The words of trhe song: "I aint going to march any more plays on my ipod (Phil Ochs) and yet here I am back in the Sinai having been briefly to Gaza for such a short time, just three days with the Gaza Freedom March.
The highlights for of the whole visit were to hear personal stories and to enable children we met to play (see article 31 of the Children Charter). I travelled with many new international friends and Al Hariyaa my disobedient pet Emu. Martin my Southampton friend and I travelled equipped with materials for 'light moments' our purpose merely to play and share mini projects with the art materials, football and the numerous handmade and tested kites from our recent Southampton Palestine Cafe Kite Factory (supported by the Art(y)chokes War Collective and Hope Happening). Travelling we carried generous gifts of soap (donated by Lush), also candles [used in Al Aresh to initiate a memorial on 27th December for the loss of 1400 lives in Gaza and elsewhere], and piles of stationary, pens and toys, all significant yet nominal aid from concerned people for Gazans.
I have come to dislike mass organisation, whilst at the same time appreciating some aspects of it. Small groups were clearly the way forward from the moment Cairo hit us all the way to Gaza - which did not hit us and only embraced us. These loose affinity groups worked best and enabled us to meet and be with a variety of internationals and locals alike. Martin and I stayed always together yet we continually felt prevented from being with large groups because of misinfromation, power issues and time constraints.
On my first day in Gaza, having conveniently slept through the Gaza Freedom March due to a mix of the previous nights diarrohea accummulated exhaustion and that mornings dose of resistance, I was later able on getting up to go out with Sarah (a gentle muslim woman from South Australia who intended to be there for many months), to the Hamil Orphanage (Hamila means Hope). Her connedtion with the Hope Orphanage permitted us to break free from the policed hotel for 2-3 hours. Of course Al Hariyaa my emu came too, though he also doesnt like to march - (Al Hariyaa means freedom in Arabic). At the hope Orphanage we met with many children aged from 4-16 they were seperated by gender in the large dining hall. Some shy children, young and older mustered courage to touch or stroke this pecking waving pest and if they were very shy then he was the shiest until coaxed. The children all demanded his return the next day and so a plan was forged (Inshallah) to hold small group projects with some of the materials we had with us felt making, football, drawing and other play - they went well.
On New Year's day we went to the area where the large farming Al Samooni family lived. Here during the violent incursion by Israeli forces thirty members of the family were slaughtered, rascist graffiti was left on walls and their money and belongings were stolen during operation 'Caste Lead'. (as mentioned in the Goldstone Report).
People here live in ramshackle buildings or tents now - material deprivation is apparent yet their strong bonds of love more evident. Here three year old Mohammed led me by the hand with Al Hariyaa this time in tow, away from the larger group to his mother some 200 metres away (another small group). She told us of her father being shot in the head, opened a plastic container and showed me and an accompanying camera woman) clumps of hardened sand which turned out to be where his blood had seeped.
Later having left Gaza we travelled to the Israeli border at Taaba - here Noosha a Palestinian American was immediately denied entrance. A further seven were prevented from travelling further to East Jerusalem and the West Bank (including Al Hariyaa) for 12 hours - finally all were denied entry - however Al Hariyaa refused to be told what to do and leapt for the immigrations officers key board only to have his legs pulled off and get us both beaten about the face a bit - both of us survived. Support was fantastic from our new friends and Israeli police argued amongst themselves as to what should or should not happened to handcuffed Al Hariyaa and I. So here we are in the Sinai - chilling before return to the UK - yet work is not oer - there was no breaking of the seige and it is likely that conditions for Gazans will worsen with the impending building of the underground wall.
Here the blood of far too many lays in the sand, I want to thank Lizzie for her affinity support in the UK, and so many others for all they have done to support us whilst here in Egypt and for the very few who ended up oddly in Gaza that we could hear and meet and see with our own two eyes, and ears. Thanks also to Peace News staff and Seeds for Change for assisting us in learning, role play etc.
We need to work even harder to break this worsening blocade of humanitarian aid and free travel for Palastinians. Al Hariyaa must come to Gaza, and I do not speak emu puppets. The blood of too many lays in the sand and we need to work even harder to break this seige once and for all.
Big love,
LHM
The highlights for of the whole visit were to hear personal stories and to enable children we met to play (see article 31 of the Children Charter). I travelled with many new international friends and Al Hariyaa my disobedient pet Emu. Martin my Southampton friend and I travelled equipped with materials for 'light moments' our purpose merely to play and share mini projects with the art materials, football and the numerous handmade and tested kites from our recent Southampton Palestine Cafe Kite Factory (supported by the Art(y)chokes War Collective and Hope Happening). Travelling we carried generous gifts of soap (donated by Lush), also candles [used in Al Aresh to initiate a memorial on 27th December for the loss of 1400 lives in Gaza and elsewhere], and piles of stationary, pens and toys, all significant yet nominal aid from concerned people for Gazans.
I have come to dislike mass organisation, whilst at the same time appreciating some aspects of it. Small groups were clearly the way forward from the moment Cairo hit us all the way to Gaza - which did not hit us and only embraced us. These loose affinity groups worked best and enabled us to meet and be with a variety of internationals and locals alike. Martin and I stayed always together yet we continually felt prevented from being with large groups because of misinfromation, power issues and time constraints.
On my first day in Gaza, having conveniently slept through the Gaza Freedom March due to a mix of the previous nights diarrohea accummulated exhaustion and that mornings dose of resistance, I was later able on getting up to go out with Sarah (a gentle muslim woman from South Australia who intended to be there for many months), to the Hamil Orphanage (Hamila means Hope). Her connedtion with the Hope Orphanage permitted us to break free from the policed hotel for 2-3 hours. Of course Al Hariyaa my emu came too, though he also doesnt like to march - (Al Hariyaa means freedom in Arabic). At the hope Orphanage we met with many children aged from 4-16 they were seperated by gender in the large dining hall. Some shy children, young and older mustered courage to touch or stroke this pecking waving pest and if they were very shy then he was the shiest until coaxed. The children all demanded his return the next day and so a plan was forged (Inshallah) to hold small group projects with some of the materials we had with us felt making, football, drawing and other play - they went well.
On New Year's day we went to the area where the large farming Al Samooni family lived. Here during the violent incursion by Israeli forces thirty members of the family were slaughtered, rascist graffiti was left on walls and their money and belongings were stolen during operation 'Caste Lead'. (as mentioned in the Goldstone Report).
People here live in ramshackle buildings or tents now - material deprivation is apparent yet their strong bonds of love more evident. Here three year old Mohammed led me by the hand with Al Hariyaa this time in tow, away from the larger group to his mother some 200 metres away (another small group). She told us of her father being shot in the head, opened a plastic container and showed me and an accompanying camera woman) clumps of hardened sand which turned out to be where his blood had seeped.
Later having left Gaza we travelled to the Israeli border at Taaba - here Noosha a Palestinian American was immediately denied entrance. A further seven were prevented from travelling further to East Jerusalem and the West Bank (including Al Hariyaa) for 12 hours - finally all were denied entry - however Al Hariyaa refused to be told what to do and leapt for the immigrations officers key board only to have his legs pulled off and get us both beaten about the face a bit - both of us survived. Support was fantastic from our new friends and Israeli police argued amongst themselves as to what should or should not happened to handcuffed Al Hariyaa and I. So here we are in the Sinai - chilling before return to the UK - yet work is not oer - there was no breaking of the seige and it is likely that conditions for Gazans will worsen with the impending building of the underground wall.
Here the blood of far too many lays in the sand, I want to thank Lizzie for her affinity support in the UK, and so many others for all they have done to support us whilst here in Egypt and for the very few who ended up oddly in Gaza that we could hear and meet and see with our own two eyes, and ears. Thanks also to Peace News staff and Seeds for Change for assisting us in learning, role play etc.
We need to work even harder to break this worsening blocade of humanitarian aid and free travel for Palastinians. Al Hariyaa must come to Gaza, and I do not speak emu puppets. The blood of too many lays in the sand and we need to work even harder to break this seige once and for all.
Big love,
LHM