions from my past few days in Gaza are impossible to wrap up in one short blog post. However, I'll try to highlight some general reflections so far..

Gaza Team: Our delegation here is full of inspiring people of all kinds. Fareed Bitar, a palestinian phychotherapist musician who especially works with traumatised kids, Pete a british psychotherapist working at the Palestinian Trauma Centre, a woman working at Orphanage in Gaza, two people from UK Amnesty International working at Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, 5 anti-zionist Rabbis, a venezuelan film-producer making a documentary on 'ressistance and oppression' for a venezuelanb TV station, photographers, journalists, palestinians coming to reunite with their families, and many many more.

Gaza Freedom March: YES, we did. WE crossed the Erez border. The atmosphere at the march was the most empowering and europhoric I've ever experienced. Peace marchers of all backgrounds, all countries, all religions, all ages marching together chanting, singing and playing music with one single humanitarian goal in common: a free gaza and an end of the siege. We marched together internationals and palestinians all the way the border with Israel, when we reached the border the palestinian marchers stopped, but the international code pink delegates continued across the border another 1-200 meters where we sat down withour banners peacefully singing "We shall overcome.. because deep in our hearts, we do believe, that Gaza will be free someday". At the front were the 5 Rabbis, functioning as human shield. Hamas Minister of Social Affairs made a speech higlighting this symbolic border-crossing as a unique historical moment. Suddenly we heard Israeli warning shooting in the distance, and we all hurried back to the busses. However, it must be noted that because the march had been organised by Hamas, all NGOs in Gaza boycotted the march and all palestinian women's organisations were prohibited form taking part, which no doubt made the march MUCH less powerfull than the simultaneous one in Cairo.

Destruction: Walking through Gaza City you pass one destroyed building after another, making it seem completely desgusting and incomprehensible have the Goldstone Report has not been implemented when the evidences of israeli war crimes are right in front of you everywhere in here. 5356 palestinian homes were either completely or partially destroyed during Operation Cast Lead last December, and standing inside one of them earlier today the plight went straight to my heart, and could not help bursting into tears. The most ironic sight was the remaining ruins of the International American School; funded by US governement, bombed by US-funded Israeli war crimes and now being cleaned up and rebuild by Caterpillar.

New Years Eve: I definitely had the New Years party of my life when we celebrating entering 2010 in a parc in Gaza with performance of the underground palestinian ressitance hiphip band Darg Team. Had we not been there this party, organised by Hamas would never have taken place. As our friend Ahmed put it, "you know we normally never have any reason to party and celebrate new years eve like this in Gaza, but now that you are here are just so happy because we know that you support us." Everyone, kids, young and old, were dancing, singing and laughing perhaps for a moment forgetting about their daily life under blockade. That evening definitely make going on that bus from cairo to Gaza all worth it. I cannot imagine how dissapointed people in Gaza would have been had none of us made it here.

Hamas: Many ambivalent views. They have given us a very warm welcome and taken really good care of us while we've been here, taking us on escorted tours everywhere. I definitely believe that the "terrorist" image they have in the international community needs to be changed and world leaders need to cooperate more closely with them instead labeling as extremists. Talking to several palestinians it has become more and more clear to me how much good they have done to help the palestinians of Gaza, and if the international community want to do the same they essentially need to work more closely with Hamas. Earlier today, they had arranged a football match for us; CodePink versus Hamas. The most surreal experience ever. Yet, my initial positive view of them quickly changed as they 'politely' came up to us female delegates and said " no women on the pitch please, it would be embarrasing for us to play against you". Moreover, meeting up with a women's NGO later this evening, who told me about how Hamas has banned their free operation, closed down their offices, forbidden "lessons about warnings of early marriage" in girl schools in Gaza and introduced hijabs for all school girls, and indirectly increased the amount of domestic violence and multiple-wife marriages, only made me feel more sceptical.. Thus, I believe the dilemma is how to push the international community to collaborate further with Hamas, rather than regarding their "Islamic project" as national security threats (namely Egypt and Israel), whilst being concerned about Hamas' violations of women's rights in Gaza. Alas, I had wished CodePink as a women's organisation would have made a bigger political statement out of that whilst we were living under Hamas' wings in Gaza. In Gaza I met people who were strongly for and strongly against Hamas' political rule, yet no one mentioned what's perceived internationally as their dangerous "islamic project", but contrarily even those against Hamas liked their strong political connection with Islam, which is something many palestinians use to generate hope in a truly hopeless situation. The divide is approx 60 % for, 40% against, and the head of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (www.pchrgaza.com) argued that it is precisely this interna disunity which makes it even more difficult for the palestinians in Gaza to receive internatinal support for their cause.

Children: I visited a palestinian family this morning, a big house full of children. I felt so welcome in their house and their hospitality seemed so warm and genuine. They made me the biggest feat of a meal ever and almost ended up giving me more gifts that I had brought for them. Sadly, many of their stories were tragic and heart-rendering, talking about how the war last december affected them, how depended they are on getting things in through the tunnels, how worried they are about the egyptian iron wall. While I was there the electricity went off, as it does for some palestinian homes 4 days a week. The father of the family explained that most palestinian families have at least 5 children, as they know at least 2 out of them will die early. He said that the only games his children ever played were war games of palestinians versus israelis shooting with toy guns and throwing with stones."My kids are not militant terrorists as many newspapers write, they are simply the product of what the Israeli occupation has made them".... He explained that most kids in Gaza are deeply traumatised.

Palestinian Trauma Center in Gaza: Pete from the UK has offered me to stay in Gaza a few days longer to assist him at a center working with traumatised kids in Gaza, the same center that Kat and I have decided to donate the money you all helped us raise to. I believe the work they do is some of the most important humanitarian work for the palestinians in post-war Gaza. please read more about the center on their website:http://www.ptcgaza.com/

Students: I don't think I've ever met more ambitious and motivated students than the students from the Islamic University of Gaza. They all had big plans for their futures and were desperate to stay up all night to have long intense intellectual debates with all of us. Ahmed for one, dreams of becoming a Doctor in the UK one day. A bunch of students, including Ahmed Elraai (a friend of Abbas from Warwick uni!) grabbed hold of me one evening and we sat down to talk about setting up a buddy-scheme with students from Warwick and to try to negotiate with our university to grant scholarships and admissions letters to students in Gaza to come study in Warwick. I believe any university in the world would benefit MASSIVELY from allowing them out of Gaza and into their education system - they would make the most out of it, unlike any other student.

Palestinians: The Palestinian people have gone beyond all my expectations. They are so alive, warm people full of energy, hope and friendliness despite the tragic conditions under which they live. If only they had the right and opportunity to travel the world so that everyone would get the chance to meet the palestinians, I am convinced the world would be a better place. All the palestinians I met both young and older were bright, open-minded, reflective and politicised people with opinions about every single issue in any part of the world. When I told people I was from Denmark, many people told me they really appreciated my support despite the negative view's of my country's islamophobic foreign policy, as was seen during the cartoon crisis. During several visits around Gaza, I managed to convince several palestinians to shake hands and make peace with the 5 rabbis in our delegation, which they to my pleasant surprise had no difficulty with - "The Jews are our brothers, it is the Israeli government that is our enemy", as they righlty clarified. They were full of ambitions and aims they wanted to achieve and believed they could achieve if they fought hard enough for it. I believe one (inofficial) reason for the Israeli siege of Gaza is the Israel's fear of the potential powerfulness of the palestinian people.

Tunnels and the Egyptian Iron Wall: By far the majority of all fruit and vegetables (with the exception of amazingly tasty gazan strawberries), as well IT hardware, kitchenware, furniture and many other essential living goods are brought in to the people of gaza through the tunnels. The family i visited pointed out which of their belongings were tunnel goods which ended up being almost everything, such as their one refrigerator. This great dependance on tunnel transportation of fundamental goods needed for decent living standards only makes the building of an egyptian "iron wall" even more disastrous, and many of the palestinians I talked to were very scared of how this would impact their lives, suddenly only having access to an even more limited amount of food, medicine, as well as educational supplies. When talking to egyptians in Cairo, they all explained the building of the wall as a necessary response to the national security threat the Israeli siege of gaza poses on Egypt, by trapping the palestinians in Gaza and indirectly causing a major outflux of palestinians through the tunnels and into egypt. However, whilst some egyptians blamed Israel for this scenario, most claimed that the palestinians themselves are to blame as they were the ones who democratically elected Hamas into power, and because it is Hamas so-perceived "Islamic project" that the Israeli siege is a response to. So it seems like a never-ending ping-pong of accusations and denying responsibility between Israel and Egypt, with the palestinians as the victims.

Going to Gaza was not an act of heroism, and I do not wish to portray it as that. Contrarily what our limited delegation carried out in Gaza was our obligation to show the Palestinian people our solidarity, respect and willingness to help them fulfill their dreams.

Thank you SO much for all your support and lovely messages.

Much love, Marie