Citizen Voices

Palestine - September 15th - 16th

2011-09-24T16:28:00.003-05:00

My last morning in Palestine. I showered and packed very early, not sure what the day would bring. I had breakfast on the roof and waited anxiously to hear from K. I couldn't decide what would be worse, seeing him & having to say good-bye or not seeing him at all. At 9:15, he arrived at the hostel. His hold up yesterday was personal, not what I had assumed. He could only stay for a couple of hours so we spent that time huddled in the lobby, conspirators once again, discussing the Occupation and the future of Palestine. He doesn't think the UN bid is a good idea. He believes Israel will use the PA's actions to justify further annexation of the West Bank. As for the upcoming closures, he has made arrangements with his colleagues that hold Israeli IDs to take over his groups when/where he is unable to travel.

I never run out of questions and thankfully, he doesn't seem to tire of answering them. He does have some safety concerns over what I've been posting and has asked me to leave out personal details and use only his initials when these blogs are made available to the general public. I try to think of one single thing he's actually said or done that could be considered illegal and I can't think of any. He hasn't broken any laws. The truth is, Israel would punish him for simply sharing the truth with an outsider.

Our time was short today and all too soon we had to say good-bye. I'd already warned him there would be tears and that he'd just have to suck it up. It was the hardest part of my journey. We made our promises, embraced and he left. An unbearable feeling of loss came over me and I sat down and cried. I couldn't hide in my room anymore since I'd checked out so I established my place of mourning in the lobby of Hashimi Hotel. Employees and guests came and went but no one bothered me. I just sat in the corner and cried, for my friend, for myself and for Palestine.

When I recovered, I asked Mohammed if I could stay in the lobby and work for a few hours as it was too early to go to the airport and I had no desire to do anything else. He was very accommodating. I'd been writing and editing my photos for about an hour when K texted me to say he was home and that he already missed me. This of course, made me start crying all over again. I needed something to do so I offered to take pictures of the hotel for their website. When I was finished, Mohammed and I talked about my visit and what I'd been doing here. He has some friends from the US that are also in Palestine now doing something similar. They are seeking to educate mainstream America on Islam. He's sending me their contact information so we may work together in the future.

I left for Tel Aviv around five. Security was brutal. I don't understand why it's so much harder to get out of this country than it is to get in. It makes no sense. It was slightly less hideous than my last exit but I still spent two and half hours answering questions and having my luggage picked apart piece by piece. I was pulled out of line three times and sent for further questioning. I lied, of course. They're very good at asking the same questions over and over, slightly changed, in an effort to trip you up. They're so adept at it that even when you're not lying, they can make you doubt yourself. They want to know every place you've been and every person you've talked to. Your luggage is ransacked and as soon as you've repacked, someone else is there asking to go through it again. It's exhausting and nerve-wracking. Not only did they question me about this visit but also about 2008. Same questions, same answers, same results: more questions. When they were finally done with me & I got to my gate, I just sat and stared at the wall until it was time to board.

I am home now. I'm exhausted, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I spent this evening catching up on all the reports from today's demonstrations in Nabi Saleh. The military was much more aggressive today. Several people were overcome by tear gas and one person was arrested. It's hard to believe I was just there and now I'm thousands of miles away. I feel slightly out of step with everyone and everything around me. I wonder how long it will take me to adjust this time. I still have a lot of photos to edit and blogs to redact so they can be published. I fear I'll have a lot of speaking engagements soon. I hope I'll be past all the crying before they start.

My new goal is to return to the West Bank within 8 months. That seems like a very long time. For now, I must sleep. It may be days before I wake up.

Palestine - Wednesday, September 14th

2011-09-24T16:23:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I'm packing. It feels like I just got here and at the same time, it feels like I've been here for months. I'm exhausted.

Another disappointment today as K contacted me this morning to say he could not meet me for "reasons beyond his control". He won't say over the phone what it is so I'm left to imagine it's something horrible. He said he'd see me tomorrow before I left so whatever it is, it must be temporary. Probably some 20 year old punk in a bad mood wouldn't let him in or out of some place. I don't think I'll ever come back to Jerusalem. There are too many restrictions here and the streets are full of spies. I'll keep to the West Bank where I can trust people. Where I can be close to my friends and far away from the insanity of this place. I said my good-byes to the Old City today. I even walked through the Jewish Quarter again and took some pictures. If I keep my sunglasses on and my head down at all times no one bothers me. It doesn't however stop them from staring.

Once again my spirit was in the gutter because I wouldn't see my friend today. I really had no desire to do anything else. After wandering inside the city walls for awhile and taking pictures, I left through Damascus Gate and walked to St. George's Guesthouse. This was my place of convalescence in 2008. After I was released from the hospital, I stayed three more days at St. George's until I was allowed to fly home. My group had gone on without me and I was left in the care of Father Bob and the staff at the guesthouse. Every day I hopped, crawled or was carried out to the garden so I could sit in the December sunshine. It's such a beautiful place. Even Mordechai Vanunu took refuge here upon his release from prison in 2004 after serving 18 years (11 of them in solitary confinement) for revealing details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press. It's been a sanctuary for many and it was one for me, too. Someone was always checking up on me, Father Bob, Alfred the gate-keeper (as I called him) or one of the other guests. If Alfred took a break for coffee, he brought me a coffee. If he stopped for lunch, he brought me some of whatever he was having. Orange juice, cookies, hummus, anything he had for himself he brought the same for me. He's a very sweet man and always kept me company. The night I left he was too sad to say good-bye to me so he wrote me a letter & gave it to Sarah. I still have it.

St. George's looks alot different today but it still feels the same. The same manager was at the front desk and he remembered me. I'm pretty sure everyone that had to carry me at some point remembers me : ) He told me that Father Bob had gone back to the US two weeks ago and that someone would be replacing him soon. I asked about Alfred and was told he didn't work in the guesthouse anymore, only inside the church. A little disappointed, I wandered out to the garden to sit in the sun for awhile and it felt like I had never left. That first experience in Palestine was extremely emotional and ultimately life changing and while I sat in St. George's garden today I felt all of those emotions again. I had a nice little cry and when I got up to leave, I found Alfred standing in the doorway waiting for me. He was so excited to see me. He's such a funny guy. We caught up as much as was possible since his English is about as good as my Arabic. He just kept shaking my hand, laughing and pointing at my leg. I gave him a small token of my appreciation. (Aztec bark from Annedore's) He loves it.

I spent the rest of the day taking pictures and then came back to the hostel lobby to edit them. Mohammed from Chicago came over to talk to me because he said I looked too serious sitting there. He said this hotel is a family business and he came here to run it for only one year and then he's going back to the States. When I made my reservations here, I knew this was a Muslim hostel but I had no idea it would be so conservative. It doesn't matter though. Mohammed has made me feel very welcome here and if I was ever coming back to the Old City, I would stay here again.

My plan for the rest of the evening is to edit photos and cry as much as possible. I figure the more tears I shed today, the easier tomorrow will be. It's going to be hard enough to say good-bye to Palestine. It's going to rip my heart in two to say good-bye to K again.

If those fuckers try to keep him away from here tomorrow there's going to be hell to pay.

Palestine - Tuesday, September 13th

2011-09-24T16:22:00.001-05:00

As it turned out, K was unable to go to Nablus with me today. He came to the hostel this morning and said he could only go with me as far as Ramallah as he had an important meeting in Jerusalem at noon. The company he works for had just found out that Israel is planning massive closures in anticipation of protests and violence leading up to the Palestinian UN bid. They expect these new restrictions to take effect on the 19th. This means he will most likely lose his permission to travel to Jerusalem which of course is a big deal when you're a guide. He and the rest of the Palestinian guides will now have to scramble to make contingency plans so they won't lose their business. Imagine flying all the way to the Holy Land only to be told by your guide that he can take you anywhere but Jerusalem. Everyone wants to go to Jerusalem. If the Palestinian guides can't take them and Israeli guides can, who do you think they'll hire? As with everything else, he just let's this roll off his back and my amazement grows.

To travel from Jerusalem to Ramallah, you must pass through the Qalandiya checkpoint. It's a site that has seen much violence but this morning was very quiet. We sat in the back of the bus and crossed without incident. K explained to me how Israel does not care who goes out. They only care about who comes in. He told me on his way back to Jerusalem he'd be forced to exit the bus at Qalandiya and queue up with the rest of the Palestinians to pass the checkpoint via the walk-through. He said when I came back later today I should stay on the bus, only the Palestinians had to get out.
During the ride to Ramallah, I told him about my experiences in the souk yesterday. He assured me my instincts had been right about the two men asking me who's side I was on. He said the Old City is crawling with young settlers who dress and act like Palestinians to spy on people in the souk. They carry concealed weapons and he said if it was quiet enough, I could hear the static from the walkie-talkies hidden under their shirts. He said there had been one in the shop we'd stopped to buy water at yesterday. He'd kind of rushed me out of the shop and at the time I didn't know why. K said the man had been staring at us because he saw that we were together. I didn't even notice. I have so much to learn.

We arrived in Ramallah and I asked him to take me to Yasser Arafat's tomb before he left me. He took me to The Mukataa and we paid our respects. There is a lone PA soldier that stands guard over the tomb. It's very solemn and it made me sad.

K put me on a bus to Nablus, gave me one last lecture about what to do and what not to do and left. The ride to Nablus was long and HOT. Along the way I counted the miniature white cities dotting the hillsides. Settlement freeze, my ass.

The bus dropped me at Balata Refugee Camp and I spent the next couple of hours just wandering around. I'm not exaggerating when I say I was the only white person in town. Everyone said "Hallo" when they saw me. Children asked my name and then asked me to take their pictures. They know digital cameras and they love to see their pictures as soon as you've taken them. As always, even though everyone seems pleasant and passive, I start to feel like I'm intruding so I just put the camera away and walked. And walked. And walked. SPF 100 did nothing to protect me today. I wandered a short way into Nablus but the time was getting late and I had promised K I would get myself back to Jerusalem before nightfall.

I changed buses in Ramallah after spending another half hour or so looking around the city. (I like Ramallah. I could see myself living there.......) As expected, the bus stopped just short of Qalandiya and some of the passengers exited. Then more of them exited. They kept exiting. To my horror, I realized I was the only person left on the bus. On impulse I decided to exit, too. How am I supposed to write about this stuff if I don't experience it myself? I followed the crowd toward the corrals and took my place in the queue. I was sure I was going to get in trouble for this but I figured I'd just play dumb and tell the soldiers I didn't know I was supposed to stay on the bus. It was hotter than hell. There were probably a hundred people crammed into what I now call the cattle chute and they weren't letting anybody through. The air-conditioned buses were all waiting for us on the other side of the checkpoint. I looked around for the cameras I knew were there. I pretended like I was texting someone and quickly snapped a couple of pictures. It got hotter and more crowded and when they finally decided to start letting people through, there was a stampede. Apparently, they unlock the turnstile for 5 seconds at a time and as many people as possible try to cram themselves through. I thought I was going to die. Faces are being smashed into the bars as everyone's shoving their way through trying to be the next person out. I kept thinking to myself, "If I ever get out of this alive K's going to kill me". I don't blame them for their behavior. They have jobs to get to, lives to live and they're forced to go through this shit several times a day, every day. I tried to be aggressive and finally made it through the turnstile after several failed attempts. Once through, all belongings go through the scanner and you go through the metal detector. I watched the people in front of me place their IDs face down on a scanner so the soldiers behind the glass could read them. When it was my turn, I slapped my passport down and immediately heard "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO GET OFF THE BUS!!!". They asked to see my visa stamp from Ben Gurion and then waved me through. I boarded the buses with everyone else and made it safely back to Jerusalem.

I'm about to head up to the roof to attempt some night-time pictures of the Dome of the Rock. It's incredibly noisy and hard to sleep here but I do feel a little better about being in the Old City tonight. Mohammed from Chicago works downstairs at the front desk. He's very religious. There is no alcohol allowed in this hostel and unmarried couples cannot stay in the same room. He listens to the Koran at all times. I'm not sure why but it makes me feel safe. Good night.

Palestine - Monday, September 12th

2011-09-24T16:19:00.001-05:00

This morning I said good-bye to Bethlehem. K met me at the college so we could travel to Jerusalem together. I didn't have to, but he wanted me to depart the city via the walk-through checkpoint with him so I could see what he and other Palestinians go through every day. I'm glad he shows me these things. Imagine waiting in the only open checkout lane at Target, 50 people in front of you, 50 people behind you and endless cashiers just standing around having coffee and talking instead of opening up the other registers. Sorry, it's late, I'm tired and that's the best analogy I can come up with. They only let one person through the gate at a time. I attempted to take pictures and only managed to get two before K told me to stop it before I got in trouble. : ) Palestinians are not allowed to transport certain things out of Bethlehem. You know, really dangerous, terrorist-y things like iPads and saplings. When K takes a tour group out of Bethlehem, he leaves any electronics he's carrying with the group (who can carry anything out they want), he goes through the Palestinian checkpoint and then meets up with them on the other side. Seriously, today someone was not allowed to take a sapling olive tree out. It sat in the corner, lonely and sad. K said no one would bother it and the owner would pick it up when he came back through the checkpoint. WTF?

All of our belongings went through the scanner while we went through the metal detectors. The scanner was labeled "Rapiscan". You should have heard me trying to explain the irony of that to my friend. The last part of the checkpoint was an ID check. As soon as the soldiers saw I was carrying an American passport they just waved me through. No one even looked at it. I stood aside and waited for my friend. K's ID's were scrutinized, as was the document he carried that showed he had permission to travel to Jerusalem. (Of course you already know both of these items that he is forced to carry are stamped with a menorah and the Star of David.) The last insult came as I saw all the Palestinians behind me being fingerprinted. It doesn't always happen, K said. It really depends on the mood of the soldier checking the IDs, but again I say WTF? How does this exist in today's world??? At that point I really wanted to ask K what the Arabic equivalent for "douche-bag" is but I think I embarrass him enough already.

In Jerusalem, he finally let me treat him to lunch. He's very sneaky with the money & he pays for things when he thinks I'm not looking. Afterwards, we walked around the Old City. We visited the usual sites while waiting for the mosque to open. I missed this part in 2008 because of my injury. We waited in line behind a Russian tour group. Not surprisingly, I discovered K speaks Russian too as he started whispering to me a translation of what the guide was saying. "They are talking about us now" (us being the Palestinians) "Let the brainwashing begin". I still don't get how he can laugh at this. It could have been the heat or the fact that we both forgot to bring water but we stood in line and giggled like school kids as we listened to this guide go on and on and on.

Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are beautiful and peaceful. While we walked around, I couldn't help but think of my Muslim friends who can never come here. Who am I to be here in their place? It makes your heart feel heavy and sad. We sat in the shade of one of the beautiful trees to talk. He pointed out that we could see Al Makassed from where we were sitting. For those of you that don't already know, Al Makassed Islamic Charity Hospital is where I had surgery in 2008. We talked again about the surgeon K had taken me to because he had been the one who'd operated on his uncle in 1990 when he'd been shot four times by Israeli soldiers and had almost died. Again, there is so much more to this story but I will not share it here. It's very personal and it makes me incredibly happy that he trusted me with it.

K left me at the hostel in the afternoon and headed back home. It's so sad here. I'd wanted to cry all day but hadn't allowed myself to because it upsets him. I felt exhausted. I wandered around the souk for awhile until I got tired of people staring at me. One man said to me "Americans are the best. We love Americans best when they are sleeping!". I don't know if it was a threat or a cleaver comment on how most of us have our heads stuck in the sand. It's not like I'm wearing a t-shirt that says I LOVE USA. How do people know? I could be Canadian or British. I started back towards the hostel only to be stopped again when two young men yelled to me "Are you with us or with them? Which one? Us or them?". I asked which one they were & they said Palestinian. I didn't say anything because I realized at that moment they had seen my bracelet and my paranoid mind said they were trying to trick me. Not ten feet away there were armed soldiers who could hear everything we said. I told them I wasn't going to answer their questions. I came back to my room, took off the bracelet and cried my eyes out. I don't like it here. It's not like being in the West Bank. I can't tell who is my friend and who is my enemy. I'm too depressed to even leave the room again so for dinner I ate the chocolate bar K brought me this morning.

He just texted me to say he is going with me to Nablus tomorrow. He's meeting me in the morning. I don't think he likes me going places by myself. He thinks I'll get into trouble. Probably because he knows I can't keep my mouth shut.

Jerusalem is the saddest place on earth.

Palestine - Saturday, September 10th

2011-09-24T16:14:00.005-05:00

I spent most of today with K. Never in my life have I done anything to deserve the honor of having such a friend. I've never known anyone so selfless. I am constantly amazed at his faith, his strength and his unshakeable optimism in the face of such oppression. He is without a doubt one of the best people I have ever known and I wish everyone could know the joy of having such a friend. He has his own story but I will not write such a personal account here as I don't think he would want me to. What he has shared with me I am content to keep to myself.

He brought his son to meet me this morning. It was a wonderful surprise and I was truly touched that he wanted us to meet. We drove outside of Bethlehem to view the existing settlements and survey the land that would be confiscated for the new ones. He laughs at the ridiculousness of the Occupation while my heart breaks. I cannot help but be strong around him for how can I cry over the injustices done to him when he does not't. He just shakes it off, thanks God for what he does have and moves on. It's amazing to me.

He wanted to know all about what happened in Nabi Saleh yesterday and I hesitated to tell him because his son is only ten years old and knows enough English to understand. He just encouraged me to tell the story anyway. He doesn't want his children sheltered from the truth. He says even the youngest ones already know.

We traveled to Hebron and set out on foot because he wanted me to walk through the invisible boundary between Hebron 1 and Hebron 2 so I could "feel it". It is so bizarre. One minute it's so crowded I'm in fear of losing track of him or his son and the next minute we're practically alone. It's a ghost town. So many people are afraid to cross into H2. The shopkeepers sit alone in the front of their stores while maybe 200 feet away are all the customers they used to have, giving their business to the shops fortunate enough to be on the "right" side of this invisible boundary.

A man overheard K telling me about the nets strung above the streets to protect people from the trash and stones thrown down from the Israeli settlers living above. He invited us to climb up to his roof for a better view. All around his rooftop, the Israeli flags were flying from all the settler residences and he and his family are stuck right in the middle. He's been offered two million shekels to leave his home but he refuses to do it. K points out the bullet holes in his family's water tanks. Apparently, the settlers get bored and use them for target practice. We went back inside with his family to have tea. We sat on the children's beds underneath metal shutters that have been welded shut from the outside. They have no windows. There's a small opening directly above the youngest child's bed and the father tells us settlers shoved a snake through it one night to scare the children. We're shown a video of a family member being evicted from his shop, beaten and arrested. Next we find out they have a six year old boy who is currently in a hospital in Jordan. Two years ago, settlers threw acid in his face causing him to permanently lose his sight at the age of four. I don't know what to say. Two more foreigners wander in to sit with us and listen to the stories. K nudges me and points to a framed photo of Saddam Hussein hanging on the wall. It's surreal.

After thanking our hosts we head to the Ibrahimi mosque. We have to go through several check points to get inside the mosque. When the soldiers see I'm American, they simply ask me if I'm carrying any weapons and take my word for it when I say no. They check K's ID, asking him a thousand questions and I want to throw up. When we finally get inside, K helps me get ready. Shoes off, robes on. I've never been inside a mosque before and let's face it, I'm a bumbling idiot. I wander around inside trying to be invisible while he and his son pray. I watched them for awhile but it began to seem intrusive and disrespectful so I slipped away and waited for them at the door.

There's alot more to tell here about the restrictions they had inside this mosque that I didn't but it's so disgusting and depressing I cannot even get into now. When we left, it was pretty obvious my spirits were back in the gutter so we went to have lunch at King of Falafel. K said it would make me happy again and it did.

He dropped me back at the college and we made plans to travel to Jerusalem together on Monday. I already miss him.

Palestine - Friday, September 9th

2011-09-24T16:12:00.006-05:00

Early this morning I left Bethlehem and traveled deep inside the West Bank to a tiny village called An Nabi Saleh. One resident told me the population was around 500 and that this number included the dogs and the donkeys. This village is one extended family. I was told an outsider has to survive three Fridays in Nabi Saleh to become one of them. I guess I'm now one third of the way.

I was dropped off at the house of Tamimi. I don't know what else to call it. It's the home of Bilal and Manal and it's opened up to one and all every Friday, most likely every other day of the week as well, but Fridays are special. Every Friday after prayer, the villagers and dozens of International activists gather together for a demonstration. It is a non-violent demonstration. Their only goal is to walk from one end of their village to the other. They do so carrying Palestinian flags while singing and laughing and celebrating. There is no aggression, there are no weapons. There is only strong will, solidarity and a refusal to be silent about what is happening to them.

We began near the mosque, walking through the village and down the hillside which ended in a road that marked the boundary. Directly on the other side of this road is an illegal Israeli Settlement. At the crest of the hill we could see the military vehicles parked along the road and maybe 20-30 soldiers standing like sentries among the rocks and trees waiting for us.

I must make it clear that at no time did anyone cross outside the village perimeter. No one confronted the soldiers. They simply spread out along THEIR hillside, holding flags, singing, chatting with new friends and even sitting in the shade of trees for a drink of water.

This went on without incident for maybe 30 minutes. This is only my opinion, but I believe the soldiers were bored and grew tired of being there. Nothing was happening that warranted their presence. Without provocation, they began firing tear gas canisters at us. I assumed at the time this was normal practice and that they just wanted us to disperse so they could leave. I had no idea it was only the beginning of a day long attack that continued long after everyone was forced into their homes with windows and doors shut tight to escape from the gas. When the first assault began, everyone began retreating back up the hill towards the center of the village. The terrain is rough and it's hard enough to run uphill without battling tear gas at the same time. Not only does it burn your eyes making them tear so much you cannot see, when it hits your lungs the feeling is one of suffocation which of course makes you panic. One other nasty effect I was unaware of until then was that it also burns any exposed skin.

Anyway, we retreated to the top of the hill, recovered a bit and began walking towards the other end of the village and we were assaulted again. There were now soldiers on the hills all around the village and the canisters were flying at us from all directions. It was impossible to know which way to run. People were falling down, unable to see through tears and the scarves and t-shirts over their faces. The panic you feel is unbelievable. Everything burns and you cannot get away from it fast enough. The gas itself isn't even the most dangerous part. They're firing directly at you and at such close range that the canisters themselves can cause grievous injury if you take a direct hit which several people did. Volunteers from the Red Crescent were in the village in case of injuries but it's chaos during such an event and it's difficult to know what's happening right in front of you.

Most everyone (excuse my choice of words) hauled ass for shelter inside a house. Any house. I really thought that must be the end of it because what else could their goal be but to interrupt the demonstration and send everyone running back into their homes. Maybe 20 people took shelter in the same house as me. Everyone was checked to make sure they were alright, eyes were rinsed out, the older women and youngest children went into an interior room where they were protected from the windows. When the shots became fewer, we ventured onto the rooftops to see what the IDF was doing. By this time they were on foot and walking through the village, periodically firing at anyone that was still out demonstrating.

It calmed down for awhile though they wouldn't leave. Every so often they would fire tear gas close enough that we would have to retreat back inside the stairwells, close the doors and wait. During these hours the "shabab" (young men) of the village began the rock throwing. This I struggle to understand. I know they are angry and they are provoked but I can't comprehend how it results in such blatant disregard for their own lives. The odds of them actually inflicting any harm on a soldier in riot gear or an armored vehicle is so small that I cannot understand their willingness to risk injury, arrest or even death to accomplish this. I want to understand but right now it makes my head hurt just trying to rationalize this behavior. The adults do not even try to stop them. When a rock hits a vehicle, everyone cheers. Nevermind that as soon as it happens, the soldiers open the doors, jump out and start firing rubber bullets at them.

At some point, the IDF seemed to leave. They vanished from the streets which only made me fear what was coming next. Some vehicles were still down on the road and we could hear shots in the distance but no soldiers were visible. The shabab seemed to have expected this and they immediately began constructing a road block at the main entrance to the village, right next to the house we were in. I sat on the roof and watched them turn over dumpsters and push them into the center to block the road. Then they began piling rocks and so I knew what was coming. We didn't have to wait long. A caravan of military vehicles (maybe 6 or 7 of them) came speeding in from the other direction. They tried to run the roadblock, which eventually they were able to get over or around, but they were pelted by stones while doing so. I don't even remember the soldiers firing at that point. It seemed like this must happen every Friday. Maybe it does. They only raced away while everyone cheered. I don't get it. What was the purpose of almost 8 hours of occupying this village?

I have so much more to say about this but I'm still trying to get my thoughts in order. It's actually Saturday as I'm writing this because no one was allowed in or out of the village until after nightfall and I didn't make it back to Bethlehem until very late and I was completely spent. I slept right through the call to prayer this morning and it's quite loud where I am.

This story is not finished but I know some people wanted to hear something of it soon.

PS Now that I’m home and have had time to watch the video footage and really think about what I experienced, I have a theory about Nabi Saleh. Neither side accomplished anything the day I was there and this has been happening every Friday for almost 18 months. So…..what is the point? When you watch the videos, it’s mostly of the soldiers throwing stun grenades and shooting tear gas. You rarely see any of the villagers or activists. It looks like a training video. It looks like they are simulating warfare in an abandoned town. I think maybe the IDF uses places like Nabi Saleh to train for combat. If you watch closely, you see several of the soldiers struggle with their weapons, like maybe they’re new at this. Are they practicing on the villagers of Nabi Saleh? I’m afraid so.

Palestine - Thursday, September 8th

2011-09-24T16:10:00.003-05:00

This morning I put on my tennis shoes and got lost. I believe this is the only way to really experience someplace new. I covered nearly every square inch of Bethlehem. (Some more than once as I have zero sense of direction) I spent hours in the markets trying to take everything in. There do not seem to be many foreign tourists visiting the labyrinth of shops in the old city. I saw maybe one or two the entire day. Only the locals shop here and that is for daily necessities, not the higher end items tourists might purchase. I spoke with several shopkeepers and their stories are all very similar. There is no profit to be made but this is their life and it's all they know.

I spent a good part of my afternoon with Alaa. He's 27 years old and runs a small shop that sells keffiyehs made in Hebron, hand-carved trinkets, musical instruments and various items his mother hand embroiders. Some time ago he received a scholarship to the University of Chicago but has been denied a student visa 5 times. He has given up on his own education and now works two jobs to pay for the education of his 5 younger sisters. He joked that I should not call him Alaa but instead جمل (camel) because he carries the burden of his entire family. He brought me some coffee and while we chatted, a friend of his that runs a shop across the street came running over, happy as can be, to tell him he had made a sale. I thought it must have been big for him to be celebrating. The sale was 15 dollars and it was the first one he'd made in 4 days. Alaa explained to me that this was normal now. The tourists that do come to Bethlehem usually come as a group with hired guides that never bring them into the old city. He believes the tourists are afraid to venture in alone. This just blows my mind that people are afraid to come here. It's media hype and fear mongering that makes them feel this way. I can't imagine anyone coming here and not having the experience I did today. They are missing real life.

After a short break at BBC, I went down to the Wall to photograph some of the graffiti. It's really amazing stuff. The messages of love and peace adorning this monstrosity only highlight what this is: it's apartheid and it's revolting. I remember the first time I saw the Wall in 2008, I felt physically sick. I knew it was here, I knew what it's purpose was and I'd seen hundreds of photos but it didn't prepare me for the visceral reaction I had when I saw it with my own eyes. I felt the same way today. I don't know how any normal human being could feel otherwise. While the rest of the world is trying to move beyond the sins of their past, Israel is blatantly moving in the opposite direction. My own country makes small but steady steps attempting to move away from it's racist path and at the same time the state of Israel is building a separation barrier that is higher and longer than the Berlin wall was. If apartheid is immoral and unacceptable elsewhere in the world, why is it allowed to exist here? To this day, it's the saddest and most disheartening thing I've ever seen and it makes me ashamed to be human.

I decided to wait until morning to go to Nabi Saleh. So instead tonight I went to dinner with Mary and Derrick (the keepers of the BBC guest house) and another guest, Gregg, from Oregon. We had pizza baked on olive wood, mint lemonade and some bright pink pickled radishes that I don't think I'll ever eat again. The conversation was great. All three are devout Christians and understand after tonight that I am not. They don't seem to hold it against me.

I have so much more to say but I have to be up in 3 hours to catch a bus to Ramallah and then figure out how to get to Nabi Saleh from there. (insomnia knows no boundaries)

Palestine - Wednesday, September 7th

2011-09-24T16:07:00.001-05:00

After all the worrying I did, customs was a breeze. The agent did not even make eye contact with me. He was too busy talking to his friend in the next booth to ask me even a single question. He just stamped my passport, gave me my Visa and said "Have a nice visit". I must not look as criminally insane as most of you think I am. : )

As instructed, I took a sherut to Jerusalem & asked to be dropped off at Tantur Gate as it is the closest stop any taxi will make to Bethlehem Bible College this side of the checkpoint. It had been suggested to me that I might offer the driver an extra ten dollars to take me to the checkpoint. No such luck. He basically told me to get out of his cab and he left me somewhere along Hebron Road. So, it's 90 degrees & I'm hauling a giant suitcase and two bags half a mile to the checkpoint (which is on top of a hill I might add). I tried to walk through it and they yelled at me and told me to go back to the bottom of the hill and have someone drive me back up. WTF? Luckily, some nice man that didn't speak English offered to drive me through the checkpoint. (he mimed it) After several wrong turns and bad directions from people on the street, he finally dropped me here at Bethlehem Bible College. (Which I must say is a wonderful place to stay if you're ever in the area)

I hadn't been in my room for more than 20 minutes when my phone rang. Dear, sweet K had come straight to BBC after work to see me. For those of you who don't know, K and I met on my ill-fated 2008 trip. The man is a saint. He literally carried me not once, but twice to the hospital and back to St. George's. He is without a doubt one of the greatest human beings I have ever had the privilege to know.

We made a quick stop at the Church of Nativity as they were closing up for the night. We found an outside cafe in Manger Square with Taybee on tap (yippee) and had a wonderful dinner of kidra. We then wandered back to the college via the old city of Bethlehem where I am just about to crash. Sorry, no photos tonight but I will be at it first thing in the morning. Right after I buy a new electrical adapter as mine just blew up. Seriously, loud pop and now it's smoking. Gotta run.

2011-09-24T15:54:00.001-05:00

Nine people in the KC area working for Palestinian rights

2010-03-13T15:09:00.025-06:00

For many 2009 was a watershed – everyone knows friends or acquaintances who lost jobs -- as the economy slipped further, evidenced by the drastic increase in those seeking services, like food assistance at US food banks. The US continued or expanded war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and in Palestine via Israel. Yet many people in the Kansas City area found ways to resist these wars or work for social justice here and abroad. Several of these people inspired me in new ways that peace and justice activists have done in the past, but with a refreshing, confident, and bold move to learn, share, and agitate.

In recognition of the determined example they provide, I would like to share with you nine people that inspired me in 2009. Each one demonstrates important characteristics of social justice actors, namely, each focused on their cause with a dedication to broad social justice, some with direct experience or relations with those experiencing injustice, all important characteristics of grassroots leadership.

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One of the most impressive groups included three individuals -- Marei Spaola, Jodi Voice, and Melissa Franklin – who formed 7thGIV, a grassroots student collective from Haskell Indian Nations University. This group was founded on traditional Native principles, comparing occupation and colonization of Palestinian land with the same practices in the U.S. against Native people. Their work led to their participation in the first ever Indigenous Youth Delegation to Palestine last year.

Photo from Feb. 15 UMKC event: (from left) Mohamed El-Housiny,
Omar Bayazid, Marei Spaola, Melissa Franklin, Jodi Voice, and Sara Jawhari

Jodi Voice has an Associates of Social Work and is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Indigenous American Indian Studies at Haskell. Her father is a graduate of Haskell. She seeks to “speak for the voiceless and stand up for others that face oppression.” Jodi belongs to the Tsalagi (Cherokee) Nation of Oklahoma, the Mvskoke (Creek) nation of Oklahoma, and the Oglala Lakota Nation of South Dakota.

Marei Spaola, a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe of South Dakota, traveled to the Southwest and South Dakota in the summer 2009 to work on a documentary film. Marei spoke about the indigenous youth delegation at a Palestinian fundraiser event on July 2. He is a Haskell student and reporter with Haskell News.

Melissa Franklin was president of the American Indian Studies club at Haskell, works at the Jim Thorpe Recreation Center on campus, and served as a mentor with an Upward Bound summer program at Haskell. Melissa gave a report of her background and the delegation at a May 31, 2009 fundraiser dinner. Melissa is Comanche, Wichita, and Sac & Fox of Oklahoma.

Melissa Franklin (left) with Laura
Closson at fundraising event in 2009.

Laura Closson, a Kansas City resident, traveled with a women's delegation to Gaza in March 2009 before completing her undergraduate study at Redlands University (California). The delegation, which included author Alice Walker, contributed to the relief of Palestinian women living in Gaza. She now lives and works in Nablus in the West Bank, teaching English language at An-Najah National University.

Mohammed Atwa

Mohammed Atwa is a Kansas City resident with Palestinian family members in Gaza. His story was featured on a radio program on KKFI-FM 90.1 in January. Mr. Atwa’s mother lives in Gaza, while his brother is a journalist for Ramattan, the only news organization reporting live on events in the Gaza Strip during last year’s attacks on Gaza. Apart from his day job, Mohammed follows a different path as a Palestinian-American working with an Israel environmental group, bridging the divide between Arabs and Israelis in the Mideast.

Emiliano Huet-Vaughn - graduate of Shawnee Mission North High School and graduate student at University of California-Berkeley. He worked on a successful divestment-from-Israel campaign while studying at the London School of Economics, participated in direct action with the Palestine Solidarity Project/International Solidarity Movement in the West Bank last Summer, and is active with ongoing divestment efforts at Berkeley. Most recently Emiliano took time to raise funds for travel to Egypt as part of the Gaza Freedom March in December 2009.

Janet Baker – I have known this woman for several years now and have always admired her patient persistence in getting things done for local events and activities while working for Palestinian rights. Janet exemplifies a simple yet essential trait – her inner spirit clearly drives her to share her whole life. She works to uplift those in need, yet recognizes the importance of joining a struggle against oppression. Janet worked for a time with Heart of America Indian Center, serves as an ambassador for visiting foreign students, traveled to the Mideast, works with Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, as well as working for peace and the environment at Village Presbyterian Church.

Mohamed El-Housiny participated in a July 2009 medical aid convoy to Gaza, then again on a second medical aid convoy in December. He rekindled his memory of growing up at a very early age in Gaza during a talk in November. Few individuals working for Palestinian rights in KC have challenged people so vividly to wake up to the reality of the devastation in Gaza. No one has represented the courage and resilience of Palestinians’ struggle for liberation quite the same as Mohamed.

Tom Klammer tirelessly produces “Tell Somebody,” a weekly public affairs radio program on KKFI. He researches, interviews, hosts, and engineers the program. I’m constantly amazed at the time Tom dedicates to this program, but each time I listen to the program I hear uncommon voices from guests telling crucial stories about conditions in Kansas City and throughout the US. He produced five programs in 2009 focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, several programs on Iraq, Afghanistan, KC nuke plant politics, homelessness, food/agriculture politics, labor history, and on and on. No one else in Kansas City is covering some of these topics at the depth that he is. Tom amplifies the voice of the movement for real social change in Kansas City.

These individuals have worked through a variety of grassroots, educational, and community organizations in Kansas City to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians. Despite the apparent lack of progress towards Palestinian self-determination, many people in KC are more informed and better equipped to support resistance against the Israeli occupation by hearing the stories told by these nine individuals. I am proud to know that there are so many people in Kansas City dedicated to working for Palestinian rights.

“Tonight We Are All Gaza”

2010-02-10T20:42:00.006-06:00

Eyewitness Reports to Gaza Attacks

When four Kansas City area residents traveled to Gaza to deliver medical aid to Palestinians in January, they planned to lift the spirits of Gazans in the besieged land. In turn they were consoled by Palestinians after hearing traumatic stories, like the one where a girl was telling a story of her father being shot in the forehead after surrendering to Israeli military forces. Or the story of the Samouni family, who lost 29 members – a family of farmers with no political ties, mostly women and children. Mohamed El-Housiny, an architect and MBA student on his second aid convoy, thought he was there to give strength, but was overwhelmed with emotion after witnessing the devastation and hearing stories of the trauma.

An event titled “One Year Later: Besieged Gaza Still Standing Tall” attracted 200 people to the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park on Sunday, February 7. The event included speakers and spirited performances by Dabke folk dancers from Milwaukee and Nahsheed singers. The main speaker Osama Abu Irshaid was unable to attend due to poor weather conditions in the eastern states.

Goldstone Report documents atrocities of Operation Cast Lead

After past attempts to visit his family in Gaza, Palestinian-American Dr. Mohamed Ouda joined the Viva Palestina medical aid convoy and entered Gaza for 48 hours with 250 vehicles and hundreds of participants on January 6, 2010. He gave a presentation of the recent history surrounding Gaza and a full accounting of the impact of the twenty-two day Israeli military campaign Operation Cast Lead. His report drew from the 575-page Goldstone Report released in September 2009.

“Ending occupation is a prerequisite to a return to a dignified life for Palestinians, as well as development and a peaceful solution to the conflict.” – Goldstone Report, September 2009 [1]

Dr. Ouda’s report was a swirl of statistics of the crushing devastation – 60 police stations destroyed, 30 mosques, 280 schools (43% of all schools) destroyed, and 22 university buildings damaged. Sixteen medical personnel killed and 28 ambulances destroyed, forcing emergency responders to transport the injured on donkey carts.

320 workshops were destroyed, destruction of farmland and equipment led to a 50 percent drop in agriculture income, accounting for a 50-75% unemployment rate. The devastation to businesses, farming, and all social life “force [Palestinians] to live in the stone age,” Dr. Ouda reported.

355 children were killed, 2000 children were made orphans after their parents were killed, and tens of thousands of children needed trauma counseling. The Goldstone Report noted “some 30 per cent of children screened at UNRWA schools had mental health problems” and “over 300 women had been widowed as a result of the military operations and had become dependent on food and income assistance.”

Dr. Ouda shared his own memory “as a child living through the shelling” during the 1967 war. He expressed the widespread trauma for children in Gaza today because of the increased power of munitions used during the 22-day offensive.

He wrapped up his presentation by saying that $4.5 billion were pledged by Arab and other nations to rebuild Gaza. None of the funds have been used because of Israel’s blockade. “Gaza is a prison and the jailer does not allow you in,” Ouda underscored.

Eyewitness accounts from participants of the Gaza aid convoy

Mohamed El-Housiny asked the audience to imagine Gaza as he described the surroundings of devastated Gaza and the personal impact of holding a loved one during their last moments of life. These scenes were described to Mohamed and dozens of others as they traveled through Gaza to deliver aid to Palestinians in a symbolic gesture of solidarity.

Mohamed instilled a sense of immediacy in his presentation, building on the difficult stories he heard. He brought the pain and suffering from “over there,” thousands of miles away, challenging us to work harder and envision a free Palestine.

A KC area woman who also joined the aid convoy, connected the ongoing siege of Gaza with the international sanctions on Iraq in the 1990’s, which led to the deaths of 500,000 children. “Why are we letting these things happen again?” she asked.

“Going into Gaza will always be a shock, no matter how many times you’ve been.” – Mohamed El-Housiny during his talk at the Doubletree event.

During her brief stay in Gaza in January to deliver medical aid with the Viva Palestina convoy, the KC area woman watched the sea where Israeli warships were stationed. This reminded her that “Gaza is a prison,” walled off from the outside world. She remarked that Egypt with the help of the US and Israel is building a wall along the Egypt-Gaza border eighteen feet below the surface. The underground wall is intended to cut off the last source of goods flowing into Gaza. “Why are they building a wall? Didn’t we learn from South Africa and Germany?”

Sara Jawhari, a Palestinian-American and broadcast journalist student at Johnson County Community College, stated the intent of the medical aid convoy was to relieve suffering. “It is strictly pro-humanity. We don’t care if you are Israeli, Palestinian, if you are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, or atheist. It does not matter,” as Jawhari told a Campus Ledger reporter recently. [2]

The event held on February 7 to commemorate the lives of survivors and those killed during the deadly attacks was one of the more respectful and colorful events seen in Kansas City to reflect on Palestinian life and culture.

Rarely are stories and images portrayed so humbly by trauma witnesses; they brought the struggle and pain home to the event participants, leaving many with the notion that “we are all Gaza.”

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), the main organizer of the event based out of Chicago, has attracted a large following with 12 local chapters through the Midwest and stretching to both coasts. The group is providing fresh energy to the Palestinian rights movement in the US by organizing events with prominent speakers like Alison Weir of IfAmericansKnew.org and George Galloway of Viva Palestina, as well as producing quality literature, like the 36-page booklet summarizing the Goldstone Report on Gaza. Taking note of the group’s energetic commitment, the group’s director said “Palestine is our life!”

If you were unable to attend the event on February, plan to join students at two upcoming events on area college campuses.

· February 15, 7:30 pm - The Muslim Student Association at UMKC invites you to "Viva Palestina: Report back from Gaza." Kansas City area students will report back on a convoy delivering humanitarian aid and medical supplies into war-torn Gaza. Speakers Mohamed El-Housiny and Sara Jawhari will share their first hand experiences in the Gaza Strip. Guests from 7thGIV, an independent group of students from Haskell Indian Nations University, will speak about their cultural exchange with youth in the West Bank last year. Pizza and refreshments will be served. Admission is free and open to all.

o Location: UMKC Royall Hall 111, 5200 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Missouri

o For more info, contact - umkcmsa@umkc.edu

o Event flyer - http://cjme.org/images/flyer-viva-palestina-umkc.pdf

· February 22, 7:00 pm – A "Viva Palestina: Report back from Gaza" event will be held at Johnson County Community College. Featured speakers include Sara Jawhari and Mohamed El-Housiny. Admission is free and open to the public.

o Location: Johnson Co. Community College, Craig Community Auditorium (GEB-238), 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kansas

[1] “HUMAN RIGHTS IN PALESTINE AND OTHER OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES: Report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict,” UN Human Rights Council, September 25, 2009, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/12session/A-HRC-12-48.pdf

[2] “Aiding the "world's largest prison,” by Jason Bennett, Campus Ledger, January 28, 2010, http://campusledger.com/news/2010/01/26/aiding-worlds-largest-prison

Two KC area events mark one year since attacks on Palestinians in Gaza

2010-02-04T21:15:00.003-06:00

Events on February 7 and 15 include internationally-known Mideast academic scholar, KC speakers, and Palestinian folklore

Feb. 7 event at Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park features Osama Abu Ishraid, KC area students on Gaza relief convoy, plus Arab singing and dance

American Muslims for Palestine--Kansas City invites you to “One Year Later: Besieged Gaza – Still Standing Tall,” a Palestinian folklore night.

Guest speakers:

Osama Abu Irshaid, is completing a Ph.D. at Britain’s Loughborough University, and is the founder and editor in chief of Al-Meezan newspaper, published in Arabic in the United States. He is an internationally-known academic scholar on Mideast affairs.
Sara Jawhari and Mohamad El-Housiny are two Kansas City area students and participants in the successful Viva Palestina medical aid convoy to Gaza.
Nasheed singing by Munzer Talib and Ismael Alqadi
Dabke dancing by Sanabel AlQuds

When: Sunday, February 7, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Location: Doubletree Hotel, 10100 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kansas
$10 donation
Event flyer - http://cjme.org/images/flyer-gaza-event-kansas.pdf

Feb. 15 event at UMKC provides update on KC area students experience providing medical relief to Palestinians

The Muslim Student Association at UMKC invites you to "Viva Palestina: Report back from Gaza." Local Kansas City students will report back on a life-changing journey through Europe and into Palestine, delivering humanitarian aid and medical supplies into war-torn Gaza.

This aid convoy took place in December 2009 and was led by George Galloway, a member of British Parliament known for his anti-war views. Mohamed El-Housiny and Sara Jawhari will each speak of their first hand-experiences in the impoverished Gaza Strip, and the political resistance they faced along the way. Guests from 7thGIV, an independent group of students from Haskell Indian Nations University, will speak about their cultural exchange with youth in the West Bank last year. Panelists will also answer questions regarding their travels.

Please join us for this informative and interactive session to raise awareness about the plight of Gaza.
Pizza and refreshments will be served. Admission is free and open to all.
Location: UMKC Royall Hall 111, 5200 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Missouri
When: Monday, February 15, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
For more info, contact - umkcmsa@umkc.edu
Event flyer - http://cjme.org/images/flyer-viva-palestina-umkc.pdf

Improved CJME web site helps members speak out for Mideast peace

2009-11-18T16:04:00.005-06:00

In January 2009 for three agonizing weeks, many of you in the KC area watched the massive slaughter of hundreds of defenseless Palestinians by a US-funded Israeli military. We did what we could to call attention to the massacre – participated in two large protests in January, two successful fundraisers bringing in over $100,000 for humanitarian relief, wrote letters, signed petitions, and visited with US congressional representatives. The destruction stopped in January 2009 yet the blockade continues today.

In response to the growing urgency to focus attention on the Palestinian’s struggle for self-determination and sovereignty, CJME has elected to develop an improved web site for area residents to discuss and organize activities calling for an end to the occupation.

The current site has served its purpose of acting as an electronic brochure and events calendar, but the new site will add more resources – photos, podcasts, plus aggregate all the past activities and events of CJME. Most importantly, the site will allow people to directly contribute to the site. Here’s a link to the current CJME web site – http://www.cjme.org/.

We believe KC area and regional residents would benefit from this web site to help share opinion and organize activities. Sharing information will enhance and spread the dialog on this most crucial issue.

Citizens for Justice in the Middle East invites you visit the web site again and look for the following features:

A cleaner look to make it easier to navigate than the old
Allows site visitors to comment on articles and stories
Provides an enhanced Action Alerts and Campaigns section, allowing individuals to get more involved in influencing local legislators and media outlets
Allows group members to contribute articles, stories, photos, blog posts, and calendar events
Defines new content such as photos, videos, and audio of local events and programs
Integrates CJME social media sites – Facebook, Twitter, and blog sites

The new web site was designed and built using donated labor on the Drupal open-source content management system.

Matt Quinn

A visit to occupied Palestine - "Your destiny is not your own"

2009-11-09T22:40:00.002-06:00

Rev. Cindy Howard, an Episcopalian priest serving with St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Lee's Summit, Missouri, spoke November 7 about her meetings with a broad spectrum of Palestinian and Israeli groups affected by the Mideast crisis. She traveled with Interfaith Peace Builders in July and during her presentation described aspects of enduring "a stifling occupation." [photo: Billi Jo Larmore]

The purpose of her participation in the delegation was to see the reality on the ground, visit with ordinary Palestinians and Israeli, and, finally, to contribute to a growing peace movement. This was not Rev. Howard’s first travel experience to a conflict zone. In September the Lee's Summit Journal reported on Rev. Howard's trip: “I was a teacher for many years and I’ve taught in Armenia and Bosnia, so going into a conflict zone wasn’t a new thing to me,” she said. “I always think that travel is a life changing experience and I knew a trip like this wouldn’t come along very often.” [1]

During her presentation at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City she framed several questions on the Israel-Palestine crisis. "What is it like to live in a refugee camp?" set up her description of an overnight stay at the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem, where she spoke with the third generation of people that lived in the camp and the difficulty they experience separated from their villages. She described the common experience of spending hours to travel short distances cut off by the Israeli separation wall that splits Bethlehem in two. Despite her short-term stay she was able to understand the strict constraints and dehumanizing experience living under Israeli occupation, leaving her to reflect how "your destiny is not your own."

"What does it mean to live in an occupied territory?" For Cindy’s church parishioners these questions allowed her to discuss the challenges that Palestinians face daily on their way to work, school, or business. During the delegation’s visit to Bi’lin, she stayed with a family forced to separate from the male household head because of constant threat of arrest due to his leadership in the non-violent resistance to the Israeli separation wall. Bi’lin represents both the strong example of the Palestinian non-violent resistance movement, as well as the focus of severe repression by Israeli forces.

The Interfaith Peace Builder delegation also traveled to Sderot, Israel on the border with Gaza. The group heard from Naomi Zion, an Israeli woman with a Sderot-based peace group, who wrote her thoughts about the rocket attacks in Sderot, as well as the massive Israeli attacks on Gaza. [2]

Rev. Howard also described a common incident experienced by the delegation. A delegation member of Canadian-Palestinian descent was held for six hours. During this time Israeli customs officials repeatedly asked questions about her family.

A young Palestinian-American girl attending the November 7 talk described her family’s humiliating experience being detained for 6 1/2 hours traveling to the West Bank in the summer of 2009: “they [the Israelis] don’t want us to come back.” Her father described how people had lost their lives seeking treatment for common ailments like diabetes and delivering babies while waiting to cross checkpoints or the separation fence. He “commended you [Rev. Howard] for what you have done” by traveling to the Mideast.

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[1] “A life changing experience: Local priest travels to Israel, Palestine,” Lee's Summit Journal, http://www.lsjournal.com/100/story/36005.html

[2] “A Sderot Woman Speaks out Against Gaza Operation,” Daily Kos, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/1/10/11281/4229/984/682450

Palestinian-American discovered Gaza trip "would change his life"

2009-11-06T00:22:00.001-06:00

Report Back from Viva Palestina was a "persuasive argument" for more support
Two Palestinian-Americans, Mohamed El-Housiny and Thaer Ahmad, gave emotional accounts of their participation in the "Viva Palestina" delegation to Gaza in July 2009 to a packed auditorium at the University of Missouri--Kansas City on Thursday, November 5. The talk sponsored by the UMKC Muslim Student Association also featured a brief presentation by Rev. Cindy Howard, who participated in an Interfaith Peace Builders delegation to Palestine and Israel in August. Rev. Howard discussed meeting with representatives from a broad spectrum of Israeli and Palestinian society, including visits to the Deheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem and Bi'lin, the site in the West Bank famous for weekly protests against the building of the wall deep inside Palestinian territory.

At age three, one of the event speakers, Mohamed El-Housiny, recalled the unforgettable scene watching his grandfather get thrown to the ground by Israeli forces in Gaza. He then mentioned his eyes were open anew following the terrible massacre of Palestinians this past January. He gave an incredibly moving eyewitness account of the scenes of devastation in Gaza, as well as sharing stories told by victimes of the brutal attacks.

How bad is it in Gaza? While the stories retold by Mohamed and Thaer gave a strong personal message, statistics tell a different story of the dire situation. 1300 Palestinians were killed including 400 children, thousands wounded, thousands of homes were destroyed, as were a great number of schools, businesses, hospitals, and mosques. 40,000 Palestinians are still homeless. 13 Israelis were killed. The guest speakers reported that all aid has to go through Israel according to the 2005 Gaza disengagement plan. The recent Israeli attacks caused $4 billion damage in 22 days, which amounts to three times the annual income of Gaza. The UN estimates the need to deliver supplies from 80-90 vehicles per day, yet Israel only allows 5-15 vehicles in per day. The siege of Gaza has reduced the fishing zone from 15 miles offshore to only 3 miles. Israel profits from the transfer and storage of supplies with much of the financing going back to fund the occupation.

Thaer grew up in the West Bank and thought he would only be an observer on the Viva Palestina delegation, but after his first interaction with the Egyptian government he "knew it would change his life." The Egyptian government was reluctant to allow the Viva Palestina vehicle convoy to pass through to Gaza, holding the delegation for thirteen hours at the border. He commented on the strength of the Palestinian spirit to maintain their livelihood despite the crushing siege. He recalled three young girls telling their story, noting one strong-minded ten-year old girl demand to know "what did these girls [her friends] do to deserve this." One of the girls lost 26 family members during the attacks.

He saw the damage to schools and remembered hearing how schools were used as a safe haven from the attacks. He found it difficult to explain how ruthless the attacks were to target schools with civilians hiding inside.

During the question and answer period of the event, one audience member asked how Palestinians in Gaza are living in the devastation. Thaer said he saw storekeepers open their stories and sweep sidewalks despite a lack of customers. He was amazed to see how they found resolve to endure the death and destruction. "The fact that they get up in the morning each day -- that's resistance!," remarked Thaer.

Mohamed reported another humanitarian aid convoy led by Viva Palestina will commence December 5 in London before continuing through Europe, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt before traveling to Gaza. Viva Palestina convoy organizers are seeking individuals to participate in the convoy. See http://www.vivapalestina-us.org for details.

$103,000 pledged to Palestinian relief; largest event of its type in Kansas or Missouri -- ever

2009-07-05T16:30:00.002-05:00

FUNDRAISER WAS HUGELY SUCCESSFUL!

Participants at the July 2 “Viva Palestina” fundraising event pledged $103,000 for medical relief for Palestinians in Gaza. This generous sum is the largest grassroots fundraising effort for Palestinians in Kansas or Missouri – ever.

Mr. George Galloway, British member of parliament, gave a much-anticipated speech to a capacity crowd of 300 at the Overland Park Marriott. Credit for the large amount raised goes to Galloway for his convincing appeal for direct relief to Palestinians in Gaza. Members of Kansas City’s Muslim and Arab-American communities, as well as many other residents responded generously.

The amount raised will ensure that six trucks representing Kansas and Missouri, will be purchased in Egypt and driven to Gaza, joining with hundreds of other relief vehicles donated by generous Americans from all across the United States. Three Kansas City audience members will journey to Egypt to drive the vehicles in a convoy flying US flags and state and organizational banners to begin a two-week stay in Gaza. Galloway mentioned that his three-month tour of US cities raised $2 million.

One participant “found the event informative and practical, the tone was as much of a call to action as it was a personal, emotional reaction to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” Representatives of several organizations supported the appeal for funds, including American Friends Service Committee—KC, Peaceworks, Citizens for Peace and Justice in the Holy Land (Lee’s Summit, MO), Seventh Generation Indigenous Visionaries (Haskell student group traveling to Palestine on August 1), American Muslims for Palestine, Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, and MAS Freedom.

After brief presentations by local Kansas City area Palestinian-American residents Mohammed Atwa and Dr. Mohamed Ouda, Galloway outlined his support for the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.

In 1975 as a 20-year old young man he first learned of the Palestinian catastrophe – the dispossession of 750,000 from their land in 1948. In 1977 he lived for a year with Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon.

‘Dark Days’ for Palestinians

Recalling the “dark days” of the massacre of thousands of refugee women and children at the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon in 1982 following the devastation of Beirut by invading Israeli forces, he suggested the Israeli attacks in December 2008/January 2009 cast an even darker pall over the Palestinian future.

By preventing Palestinians from departing the small Gaza Strip, he described the recent attacks as “shooting fish in a barrel.” In past massacres, news crews did not arrive until after the deaths and destruction. However, Galloway emphasized that alternative news sources brought the ghastly destruction into homes and to computer screens in real-time. Al Jazeera, PressTV, YouTube and other Internet sites showed horrific human injuries and infrastructure damage.

Galloway said tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed during the 22-day Israeli military campaign. A United Nations report found “52,400 families had homes that were demolished or damaged. Due to ongoing restrictions on the entry of essential construction materials, reconstruction or major repairs have yet to take place.” [1]

If conditions were not bad enough, Galloway stressed “not a single brick, bag of cement, hammer or nails” had been allowed into Gaza to rebuild homes, hospitals, mosques, or schools. “Some people are living in the ruins of their houses,” he added.

Child malnutrition levels and unemployment have increased, leaving the protection of Palestinians to international agencies like the United Nations. Galloway underscored that it was the “UN’s responsibility to feed Palestinians but it was being denied” from providing supplies.

Galloway recalled several well-documented horrific incidents like the one where a 3-year old girl was left undiscovered for days after the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians in Zatoun. Another where a ten-year old girl lost all seven family members. During Galloway’s visit to Gaza with the British convoy the girl asked him “where is this Arab world they tell us about in school?” referring to the lack of support after the 22 days of attacks.

Bold move to break the Israeli (and Arab) siege of Gaza

Galloway announced on January 10, 2009 at a massive rally in Britain that he would organize a convoy to Gaza to provide assistance, to break the siege. On February 14 the convoy left Britain with 100 vehicles to drive through Europe and North Africa.

He revealed the popular support for the convoy as it drove through Europe, Morocco, Tunusia, Algeria, Libya, then Egypt – despite sometimes cold reception from Arab government officials. He described how 100 vehicles were added to the convoy in Libya, “the only country where the people and government supported” the relief convoy. The now two-mile long convoy of vehicles loaded with medical supplies eventually drove from Egypt to Gaza on March 9.

Following an approach similar to the British convoy, Galloway announced news in April 2009 of the fundraising effort for a US convoy departing on July 4 – tomorrow.. All who participated in the July 2 fundraising event in Overland Park are saluted for their generosity. You demonstrate not only the good will of the American people, but also the funds needed to lift the dark days and break the siege.

We in Kansas City are proud to be part of George Galloway's historic mission.

Matt Quinn
Citizens for Justice in the Middle East

Andrea Whitmore
Citizens for Justice in the Middle East

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[1] “Protection of Civilians,” 3-6 June 2009, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, occupied Palestinian territory, [http://unispal.un.org/pdfs/WBN312.pdf]

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> THERE’S STILL TIME TO SUPPORT VIVA PALESTINA. Send a CHECK MADE PAYABLE to: “Viva Palestina USA – IFCO”

Viva Palestina USA – IFCO
47 West Polk Street
Suite 100 – 403
Chicago, IL 60605-2085

IFCO stands for Interreligious Foundation for Community Organizations/Pastors for Peace. Note: IFCO will send your receipt of donation for your records at the end of 2009 so please make sure your correct contact information is included in your donation!

“The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, which has been working for racial, social, and economic justice since 1967, is serving as fiscal sponsor for Viva Palestina USA. Your donation to Viva Palestina - IFCO is fully tax deductible under IFCO’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.”
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“Viva Palestina” fundraiser will provide a lively and timely update on Gaza humanitarian relief efforts

2009-06-28T21:06:00.006-05:00

Event organizers announce guest speakers

UPDATE ON CONDITIONS IN GAZA -

In December 2008, Israel began a military campaign that caused over 5300 Palestinian deaths or injuries, nearly half of the casualties were women and children. Thirteen Israelis were killed, including three civilians. 35,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes. 4000 Palestinian homes were destroyed in the 22 days of attacks. Mona El-Farra, a Palestinian physician and human rights/women’s rights activist, wrote one week after the attacks that “medical staff and people still shell-shocked although cars and people on the streets again but all people have the memories of the events of 20 days bombardment, charred bodies and probably no family is intact.”

The Israeli blockade of Gaza continues today. The stranglehold of Gaza threatens the lives, livelihood, and human dignity of 1.4 million people by severely limiting basic goods and supplies from being transported to Gaza. Human Rights Watch calls the blockade “collective punishment of the civilian population.”

In March, in a bold move, Viva Palestina, a British grassroots organization along with George Galloway led a convoy of 100 vehicles to donate $2 million worth of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

Since that time, UK and EU lawmakers, as well as former US president Jimmy Carter have met with Hamas leaders in Gaza. "I don't believe there is any possibility to have peace between Palestinians and Israel unless Hamas is involved directly, with Fatah,” Carter said.

While we can be optimistic that international partners will alleviate the human catastrophe through aid programs, many basic food and medical supplies remain in severe shortage due to the blockade. Viva Palestina USA will shortcut this blockade by delivering medical supplies to health professionals, charities and grassroots non-governmental organizations working in Gaza.

GUEST SPEAKERS at Viva Palestina Fundraiser in Overland Park, Kansas -

Your generous donation at the Viva Palestina fundraising event on Thursday, July 2 in Overland Park is an important gesture to Palestinians. The following speakers will be part of the event, providing first-hand reports on conditions in Gaza, sharing activities for ending the siege, and, most importantly, raising funds for humanitarian relief.

George Galloway is a British Member of Parliament for the London constituency. He was first elected to Parliament for the City of Glasgow in Scotland in 1987. He has been elected five times to the House of Commons and is now one of the more senior members. For fourteen out of fifteen years he was the elected Senior Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party's Foreign Affairs Committee. The exception was the year 1991 during the Gulf War when he was narrowly defeated.

He is a founder of the Stop the War Coalition UK and is currently its Vice-President. The Stop The War Coalition mobilized two million people to protest against the war on Iraq (the largest demonstration of people in British history).

In response to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Galloway organized the Viva Palestina aid convoy to the Gaza Strip. Raising over $2 million-worth of humanitarian aid in four weeks, Galloway and hundreds of volunteers launched the convoy comprising approximately 120 vehicles intended for use in the Strip, including a fire engine, 12 ambulances, a boat and trucks full of medicines, tools, clothes, blankets and gifts for children. The 5,000-mile route passed through Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.[Wikipedia]

Imam Mahdi Bray is a long time civil and human rights activist currently serving as the Executive Director of MAS Freedom (MASF), the Washington, D.C.-based civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS).

Dr. Mohamed Odah is a principal professional engineer and founder of a highly respected environmental engineering firm, based in Overland Park, Kansas. Dr. Odah developed and patented engineering technologies that are implemented worldwide and is a frequent speaker at major national and international engineering conferences. Dr. Odah earned his Ph.D. at UMKC and his M.S. and B.S. in engineering at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Odah grew up in Gaza and arrived at KU after finishing high school and has been a resident of the Kansas City area for almost 30 years. His family, including his 89 years old mother whom he has not been able to visit in 6 years despite several attempts, continues to reside in Gaza.

Mohammed Atwa is a Kansas City resident with Palestinian family members in Gaza. He spoke about his family recently on KKFI-FM 90.1 radio. Mr. Atwa’s mother lives in Gaza, while his brother is a journalist for Ramattan, the only news organization reporting live on events in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli attacks. Mr. Atwa grew up and studied in Gaza, and works with Arava Institute, an environmental education school in Israel. Mr. Atwa spoke at the CJME Gaza fundraiser in January 2009.

Given the Israeli government’s unwillingness to allow humane levels of supplies to pass to Gaza, as well as US government reluctance to provide assistance, the challenge for American citizens is to make financial donations to humanitarian relief through organizations like Viva Palestina USA.

Please give generously!

Citizens for Justice in the Middle East

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For more information on the July 2 fundraising event use any of the following resources.

> WEB: Read more on Kansas City / Viva Palestina Fundraiser

> CALL 816-213-3022 or 816-729-9102

> FACEBOOK: Signup for event on Facebook

> TWITTER: Follow Viva Palestina event

> EVENT FLYER (Adobe PDF, 3.5 MB size) | PRESS RELEASE (HTML)

> MORE on Viva Palestina-US and George Galloway web site

> NOT ATTENDING THE EVENT? Send a CHECK MADE PAYABLE to: Viva Palestina USA – IFCO

MAS Office

10107 W. 105th Street

Overland Park KS 66212

Viva Palestina Fundraiser on July 2 is opportunity for KC residents to send medical relief to Gaza

2009-06-27T19:14:00.005-05:00

British MP George Galloway and Mahdi Bray headline Kansas City Viva Palestina Fundraiser

KANSAS CITY, MO – Several area peace and justice groups – Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom, Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, Citizens for Peace and Justice in the Holy Land (Lee's Summit, MO), American Friends Service Committee-KC, Peaceworks—KC, and American Muslims for Palestine – are proud to join hands for a large fundraiser event for medical relief for Palestinans. The event will feature British Member of Parliament George Galloway (see photo), MAS Freedom executive director and civil rights activist Mahdi Bray, and local speakers.

The fundraising event will be held on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 6:30 pm at the Overland Park Marriott hotel in Grand Ballroom E located at 10800 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas. There is no charge to attend the event, but organizers are hoping event participants will give generously.

Hosting a stop on the fundraiser tour of Viva Palestina is a privilege for Kansas City area residents. Other stops on the tour have included San Diego, Chicago, Anaheim, Houston, New York, Chicago, and Denver. The event will give area residents an opportunity to make a direct impact towards breaking the nearly two-year Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Over $4000 was raised at Kansas City event in January to assist the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) to overcome the effects of the 23-day siege of Gaza, which left 1400 Palestinians dead, mostly women and children.

Despite a faltering U.S. economy that has impacted your savings and jobs, many of you generously made a financial donation at the January event. Citizens for Justice in the Middle East and Overland Park fundraiser event organizers are hoping you will come out to the July 2 event, one of the last events before the Viva Palestina convoy departs New York for Egypt on July 4. The convoy will take 500 vehicles and $10 million in humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza.

The July 2 event in Overland Park promises to be a lively, sober update of the current events in Gaza, along with an update on relief efforts. Your financial contribution at the event is not only an important step to relieve the suffering of people in Gaza, but also acknowledges an Israeli-Palestinian peace resolution is the cornerstone of a Middle East transformation.

Matt Quinn
Citizens for Justice in the Middle East

-------------------

For more information on the July 2 fundraising event use any of the following resources.

> WEB: Read more on Kansas City / Viva Palestina Fundraiser

> CALL 816-213-3022 or 816-729-9102

> FACEBOOK: Signup for event on Facebook

> TWITTER: Follow Viva Palestina event

> EVENT FLYER (Adobe PDF, 3.5 MB size) | PRESS RELEASE (HTML)

> MORE on Viva Palestina-US and George Galloway web site

----------------------

Gaza Background: While news and reports on the Gaza crisis have disappeared from major news media, there are several reports available that reveal the severe impact of the continuing siege on Palestinians in Gaza. Here are two recent reports.

Health Effects on Children of Gaza Crisis Worsening

The World Health Organization reported that more than 10% of children in Israeli-besieged Gaza ‘chronically malnourished’.

Rising poverty, unemployment and food insecurity in Gaza, compounded by the recent 23-day Israeli offensive, have increased the threat of child malnutrition, say UN agencies, health ministry officials and healthcare NGOs in Gaza.

UN World Health Organization (WHO) officials are concerned by the warning signs, including rising malnutrition indicators - like increased cases of stunting, wasting and underweight children - and continuing high rates of anaemia among children and pregnant women.

Over the past 18 months the agricultural sector has been struggling to cope with an Israeli blockade on imports and exports, causing lower productivity and reducing access to affordable fresh food, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“There was a rise in anaemia amongst children in our centres in 2008 and [this is] continuing,” said Adnan al-Wahaidi, director of Ard al-Insan Benevolent Association in Gaza, the main healthcare NGO supporting an estimated 16,000 undernourished children.

“Women with children who are underweight or wasting have been coming to the centres in greater numbers over the last few months; many of their husbands died during the recent conflict or are unemployed.”

314 children were killed and at least 860 wounded as a result of the Gaza conflict since it began on 27 December. (Al Mezan).

Still today, children and babies are dying in conditions that no human should have to endure, let alone a child. Handicap International estimates that up to 55 percent of people injured (including about 450 children) have sustained injuries that are so severe that without proper rehabilitation, they will likely result in permanent disability and/or death. (OCHA)

The deteriorating health situation in Gaza has been intensified by Israel’s blockade of crossings into the area, the United Nations agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees warned today. – UN agency – 22 May 2009.

According to the agency’s latest health report, some 4,000 medical items per day on average could cross into Gaza before the conflict, whereas only 40 items are currently allowed to be imported daily.

< Read more >

Story-tellers at the Crossroads: American Indian youth group seeks bonds with Palestinian youth‏

2009-05-26T11:35:00.002-05:00

What would compel a student group from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas to travel to Palestine? Despite enduring a legacy of stolen land and sovereignty, Native youth will exchange stories with Palestinian youth during a two-week delegation to Palestine in August.

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Fundraiser Dinner Event for 7th Generation Indigenous Visionaries
To support the Haskell students’ delegation Citizens for Justice in the Middle East will host a fundraiser dinner on Sunday, May 31 at 6:00 pm at the Holy Land Café, 12275 West 87th Street Parkway, Overland Park, Kansas. All proceeds will go to the student group, 7th Generation Indigenous Visionaries, to help pay for their travel expenses. The dinner will feature Haskell student leader Melissa Franklin, who will participate in the Indigenous Youth Delegation to Palestine, and Laura Closson, a Kansas City resident and Redlands University graduate, will discuss her observations in a women's delegation to Gaza in March 2009.

The fundraiser dinner cost is $25 per person, $40 per couple, and $50 for a family. The dinner will consist of Middle Eastern cuisine at the award-winning Holy Land Café. Benefit participants are encouraged to make reservations by calling Ginger at 913-362-8362, or purchase tickets by sending a check made out to “MECA” and addressed to Ginger Kenney, CJME, 9000 Mullen, Lenexa, KS 66215. MECA is the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA), which is a registered nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well being of children in the Middle East.
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Melissa Franklin, a student leader at the university, will join four other current students and alumni on the delegation. Haskell serves as a “crossroads for many Indian tribes,” Melissa mentioned, pointing out that dozens of tribes have been represented by the children and students attending. Her grandmother attended Haskell in the 1920’s and her grandfather worked there for 27 years. Her family heritage includes Comanche, Wichita, and Sac & Fox tribes.

Using their story-telling experience the student group will share stories with Palestinians tracing their ancestors’ footsteps through Haskell boarding school before it became a four-year university. Through family and tribal stories, they recall how Haskell started as an institute of forced assimilation but now serves as a center of healing.

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7th Generation Indigenous Visionaries, an independent group of current students and alumni from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, will join a delegation to Palestine for two weeks in August 2009. The delegation is comprised of grassroots youth groups throughout the U.S. and Palestine. The organizing group is connecting Native and immigrant youth in the U.S with youth in Palestine “through the use of print media, traditional music, hip hop, photography, poetry, video, and other forms of arts media, we share our stories and involve our local communities in building a national and international movement against colonization and for self-determination.”
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The 7th Generation Indigenous Visionaries’ goal to share their stories is a powerful gesture of solidarity with Palestinians. This effort to bridge their common struggle is inspiring. Liberation and self-determination is the delegation’s goal – let’s do all we can to support them by attending the fundraiser or making a financial donation.

For more information go to the CJME web site – http://www.cjme.org

May 31 benefit in Kansas City helps area students on first ever Native Youth Delegation to Palestine

2009-05-20T22:25:00.003-05:00

Fundraiser dinner to support group’s travel expenses

05.20.2009 – Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, a Kansas City advocacy group focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will host a fundraiser dinner for Haskell student group 7th Generation Indigenous Visionaries. The fundraiser will help pay for the student group’s participation in the first-ever Indigenous Youth Delegation to Palestine. The dinner will feature speakers and take place on Sunday, May 31 at 6:00 pm at the Holy Land Café, 12275 W 87th Street Parkway, Overland Park, Kansas.

The fundraiser event will feature:
- Haskell students who will be joining the Indigenous Youth Delegation, including student leader Melissa Franklin.
- Laura Closson, a Kansas City resident and Redlands University graduate, who will speak about her experience with a women's delegation to Gaza in March 2009. The delegation, which included author Alice Walker, contributed to the relief of Palestinian women living in Gaza.

7th Generation Indigenous Visionaries, an independent group of current students and alumni from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, will join a delegation to Palestine for two weeks in August 2009. The Indigenous Youth Delegation to Palestine is comprised of grassroots youth groups throughout the U.S. and Palestine. Youth Solidarity Network, a project of the Middle East Children's Alliance, is connecting Native and immigrant youth in the U.S. with youth in Palestine by creating forums to reflect together and bridge their struggles.

Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) was founded in 1988 and is a registered nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well being of children in the Middle East.

The fundraiser dinner cost is $25 per person, $40 per couple, and $50 for a family. The dinner will consist of Middle Eastern cuisine at the award-winning Holy Land Café. Benefit participants can make reservations by calling Ginger at 913-362-8362, or purchase tickets by sending a check made out to “MECA” and send a check to Ginger Kenney, CJME, 9000 Mullen, Lenexa, KS 66215. Please provide the names of the people you are making reservations for. Seating at the restaurant is limited so participants are encouraged to make their reservations early.

Date:
Sunday, May 31, 6:00 p.m.

Cost:
$25 per person; $40 couple; $50 family
RSVP - 913-362-8362
Middle Eastern cuisine

Location:
Holy Land Cafe
12275 W. 87th Street Parkway
Overland Park, Kansas
(southeast corner of 87th & Monrovia)

Make your check out to "MECA" and send to:
Ginger Kenney
Citizens for Justice in the Middle East
9000 Mullen
Lenexa, KS 66215

For more information call 816-729-9102 or write info@cjme.org

How could this happen in Gaza? – Again

2009-02-01T14:27:00.003-06:00

UN observers say there was no safe refuge in Gaza after the Israeli military bombed several schools, hospitals and 20 mosques. The International Committee of the Red Cross described Israeli actions as “shocking” and “unacceptable.” International human rights organizations charged Israel with war crimes over the illegal use of white phosphorous, dense inert metal explosives (DIME) and weapons with depleted uranium. Finally, doctors in Gaza describe the catastrophe as “genocidal attacks.”

Prior to the attacks that began on December 27, UN and human rights reports described the misery caused by the 18-month long Israeli blockade of Gaza as inhumane. Yet the deadly attacks further compounded the misery, resulting in over 1200 Palestinians have been killed and 5300 wounded, nearly half of the casualties are women and children. Thirteen Israelis were killed, including three civilians. 35,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes. Psychologists describe a horrific and widespread trauma that Palestinians will experience long past the dead are buried.

Many people in Kansas City were appalled and sickened by the death and destruction in Gaza. They responded by writing letters to newspapers, calling elected officials, signing petitions, donating money, joining protests, and speaking out in emails and on the Internet. This support for an end to the attacks and blockade showed people are hopeful about a change in US foreign policy. But others strongly support Israel’s military campaign.

Demonize your enemy, Kansas City style

Demonizing your enemy is not a new concept. Israel and the US government have dehumanized Palestinians for decades with US media describing nearly every Israeli attack as simple retribution for Palestinian “terror.” Palestinian supporters demonize Israeli government officials, too, but what sticks in American minds is what the US media reports.

To hear what type of Israel support there is in Kansas City, I attended the conservative Kansas City-based Zenith Boosters Club, which took on the topic of Gaza in January with a presentation by Rabbi Alan Cohen.

The rabbi offered a defense of Israel military policy, typically found in mainstream US media and government, namely, Hamas is part of an international terror network bent on the destruction of Israel. Hamas launched thousands of rockets despite Israel’s “self-restraint, enormous self-restraint,” referring to the attacks that had killed 500 Palestinians and injured thousands by the time of this talk. In other words, Israel had no choice.

The first question after the presentation came from a regular member of the club. He asked why Israel did not apply the genocidal solution of Genghis Khan to the Palestinians. When someone asked the questioner if he meant “move them [the Palestinians] out” of Gaza, he said, “No, I mean exterminate -- wipe them out.” The questioner overlooked the irony of asking a Jewish rabbi if exterminating Palestinians was a viable solution. In response, however, Rabbi Cohen suggested that if Israel is confronted with a real threat that it has a nuclear bomb and would not hesitate to use it.

“Israel wants nothing more than to live in peace, side-by-side” with Palestinians, Rabbi Cohen suggested, citing an oft-repeated line that contradicts the reality of Israel’s attacks, which left Gaza ungovernable.

Another Massacre Denied: “We are not targeting civilians”

Israeli leaders and public relations spokespersons stated from the first day of the Gaza attacks that the military was only targeting Hamas militants, careful to avoid civilian casualties. Pressed with revelations that women and children were a major portion of the casualties, these same officials claimed Hamas was using civilians as human shields.

On January 15, 2009, a single day during the recent attacks, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights reported “All civilian institutions in the Gaza Strip, including the UN Relief and Works Agency, the International Committee of the Red Cross; medical institutions, civil defense and information institutions, are being targeted by IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces], who are flagrantly continuing to obstruct the work of these institutions, and in doing so are violating humanitarian law.” The International Committee of the Red Cross unearthed 22 bodies from the Al-Samouni family in Al-Zaytoun district east of Gaza City. Israel military bombed the medical compound of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society which includes offices and the five-story Al Quds Hospital. “Three shells hit the Al Quds hospital in the neighborhood, settings its pharmacy building ablaze, trapping 400 patients and staff inside the main hospital building,” according to a Associated Press story on the same day.

Sadly, the Gaza attacks by Israel follow a familiar pattern in other military campaigns. Using a similar justification for disproportionate attacks in Iraq in April and November 2004, US military forces invaded Fallujah for retribution of the killing of private contractors.

US congressional representative Jim McDermott, a critic of the attacks, reported “US forces cut off Fallujah’s water and electricity. About 200,000 residents were forced to flee…. Public buildings, mosques and residences were subjected to assault by air and ground forces. Convoys sent by the Iraqi Red Crescent were turned away from attending to the injured. The means of attack employed against Fallujah are illegal and cannot be justified by any conceivable ends.” [1]

A member of the Brussels, Belgium Tribunal Committee reported that “everything that moved became a target and even ambulances weren’t spared. An ambulance was hit by a missile right before our eyes and completely burned out.” [2]. The report also documented use of cluster bombs and white phosphorous in the attacks. The Central Health Centre in Fallujah was bombed by US forces on November 9, killing “40 patients and fifteen health workers.” US forces claimed the hospital was controlled by insurgents and used as a “center of propaganda.”

Placing the Israeli attacks in perspective, there is only one way to describe events that occurred recently in the Gaza Strip – Israel engaged in a planned, deliberate massacre of Palestinian people.

The massacre in Gaza, like the massacre of 1700 civilians in the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps, should be investigated and adjudicated in an international court.

Occasionally a massacre reveals the depth to which officials deny responsibility. In an attack in El Salvador in 1981, soldiers from the US-trained Salvadoran government Atlacatl Batallion killed “733 peasants, mostly children, women and old people” in a supposed raid against anti-government rebel forces. The first US newspaper reported on the massacre six weeks later. The Salvadoran government denied the reports, then US Assistant Secretary of State Eliot Abrams stated the reports “were not credible,” and the Wall Street Journal criticized the stories.

Yet the truth about the US role was clear as reported by author Mark Hertsgaard, "What made the Morazán [El Salvador] massacre stories so threatening was that they repudiated the fundamental moral claim that undergirded US policy. They suggested that what the United States was supporting in Central America was not democracy but repression. They therefore threatened to shift the political debate from means to ends, from how best to combat the supposed Communist threat — send US troops or merely US aid? — to why the United States was backing state terrorism in the first place." [3]

Who broke the truce? Why try to destroy Hamas?

“The breakdown of a truce between Hamas and Israel had been observed for several months by both sides. The truce was maintained by Hamas despite the failure of Israel to fulfill its obligation under the agreement to improve the living conditions of the people of Gaza. The recent upsurge of violence occurred after an Israeli incursion that killed several alleged militants within Gaza” on November 4. [4]

This was not a war against Hamas, but an all-out campaign to destroy Palestinian civil society, a campaign to destroy Palestinians’ ability to govern and protect themselves. Witness the destruction of all government buildings in Gaza, including police stations, prisons, courthouses, and businesses. Gaza society was on the verge of collapse because of an 18-month Israeli blockade – before the latest attacks. One resident said “Whatever capacity we did have to run our affairs is no longer there.”

The US bears a huge portion of responsibility for perpetuating the catastrophe when it “blocked approval of a statement demanded by Arab countries calling for an immediate cease-fire and expressing serious concern at the escalation of violence.” [5] In a similar pattern the US blocked a ceasefire resolution on the second day of the Lebanon/Gaza crisis in 2006, which resulted in over 1000 Lebanese deaths, 400 Palestinian Gazan deaths, and over 100 Israeli deaths. An early ceasefire would have greatly reduced deaths.

Let’s be clear – rockets from Gaza should have stopped -- but let’s also be honest by acknowledging Hamas’ limited capacity to threaten Israeli society. The right approach is to negotiate a truce, leading to an end to the occupation and long-term resolution to the conflict.

In one of the most brilliantly argued explanations for Israel’s military attacks, Henry Siegman, former executive director of the American Jewish Congress, wrote “Why then are Israel’s leaders so determined to destroy Hamas? Because they believe that its leadership, unlike that of Fatah, cannot be intimidated into accepting a peace accord that establishes a Palestinian ‘state’ made up of territorially disconnected entities over which Israel would be able to retain permanent control. Control of the West Bank has been the unwavering objective of Israel’s military, intelligence and political elites since the end of the Six-Day War.” [6]

Matt Quinn

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[1] Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1/11/2005
[2] Brussels Tribunal report, 12/20/2005
[3] On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency, Mark Hertsgaard, Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1988
[4] Richard Falk, UN’s Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, 12/30/2008
[5] Kansas City Star, AP report, 1/3/2009
[6] “Israel’s Lies,” Henry Sieman, London Review of Books, 1/29/2009 - http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n02/sieg01_.html

Open Letter to the People of Gaza

2009-01-28T22:09:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends of Citizen Voices

Please read and sign and/or reply to the letter below. You may pass it along to like-minded people but please keep in mind that its critical stance toward Israel will not be helpful to those who cannot tolerate such criticism. We need to engage them differently, especially Jews, many of whom I believe are still traumatized, if only secondarily, from the Holocaust. That doesn't excuse what the Israeli government has been doing but I don't want to intentionally provoke someone whom I know can't tolerate, for what ever reason, the truth.

Also note that I was advised to leave out the word "jihad" by someone because westerners tend to associate it with terrorism and violent resistance. I decided to keep it in because the letter really is to Gazans who know or should know its true meaning as "righteous struggle", i.e. like what CJME and other peace and justice groups have been doing.

Shalom and Salaam,

Jim Fleming
816-213-1885

OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF GAZA

Dear Friends,

We, citizens of the United States, are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent destruction of your homeland and killing of your people by the Israeli Defense Forces, an action which has been shamefully funded and justified as "defense" by our own government. The massive killing of civilians and destruction of infrastructure in Gaza is yet another cruel blow by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people. Such rampant escalation of violence and destruction, coming on the heels of an inhumane and prolonged blockade, can not be tolerated and must not be repeated.

Right now most of the Arab and Muslim world and much of the rest of the world is outraged by Israel's aggression which the U.N has condemned as out of proportion to the rocket attacks fired by Hamas fighters. Even though the official response of the new U.S. administration has been little different from that of previous ones, there is likely to be a shift toward a more critical posture toward Israel.

Ironically the humanitarian crisis and the greater than 100:1 ratio of Gazan to Israeli deaths in this conflict puts Gaza and Hamas in a position of advantage in the eyes of the world. Israel has clearly overreached; Israel has clearly been the primary aggressor. In the eyes of the world Palestinians are being seen as the real victims. Sadly, but in truth, this situation presents an opportunity to build support for a true Palestinian state, however this advantage will certainly vanish if there are renewed attacks on Israel including by rockets and suicide bombings.

We are not being moralistic here. It is not a matter of whether renewed attacks are justified or not. It is a matter of practicality. It is a matter of innocent lives being saved. Moreover, the cause of justice for Palestinians will not be served by more attacks on Israel which is likely to unleash more attacks on Gaza and cause potentially sympathetic countries including the U.S. to withdraw from support for a Palestinian homeland. The Hamas leadership knows these attacks inflict no significant damage on Israelis as a whole or on Israel's military machine. They only inflame Israeli hatred. But the most potent weapon Israel has at its disposal is the term the "terrorist". Once this potent word is uttered, the dialogue is over and somehow the rationalization for anything Israel does is made in the name of "defending itself".

Israel's inhumane policies and actions in the Occupied Terrorities are already being compared to the apartheid system of South Africa and their recent attacks on Gaza could clearly be characterized as "terrorist" in nature. But those with the power in the region, especially the U.S. are not ready to apply these damning labels yet, labels which have been shown to be capable of toppling powerful, repressive and unjust regimes.

The anguish and rage which must be felt by your people is difficult for most of us in the U.S. to understand and it is impossible to say how any of us would respond if we too had been subjected to decades of indignities. A natural reaction would be to strike back. Unfortunately there are many Israelis who would welcome another opportunity to punish the Palestinians, perhaps even harder--amazingly a large majority of Israelis supported the recent attacks and invasion of Gaza. But the Hamas leadership could make a strategic decision to denounce attacks on Israel and take steps to be sure attacks don't occur on their watch. If they do, their status will rise in the eyes of the world and Israel's oppressive behavior will be highlighted. Already there are calls for prosecution of israel for war crimes and support for a thorough investigation of the recent massive, almost month long Israeli aggression will not be silenced as long as Gazans are shown to be
focused on recovery and peace rather than revenge. Support for Palestinians will increase and support for the apartheid structure will crumble. Further, those groups in Israel, now a minority, which are promoting peace and justice for Palestinians will rise in status and become real players in the Israeli government.

The suffering and oppression of your people and that of all Palestinians must stop. We support you in your struggle for justice but righteous struggle, jihad, need not be violent. Violence only breeds more violence--until one side decides to cease. It take great courage and strength, but non-violent struggles do succeed.

In the name of the innocent people who died in the recent onslaught in your homeland; in the name of peace and justice for your children and ours; in the name of God who is Merciful; we urge you and your leaders to use the power of words and the power of non-violence resistance to set a new course for peace and justice in your region. We will support you. The world will support you. We beg of you: seize this opportunity for change.

In Peace and Solidarity,

James L. Fleming, M.D.

--------------------------------

Global Exchange Trip to Palestine

2009-01-13T21:27:00.005-06:00

On December 9th 2008, my peace and justice delegation to Israel-Palestine was cut short due to a personal injury.

I was on a home demolition tour with ICAHD (http://www.icahd.org/) when the accident occurred. While trying to reach a displaced Palestinian widow, I took it upon myself to climb through the demolition debris and razor wire that had been placed all around her home (now a UN provided tent for which she must pay rent). I fell and broke my ankle and could not continue with the group. I didn't feel this way at the time, but I feel blessed now for this experience and know that my hopes to see a real glimpse of Palestinian life were answered.

I was taken to Al-Makassed Islamic Charity Hospital for surgery. I had many options for care and could have sought help at a more modern Israeli hospital and in fact that was encouraged by the trip leader and others around me. However, as I was on this trip to understand the plight of the Palestinian people, I inquired about and chose the only option that would be available to my Palestinian guides in a similar situation; Al-Makassed.

There was anesthesia for the surgery but no pain medication to follow. I was feeling sorry for myself until I met my two roommates. One, a young woman from Hebron, had been in an auto accident. She had been forced off the road by Jewish settlers. She is now permanently paralyzed. She'd been there a week before I arrived and her parents were only then getting to see her. It had taken almost a full week for them to receive permission from Israel to travel from Hebron to East Jerusalem to visit their critically ill daughter. The permit was good for only 10 hours that single day. After 7:00 PM that evening they would be in violation of the order and subject to imprisonment. They chose to stay. We all slept side by side and they treated me as a guest in their own home, sharing blankets and food with me, including me in their Eid celebration and in their prayers.

My other roommate arrived the day I was discharged. He was a 9 year old boy who had severely mangled his hand in a piece of farming equipment. He was such a brave boy and only sobbed softly to himself. Again, there was no pain medication for a child obviously in agony. I had nothing to offer him except some chocolate one of the nurses had given me earlier in the day. He grasped it tightly and took it into surgery with him. I never saw him again.

It's sad to think an American with no ties to Israel or Palestine had so many more options for medical treatment than those whose families have lived there for decades. I highly encourage donations to medical centers in the Occupied Territories. Please offer what you can. Also, if you ever have the opportunity to visit one, please do so. It is a life altering experience. One of the most powerful impressions I left with was that of the Palestinians themselves. So resilient, so happy, so hospitable. I am so amazed and inspired by their passion and their absolute joy for life even among dire and often humiliating conditions. The Occupation does not define them.

I cannot wait to return and continue this journey. There is a way for peace and we must all work together to find it. We are one.

In Solidarity,

Billi Jo Larmore

A report on an Israeli official's talk to Kansas City audience

2009-01-07T16:20:00.002-06:00

Fellow Mennonites George Melby, John Mueller, Quaker friend Ginger Kenney, and I attended a lecture and Q&A at the Jewish Community Center last night. It was a very unsettling experience for me to hear all the right-wing, pro-war rhetoric from the speaker and from the audience. There was one question offered by a middle-aged doctor wearing scrubs that expressed some skepticism about Israel's end-game and expectations of success through violence. And someone asked about possible spreading of violence to other countries. (This morning the Associated ress

reports on several acts of violence in Europe against Jews and synagogues in France, Sweden and Britain: http://www.truthout.org/010709K).

There was one brave Muslim who stood up and posed a reasonable question about why the harsh economic sanctions imposed by Israel on Gaza were not relaxed during the recent cease-fire. He was heckled and interrupted by members of the audience, but treated politely by the speaker, although not given a satisfying answer.

The event ended after only 40 minutes, and even though the four of us remained silent during that time, I think we all were formulating comments and questions we would raise if the atmosphere were more conducive or if the event went on another 10-20 minutes. Ginger would

have asked about COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT, whether Israel respected Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. John would have asked about the plight of the Gazans at their last election when faced with the choice between corruption vs. militarism (PLO vs. Hamas) -- and

wasn't it a choice between the LESSER OF TWO EVILS. I would have asked about the negative perception the world is getting of Israel using DISPROPORTIONATE force against a weaker opponent, like the fire hoses turned on the children of Birmingham during the Civil Rights struggle.

This morning I received Gene Stoltzfus's newest blog entry:

http://peaceprobe.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/gaza-letter-to-president-elect-obama/

-- which gives me hope and inspiration for a reasonable long-range solution for the Middle East. And his precious quote from Albert Einstein: "You cannot solve a problem with the same thinking that caused the problem."

Phil Rhoads

phil.rhoads@gmail.com

original posting: http://groups.google.com/group/rainbow-peace-justice/browse_thread/thread/7ced217e06fe6eba?hl=en

Double Standard: Two Sides of the Same Coin

2007-06-21T18:44:00.000-05:00

While the US government and much of the mainstream media blame Hamas for the current crisis in Palestine, more indepth reporting provides a deeper understanding as evident by former President Jimmy Carter comments in a Reuters report this week. He warned that plans to assist Palestinians in the West Bank were an attempt to "reward them," while continuing to "punish" the 1.5 million aid-dependent Palestinians in Gaza. "This effort to divide Palestine into two peoples now, I think it is a step in the wrong direction," he said.

For more commentary and analysis on the crisis, see the collection of articles at the bottom of this message.
------------------------

Double Standard: Two Sides of the Same Coin
The definition of a double standard is "an ethical or moral code that applies more strictly to one group than to another." Many critics of US foreign policy point out clear examples of double standards in current events, namely, the U.S. allows itself the right to "preventive aggression" but forbids others the same right, even in self-defense. The U.S. coerced international support and eventually invaded Iraq in 1991 for its occupation of Kuwait despite decades of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

In his new book, "Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy," Noam Chomsky writes that double standards are misleading and more accurately should be described as single standards. The single standard reads "all for ourselves, and nothing for other people." Clearly, this standard applies to current conflicts in the Middle East.

The US practices torture in Guantanamo and Iraq, supports torture in "friendly" Arab nations, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and condones Israeli torture and detention against Palestinian civilians.

US coerces UN action on Iran's civilian nuclear program, yet encourages India's nuclear weapons program in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel, with the world's sixth largest nuclear weapons arsenal, says it may "go it alone" with threats to attack Iran's nuclear sites in the face of Iran's pronouncements. Both India and Israel have refused to sign onto the NPT, while Iran maintains its obligations to the treaty. US reserves the right to threaten Iran, clearly also a violation of the NPT agreement. Diplomacy is critical to reduce Iran and Israel's war of words. [1]

Israel claims every deadly raid into the Palestinian territories is in search of "wanted men." Meanwhile, Israeli politicians can promise to ethnically "cleanse" (Ayalon, 5/25/07) and "cut the water and power" in Gaza (Netanyahu, 5/18), or on the topic of a full-scale Gaza invasion "the question is not if but how and when" (Barak, 6/17). The Israeli military kidnaps dozens of Palestinian government officials and civilians, destroys crucial civilian infrastructure, while boldly announcing an open assassination policy.

The single standard means Israel builds the separation wall/fence deep in the West Bank and continues to expand illegal settlement colonies, taking the best land and water resources. The International Court of Justice ruling against the wall in 2004 is rejected. Non-violent resistance to the theft of land in Bil'in is met with teargas and rubber bullets, while Israeli soldiers have injured hundreds of Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters, and killed several. Suggestions that Palestinians have a right to defend their land are never discussed in the mainstream media nor debated in international forums.

On May 14, the Israeli consul-general Baruch Binah visited Kansas City for a talk sponsored by the International Relations Council titled "The Middle East in the Shadow of Iran." During the talk he claimed Israel "must take seriously their threat" in four theaters -- Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Iran. His talk was largely meant to justify Israel's invasion and conquest of land in the 1967 war with Syria, Jordan and Egypt, arguing that Israel is following international law and human rights.

However, he confirmed the single standard with his claim of a united Jerusalem, never again to be shared between Israel and Palestinians, or kept as a open city as originally intended in the 1947 UN partition plan. He rejected negotiations of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, while ignoring voracious settlement colony growth, stating "there are no new settlements." He used a deceitful interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 242 to claim that Palestine is not occupied despite clear international law against the occupation of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza (no settlers, but prison conditions persist according to B'Tselem, an Israeli HR group). Israel interprets the single standard as "might makes right."

Israeli anthropologist Dr. Uri Davis was in Kansas City on May 1 before traveling to Lawrence, Kansas to give a talk to Univ. of Kansas students. Uri Davis presented a refreshing alternative to the consul-general with his argument to use international law in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, recalling the end to apartheid and reconciliation between blacks and whites in South Africa. He cited the 1947 UN partition plan as the foundation for Israel, despite this plan being "as bad as Balfour" for Palestinians, but suggested it is legally supportable. He went on to point out UN resolutions establish the critical issues defining the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- borders, settlements, right of return for refugees and east Jerusalem.

His hopeful message reflects international civilian opinion that negotiations on these issues are the best approach to resolving the conflict. A majority of civilians in nations in different parts of the world acknowledge the unresolved conflict as the most significant danger to world peace -- next to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. [2]

-- Matt Quinn
Citizens for Justice in the Middle East

Note: What do you think of this article? To share your comments with other readers, go to http://citizen-voices.blogspot.com/2007/06/double-standard-two-sides-of-same-coin_21.html or reply to this message to share comments with me.

[1] "Twenty Reasons against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran," May 2007, CASAMII
[2] Pew Global Attitudes Project, June 13, 2006 - "America's Image Slips, But Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas"

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Additional reading on the Palestinian crisis -

"FAQ on the Gaza Crisis," June 18, 2007, Institute for Middle East Understanding, http://imeu.net/news/article005588.shtml
"Gaza faces crisis as borders sealed," June 17, 2007, Maan News, http://www.imeu.net/news/printer005571.shtml
"Psychosocial causes for factional war," June 14, 2007, Palestine Chronicle, http://www.imeu.net/news/printer005555.shtml
"Carter: Stop Favoring Fatah over Hamas," June 19, 2007, Jerusalem Post, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1181813074587&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
"What Hamas Wants," June 20, 2007, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/opinion/20yousef.html