Gaza: unbreakable

“We are strong persons and we are still here, but we need you to stand up with us.” These words that I heard from a student at Gaza’s Islamic University echo in my mind upon my return from the besieged region of Palestine. The statement encapsulates the message I garnered from people who I encountered during Viva Palestina US’ trip to Gaza, which began on July 15 at 9:30 pm and ended twenty-four hours later. Our convoy, involving 200 US citizens who entered Gaza with medical aid in defiance of the Israeli imposed blockade of humanitarian goods, was restricted to a full day by the Egyptian government. Despite the limits imposed upon us, twenty-four hours in Gaza was enough time to appreciate a beleaguered but resilient people, whose pursuit of life and freedom in the face of utter brutality is a testament to the spirit of humanity.

Upon entering Gaza, I expected to witness a shattered society. I could imagine no other condition for a society that had endured nearly two years of suffocating embargo, was then subjected to one of the most savage aerial bombardments of our lifetimes, and then forced to continue life under the blockade, which extends to this day. Beyond these broad overviews of some of the more recent crimes of the Israelis against Gaza come the aspects of daily life under Israeli terror, which are too innumerable to list but include survival by Gazan fisherman of constant fire from Israeli warships, enduring terrifying sonic booms made deliberately by Israeli pilots flying overhead in American fighter jets, and working to make do without killed or imprisoned loved ones. Expecting a Gaza broken by Israeli brutality though underestimated Palestinian resilience, which is formidable beyond words. I have read many reports from Gaza of the toll that Israel has taken on the people of Gaza, and I hope that this piece speaks to the endurance of the Gazan people despite the inhuman condition forced upon them.

To be sure, the devastation wreaked by Israel’s aggression is staggering beyond description. Shells of high-rise buildings tower alongside functional and occupied ones. Piles of concrete rubble and twisted rebar dot Gaza city. Whole neighborhoods in the city seem to have more damaged or destroyed houses than unharmed ones. In addition to the bombed and half-destroyed legislative assembly and the obliterated Ministry of Justice buildings, we saw utterly destroyed buildings that played purely social functions, including homes, hotels, mosques, and even hospitals. Our bus passed by the rotten corpses of livestock animals, decaying over the past six months and recognizable only by their hides. The Gazan man narrating our tour through the destruction from the front of our bus asked, “I wonder Israel, were these animals terrorists?” Educational facilities seemed to be a favorite target of the Israelis, who damaged the Ministry of Education, leveled schools—including the American School of Gaza and a UN-run school—and destroyed 74 laboratories at the Islamic University, among other buildings on campus.

Beyond the prepared presentations regarding the siege, it was difficult to elicit personal experiences of the bombing from the Gazan residents I spoke with. When I asked one of the people who were taking us around Gaza if he could talk about how the war affected him, he simply said no. I asked another, who I had spent quite a bit of time with what the war was like for him and his family. He told me that there were no words to describe how horrible it was, and he did not try to find them. Indeed, mixed with the excited faces of people, young and old who flashed smiles and peace signs to us as our buses rolled through the Strip with Palestinian and American flags flying out of the windows, were the weathered faces of people who have been through hell. Many such people who we saw on the streets were victims of Gaza’s incredible unemployment rate. The wreckage of bombed out factories and the scores of unfinished construction projects, on hold until materials like concrete are allowed through the borders, exist alongside these idle workers. To add insult to injury, functioning Israeli factories bellow smoke visibly from Gaza’s northern border.

Despite the devastation and depression, life goes on for the people of Gaza, who seemed to be living it as vivaciously as possible in the given circumstances. Children play soccer in the streets. Shopkeepers open their stores and display their wares, despite the fact that very few can purchase them. Hordes of people swim in Gaza’s gorgeous, Mediterranean beaches. In our exit of the strip, we passed numerous weddings, complete with sound trucks blasting celebratory dance music and overflowing with smiling family members.

The people of Gaza are living as human beings placed in inhuman circumstances. They have the strength to endure, but they should not have to do it alone. The solidarity of those abroad matters now more than ever. “Please tell them,” a student at the Islamic University told those of us students from the US and UK who visited their campus, “that we’re not terrorists. We have ambitions like any other students in the world. We went to university so we can make things better for ourselves and our people. All we want is a chance.”

Viva Palestina needs your help

Gazan children at the Rafah Gate protest Viva Palestina's detention

In the statement from Viva Palestina below, you will see an update on our situation. We need people in the US to encourage the Egyptian government to let the aid through. Please hold demonstrations, make calls, send emails, etc. Time is of the essence. Also, please spread the word about Viva Palestina and this blog. When Viva Palestina UK came through a few months ago, a huge part of their success came because so many people were following what was happening; we need as many people as possible aware of Viva Palestina US and standing in solidarity with our project to break the siege of Gaza.

Last night

Viva Palestina US update – July 11, 2009

Update #1

The largest ever US humanitarian aid convoy is now gathering in Egypt to head across the border into Gaza on Monday, July 13. 

Vehicles are coming from Alexandria, the medical supplies from Cairo and the advanced party of nearly 100 US citizens is heading for the staging post of Al Arish, just before the border with Gaza. 

That group, of four buses, has, however, been stopped from crossing over the Suez Canal and into the Sinai region, which leads to Gaza. 

The buses, carrying people, medical aid and bearing US, Egyptian and Palestinian flags in a spirit of international cooperation, have been held at a security checkpoint and given various, conflicting reasons for why they cannot proceed to their destination at Al Arish. 

New York Councilman Charles Barron is leading the group and is negotiating with security officials to resolve the situation. He has contacted Washington and other elected officials in an effort to clarify the reasons for the delay and address any concerns as efficiently as possible.

Former US Congresswoman and Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney will join the convoy on Sunday, July 12, and British Member of Parliament George Galloway will also be heading to meet up with Councilman Barron and the advance group.

He and the rest of the advance group of the convoy, however, are insisting on their right to travel with their supplies to Al Arish, where the rest of the convoy is to rendezvous with them before heading for the border crossing into Gaza.

This medical convoy is on the way to Gaza a month after US President Barack Obama described the situation in Gaza as a “humanitarian crisis.”

“Our convoy is on an aid mission,” says Galloway, “We come in peace; but we will not be stopped.”

Viva Palestina Convoy, July 12, 2009, 2:45 am Cairo

Update #2

The 100 Viva Palestina humanitarian volunteers have decided to stay the night in their buses at the Mubarak Peace Bridge over the Suez Canal despite pressure from the Egyptian security officials to return to Cairo. 

The official reason given at the checkpoint for refusing to allow them to cross is that the officials there did not have a list of the names of the members of the convoy. Such a list was, however, at the request of the Egyptian authorities before any of the convoy members set foot in Egypt sent to the Egyptian ambassadors to Washington, D.C., and London.

The US Embassy in Cairo has now stepped in to forward a newly provided list of those convoy members aboard the buses at the bridge to the Egyptian foreign ministry to clear the way for the convoy's passage. 

Nancy Mansour Leigh, a spokeswoman for the Viva Palestina delegation at the Suez crossing, says, “It's going to be an uncomfortable night, but it's nothing compared with what the people of Gaza must live through every day. We've already succeeded in securing internet access and are negotiating other necessary facilities. But whatever facilities are provided or not, our determination will see us through the night and all the way to Gaza.”

New York City Councilman Charles Barron is on the scene at the Suez Canal and acting as chief negotiator with Egyptian security officials. “The Viva Palestina movement has had a great success this morning with our stand at the Suez crossing. We've now got an agreement for us to stay until the list of our convoy members reaches the foreign ministry. It shows what can be achieved with the determination and commitment of a collective body of people. We are determined to cross onto Gaza, and no matter what happens next, out of this first small confrontation, we've achieved a success for the movement in support of the Palestinian people. The convoy is going to move on, and we ain't gonna let nobody turn us around.”

British Member of Parliament George Galloway offered these words of encouragement for the delegation being held up at the crossing:“This is an American convoy. And Americans are used to refusing to give up seats on buses in the struggle for justice. I regard everyone who's putting themselves on the line tonight at the Suez Canal for the success of this humanitarian mission as nothing short of a hero.”

Kevin Ovenden
Viva Palestina coordinator

Viva Palestina Convoy update #3
July 12, 2009, 7 pm Cairo

The Viva Palestina members who spent the night in their buses at the Suez
Crossing after they were stopped by Egyptian authorities on July 11 are now
making their way to the nearby city of Ismailia and are preparing to resume
their travels toward Gaza imminently.

British Member of  Parliament George Galloway, who has met up with former
U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney in Cairo, was working with Egyptian and
U.S. authorities to expedite the passage of the convoy over the Suez Canal
and into Gaza.

New York City Councilmember Charles Barron, who led the group at the Suez
Canal, says, "Whether these requirements are genuine or not, we will get
around these obstacles.  We are going to Gaza."

Egyptians have held up the convoy on the grounds that it has not acquired the
necessary travel permits from U.S. officials in order to cross into Gaza.

"The Egyptian authorities want us to jump through yet another hoop, we
will, even though their ambassadors in Washington, DC, London, and Tripoli,
Libya were already supplied with this information, at their request.  The
U.S. embassy in Cairo was informed about the mission as was the Egyptian
Foreign Ministry."  said Galloway. "So now we expect that there should be no
further reasons for the delayed transportation of this urgently needed
relief to the people of Gaza.  We have hundreds of thousands of dollars of
medicine, which are time-sensitive and perishable and which need to reach
the children of Gaza.

Another group of Viva Palestina delegates is in Alexandria to take
possession of 47 vehicles that will be used to drive the group’s
humanitarian and medical relief supplies through the Rafah border crossing.
A third Viva Palestina element is continuing to gather additional aid in
Cairo.

Tomorrow, Viva Palestina plans to gather all its forces in Ismailia, load
all of the collected aid on its vehicles, and make final preparations for
the drive through the Sinai.

The Viva Palestina convoy expects progress on all fronts tomorrow, but is
prepared to call for solidarity protests at Egyptian embassies and
consulates should that not materialize.

Interview with Palestinian rapper Mahmoud Fayyed a.k.a. Kan3an

This is an interview that we did with a member of the group PR (Palestinian Rapperz). They were featured in the documentary Slingshot Hip Hop, which screened at Sundance 2008 and has won numerous awards. He came to visit the Viva Palestina convoy while we were in Cairo. Khury conducted the interview, Wadad--one of the VP-US organizers translated Kan3an's responses from Arabic into English, and Ream Kidane recorded and transcribed the interview. It was first posted on The Sitch.

Khury Petersen Smith: We are with here in Cairo with Kan3an, member of the group PR (Palestinian Rapperz) from Gaza city, he is also known as Mahmoud Fayyed. You may know them from the documentary Slingshot Hip Hop. Can you tell us what it has bee like in Gaza since the war and since the blockade?

Mahmoud Fayyad: Things have been extremely hard. They are rationing everything. Everything is sanctioned, blockaded. We make do with the most basic supplies. There is a lack of electricity, lack of food, lack of gas, lack of work. We just go day by day, trying to make the most of it. We hope, every day, that that the blockade would just disappear. …..The Israelis would often come close to the border and shoot.

KPS: How did you get to Egypt?

MF: My mother is Egyptian, so I was able to get an Egyptian visa, but the others, they have nothing but a Palestinian ID card.

KPS: When did you come to Egypt?

MF: 2008

KPS: How did you get into hip hop?

MF: We were inspired by DAM, who was also featured in the documentary. One thing to explain is that the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are called the ‘67 Arabs” They were stuck there when the walls were newly built. The Palestinians from cities like Haifa, Lyd, etc. are called the ‘48 Arabs. We were separated, so we could never actually meet them. In 2003, DAM inspired us to talk about our struggle. We never thought there was a market for Arabic hip hop, but they gave us that push. When we heard that song “Meen Erhabe - Who’s the Terrorist?“, it inspired us. It’s like, who’s the terrorist when you are living in my country?

KPS: Can you tell us something more about the Palestinian hip hop movement? Is it growing?

MF: DAM is the group that opened the door for everyone. Their have been other groups from the ‘48 cities, but we are the first from Gaza. Jackie Salloum, the director of Slingshot opened the door for them with screenings and shows all over the country. PR Rappers is the only group that has not been able to attend the screenings. It is important to watch (Slingshot) because you realize that we are normal every day people, but you also see the struggle. It is very difficult to record, you can’t just get together to record a track.

KPS: Can you tell us what it has been like to record amidst the blockade, with two members in Gaza, you in Egypt, another in Texas?

MF: Twitter, Facebook, MSN. The biggest obstacle is that takes a long time time to record one track. Most groups can be in the same studio, but for us it could take months. We are working on an album now.

KPS: Are you big in Gaza? Are you on the radio? Is there Palestinian hip hop on the radio?

MF: We are very well known in Gaza. We are all over the radio. Sometimes a friend will call me and say 'your song is on the radio!' And he'll put the phone next to the radio so I can hear.

KPS: What does it mean for you to be in Cairo while your family is and friends are in Gaza, do you want to go back?

MF: It has been really hard, especially since Ayman's father was killed 24 days past. He was like a father to all of us. It hasn’t really hit me. When you are not there, it is really hard to comprehend. They won’t let me back in, and if they did, I wouldn’t let me get back out. The hip hop we do, I want people to know what it’s like to live in such fucked up circumstances. The Palestinians are living in a unique situation. There are many different sides to it. One of the issues is that there are Palestinians walking around with Jordanian passports because they are not allowed a Israeli passport. There are Palestinians with Israeli passports that are stuck in ‘48 Palestine. People outside identify me (Waded) as Israeli, even though I live in Palestine. We need our nationality back. We need our identity back. This is one of the messages we are trying to get through. We hope the world will listen.

KPS: You are trying to get your identity back through your music, trying to assert your right to determine your own destiny. I think that is incredible.

MF: Thank you very much.

To Israel, Palestinians with chocolate pose a threat.

In an earlier post, I noted that, among other things, Israel has added chocolate to the list of items banned from entering Gaza. Apparently Gazan people armed with chocolate pose a threat to one of the most belligerent military powers on Earth. Perhaps even as grave a threat to the only nuclear power in the Middle East as the homemade rockets whose fire by Gazans were the supposed cause for Israel's assault of December and January.

The fact that chocolate has been added to the list of forbidden items has been haunting me since I learned of it. There is something so insidious about it. The purpose of the Viva Palestina convoy is to show solidarity with the people of Gaza by bringing medical supplies, and certainly chocolate seems frivolous relative to heart pumps and antibiotics. But the fact that, beyond these absolute necessities, Gazans are denied those things which make life sweet, feels bitterly unjust. It is difficult to imagine even the coldest, most heartless Zionist defending such a policy.

I've been mentioning the policy to others on the delegation. Some are already aware. One guy shook his head and shrugged.

"They deny crayons too, right?"

Others are shocked. That's one of the things about standing in solidarity with Palestinians. It seems that no matter how much you know about the depths of Israeli brutality, there are always crimes that Israel commits that are so cruel that they are astonishing.

"Chocolate," one woman on the trip exclaimed when I told her. "That's just evil."

And so, when we make runs to the supermarket around the corner from our hotel, we are faced with a difficult situation: of course we would love to load up on chocolate to take to Gaza. We can't though because it is a banned item, and bringing it would raise the chance of other, essential items being denied along with the chocolate, and even our entry into Gaza being denied. In fact, no food at all is allowed through the Rafah Crossing, only through the Eretz Crossing, which is controlled directly by the Israelis. Guess how sympathetic and permissive they are.

Today, a few people from the convoy returned to the hotel after venturing out into the streets of Cairo. They had several plastic bags with Adidas' logo on them.

"We got some soccer balls for the kids," Ahmed, one of the guys said with a smile. I hated to break the news to him.

"Soccer balls aren't allowed in. Last time they tried to bring soccer balls in and it was a big deal in the negotiating at the border. I'm not sure if they let them in."

Ahmed's face soured.

Meet Maher.

Maher is a member of the Viva Palestina US convoy. An older man, his long, white beard frames his smile. He is a gentle man of quiet pride, and he cracks a lot of jokes. Maher is a one of the many Palestinians and the convoy, and he is from Gaza. We sat down in the lobby of our hotel in Cairo to talk about his life and the convoy.

I was just writing about the Palestinians who are on this convoy and the significance for you all. Just what it will mean when, after we cross the border like Kevin said, all of Gaza will come out to greet us.

Yes, all Gaza will come out to see us. They’re anxious to see us, but I don’t know about the first part.

You mean crossing the border.

Yes.

You’re not sure that we’ll get in.

I hope we do.

How do you feel about going home to Gaza?

My feeling is not about going home. My feeling has been about how [members of the convoy’s] reactions will be if we don’t cross the border. Then I’ve been thinking about how we will feel when they see the convoy cross in. I dread this moment. I will feel sad for the people [on the convoy]. Because when the people see the destruction and sorrow that the people have been going through, they will be devastated. This is not just something that will last for a moment. This will affect you for a lifetime. Your heart will turn to stone.

Where in Gaza are you from?

I’m from Gaza City.

You grew up there?

Yes. I grew up there ‘till 1984. I left the country then and came to the States.

Will you talk about what its been like during the siege?

The siege is nothing compared to the three weeks. I’m talking about the war. The siege...you get used to it. It's been going on since 1967. Things change by the day. You can’t get in, you can’t get out, etc. But the war was much worse. The past two years have been very hard. The Gazan people aren’t just looking for our material gifts like bread. They need to see us--they need our support.

What do you mean?

Most of the people in the Gaza Strip, they get used to the hardship. They are patient because they have a cause--their country. They’ll be patient because they’re willing to do everything for their freedom. You will see with your eyes when you get there. A family’s a family, a neighbor’s a neighbor. So if someone in your family needs help, people will help. Same with neighbor. So the money, that’s something they can deal with. They help each other. Yes, there is a shortage. There are things missing in the market. Now you don’t just have to by food, but water too. But they get by.

What did you mean when you say they need our support? How can we support them if not just materially?

You being there is the biggest support they’ve been looking for.

I remember reading this newspaper article during the bombing. A Gazan woman was quoted in the article, and she said that the whole world had abandoned Gaza. I was struck by the level of isolation she felt.

When the war started yes, they felt that way. They were left alone. But if you talk to the whole world--yes--if you talk to the governments, yes they were left alone. But if you talk to the people of the world, they were with the people of Gaza. The governments could have stopped it if they wanted to. But somehow Israel always can do whatever they want with international law. Even after the war ended there’s a lot of people who have been trying to go there, trying to document. To see what’s going on. To see what kind of weapons were used. They’ve been stopped. The international community, if they wanted to do something, they could have. But for some reason, they couldn’t do what they’re supposed to do.

May I ask what it was like for you during the bombing?

At that time I was in Dubai. At that time, no sleep. Believe me, no sleep. If I got two hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, that’s a lot. I called Gaza 20-30 times a day to see if people were okay. Between my family and my friends. By the way, I have my wife and kids in there.

Your wife and kids?

Yes. I’ve been trying to get them out. I’ve been calling the US embassy about getting them out this time.

Getting them out right now?

Yeah! Right now. I will try to get them out. If it doesn’t work, I have no choice but to call the US embassy in Tel Aviv, where there’s not much hope. During the war I emailed the embassy there, but no one responded.

May I ask why your family and kids went to Gaza?

My family and kids, we decided to send to Gaza to learn the language and culture. They stayed for three yeas. They were supposed to stay one year but things didn’t work out with me, and they stayed three.

How many children do you have?

I have five. The oldest one is 12, and the youngest is 3.

Is your wife from Gaza?

Yes--she’s a US citizen. She’s been living fifteen years in the US. And all my kids were American born.

So you have a family of US citizens but the US is not helping you.

(Sigh) For a reason they didn’t help.

What reason?

I don’t know. I said for a reason, but for what kind of reasons, I don’t know.

This will be your first time seeing your family in three years.

No, nine months.

How did you see your family nine months ago?

I crossed into Gaza when the border was demolished.

You were in Egypt at the time anyway?

No, I was in Dubai, found out about the border, and flew here to cross the border. I tried to get out again but I was stuck in Gaza for seven months.

What is your plan for when we go in to Gaza? Do you plan to stay?

I will just go in and go out with you.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

There’s a couple people [on the convoy] from Gaza. Everyone has a story for why they want to go. There’s one who needs to see his mom; she can die any minute. Another hasn’t seen his mom in seven years. She’s 89 years old. Another, he’s an old friend. He’s been trying to cross the border. He was there for three days. He couldn’t cross. His wife and kids are there. When he found out we were trying to cross he came here to cross with us. And here he is.

(As we are sitting and talking in the hotel lobby, a man walks over to us and greets Maher.)

Is there anything else you would like to say?

We hope the world will be fair and lift the siege of Gaza.

Video of the Dec. 30 protest

This shows the beginning and middle of the rally:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5RcfmxfMr0

This one shows the march:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZexS5umQgK4