Pro-Gaza activists under siege - imposed by Egypt and Hamas
Hundreds of people came from around the world to protest the siege on Gaza, but ran into a wall.
By Amira Hass Tags: Hamas Amira Hass Gaza Israel newsThe departure from Ramses Street in Cairo, in about 20 buses, was set for the morning of Monday, December 28. However, the organizers of the Gaza Freedom March knew the buses would not arrive. Just as on Sunday night, the buses hired by a group of French activists never made it to their starting point - Cairo's Charles de Gaulle Street, near the French Embassy and across from the zoo.
In the week before the planned march, the Foreign Ministry in Cairo made it clear that the protesters would not be permitted to enter Gaza. Boats even mysteriously disappeared from the Nile on Sunday evening. The Egyptian authorities knew that scores of activists were planning to sail and light candles to mark the first anniversary of Israel's attack on Gaza and the 1,400 people who were killed.
A total of 1,361 people came to Cairo from 43 countries to participate in the Gaza Freedom March, 700 of them from the United States alone, many more than initially expected. It started out as a small initiative. Then the American feminist and peace group Codepink signed on, and it gradually spread to other countries.
Bringing Gaza to Cairo
"If we can't go to Gaza, we'll bring Gaza to Cairo," said one American peace activist. And indeed, for an entire week, more than a thousand foreign citizens, the vast majority of them from Western countries, scurried around the Egyptian capital looking for ways and places to demonstrate against the blockade of Gaza.
"The demonstrations in Cairo are conclusive proof that Israel pressured Egypt not to allow entry into Gaza," said one Egyptian citizen (who like other Egyptians, did not dare participate in the demonstrations, for fear of punishment). "What does Egypt need this headache for? It would have been easier and simpler to have sent them all to Gaza and forget about them."
When the buses didn't show, the French activists set up tents and sleeping bags outside the embassy. At 2 A.M., they discovered that le camping had been surrounded by a fence and a tight cordon of riot-dispersal police. Tents, a police barrier, movement restrictions, and an area under siege: Without having planned it, they were replicating the Gazan situation in particular and the Palestinian situation in general. Withstanding the siege conditions became an aim and a challenge.
During the next two or three days, the cordon intensified, from one row of police to three. Every few hours, the activists discussed how to proceed; this was direct democracy in action. Without secrets, without orders from on high, without hierarchies.
A similar process unfolded at various spots around Cairo. Some activists discovered police were surrounding their hotels, blocking them from exiting. Several demonstrated in front of their respective embassies - and were immediately surrounded by riot police. The most violent were those posted to the American Embassy.
Who's to blame?
One large group set up under the United Nations Development Program's offices. "In our presence here, we are saying that we are not casting the blame on Egypt. The responsibility for the shameless and obscene Israeli siege on Gaza rests squarely with our own countries," explained one of the organizers.
This sounded like an answer to an accusation voiced mostly by supporters of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah: With Hamas encouragement, international especially Arab popular pressure is being directed at the wrong address - Egypt, rather than Israel. Some of the organizers said they were indeed under the impression that Hamas was not at all interested in demonstrating at the Erez crossing into Israel, which is almost sealed, but rather at the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
The dream was to have tens of thousands march to the Beit Hanun/Erez crossing point on the first anniversary of the Israel Defense Forces offensive, in order to demand that Israel and the world lift the siege. The would-be participants are a very varied bunch: Some have been left-wing activists for decades, while others joined only during the Gaza campaign itself. Students and pensioners, university lecturers, paupers, young and old.
The older activists included Hedy Epstein, 85, a German-born American citizen whose life was saved when her Jewish parents sent her to England when she was 14. They later perished in Auschwitz. She sat on a chair under the building housing the UNDP offices, with those on hunger strike, in protest of their being banned from entering Gaza. Hippies in their 50s and 60s cavorted nearby, Italians sang "Bella Ciao," and South African activists unfurled a banner calling for sanctions on Israel and quoting Nelson Mandela: "Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians."
Jewish mother
"I feel that I'm doing something for Israel, for the sake of its future," said one bearded young man from Boston, who has been volunteering in a Palestinian village in the West Bank. His mother, who is Jewish, accompanied him on one of his flights into Israel to have a look at his new life. When they landed, they learned his name was on a Border Control list at the airport, and mother and son were detained for eight hours of questioning.
"She came out of there a radical," laughed the young man, who a year and a half ago discovered the alternative discourse about his "second homeland."
A Venezuelan documentary director said, "Eighty percent of the participants I have interviewed at random are Jewish." Eighty percent is probably an exaggeration, though a large percentage of those present were Jews. The colorful crowd also included Palestinians who are citizens of Western countries, some of them Gazans hoping to see relatives for the first time in years. There were also religious Christians and Muslims. Some of the slogans they proclaimed were overly ambitious, such as "We have come to liberate Gaza."
But by and large, this variegated whole sounded a message of militant pacifism and feminism, liberation theories and a lot of faith in the cumulative, positive effect of popular, non-hierarchical action and its ability to bring about change.
It's a pity, I thought to myself: The Egyptians are preventing us from seeing what happens when this direct, transparent democracy meets the Hamas regime.
On Monday evening, the demonstrators learned that, at the request of the president's wife, Suzanne Mubarak, 100 people would be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip. Many saw this as a way of breaking the demonstrators' solidarity and lessening the pressure on Egypt. In the end, on December 30, about 80 people set out on buses, including several journalists who were not affected by the dilemma.
At midnight, about 12 hours after leaving Cairo, we arrived at a hotel in Gaza. There the first surprise awaited us: A Hamas security official in civilian dress swooped down on a friend who had come to pick me up for a visit, announcing that guests could not stay in private homes.
The story gradually became clear. The international organizers of the march coordinated it with civil society, various non-governmental organizations, which were also supposed to involve the Popular Committee to Break the Siege, a semi-official organization affiliated with Hamas. Many European activists have long-standing connections with left-wing organizations in the Gaza Strip. Those organizations, especially the relatively large Popular Front, had organized lodging for several hundred guests in private homes. When the Hamas government heard this, it prohibited the move. "For security reasons." What else?
Also "for security reasons," apparently, on Thursday morning, the activists discovered a cordon of stern-faced, tough Hamas security men blocking them from leaving the hotel (which is owned by Hamas). The security officials accompanied the activists as they visited homes and organizations.
During the march itself, when Gazans watching from the sidelines tried to speak with the visitors, the stern-faced security men blocked them. "They didn't want us to speak to ordinary people," one woman concluded.
Hijacked or poorly organized?
The march was not what the organizers had dreamed of during the nine months of preparation. The day before the trip to Gaza, they already knew that the non-governmental organizations had backed out. Some people said that Hamas government representatives had found the NGOs did not have a clear, organized plan for the guests and therefore had taken the initiative. One Palestinian activist insisted: "When we heard there would only be 100, we canceled everything."
Another said, "From the outset, Hamas set conditions: No more than 5,000 marchers, no approaching the wall and the fence, how to make speeches, how long the speeches should be, who will make speeches. In short, Hamas hijacked the initiative from us and we gave in."
Hamas, or its Popular Committee, brought 200 or 300 marchers. The march turned into nothing more than a ritual, an opportunity for Hamas cabinet ministers to get decent media coverage in the company of Western demonstrators. Especially photogenic were four Americans from the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Jewish group Neturei Karta, who joined the trip only at Al Arish. There were no Palestinian women among the marchers - a slap to the many feminist organizers and participants, both women and men.
After the march, the guests voiced protests to some of the official Palestinian organizers. "We came to demonstrate against the siege, and we found that we ourselves were under siege," they said. Their variegation and the transparency of their behavior did not suit the military discipline the official hosts tried to impose. The officials listened, and after the reins were loosened a bit, I set out to visit the homes of friends.
There people described the lingering fear from the Israeli onslaught. Saturday afternoon, at 11:30 A.M. - the time of the first aerial bombardments - remains today a sensitive hour for many children. Just as thunderstorms, or electricity failures (an everyday occurrence) or a persistent drone flying above cause anxiety and evoke nightmarish memories.
Some of the marchers were now allowed to go out on their own, with Gazan acquaintances they had previously known only via telephone and e-mail. Some, especially the Arabic-speakers, complained that "a shadow in the shape of a security man" continued to accompany them. In quick "safari" tours of bombed neighborhoods, through bus windows, they saw ruins that had not yet been cleared, like the complex of bombed-out government buildings that are still standing - ugly concrete skeletons with empty rooms and no walls, like screaming mouths.
In meetings without the security men, several activists got the impression that non-Hamas residents live in fear, and are afraid to speak or identify themselves by name. "Now I understand that the call for 'Freedom for Gaza' has another meaning," one young man told me.
The participants spent Thursday and Friday in the Gaza Strip. Friday, January 1, was the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Fatah. The Hamas government does not allow the rival organization to assemble, just as the PA does not allow Hamas to assemble in the West Bank. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh congratulated Fatah on its anniversary, but at the same time the Hamas security services did all they could to deter the movement's activists from even thinking about a celebration.
Hundreds of Fatah activists were summoned by the police and kept in semi-detention for several hours, until evening. Security officials entered homes where candles were burning or Fatah flags were being flown to mark the anniversary. In one home, the security officials tried to arrest two people, and the mother tried to block them. One policeman allegedly hit her - and she had a heart attack and died.
I wondered: Were the restrictions an order from above, or an unwise interpretation by lower ranks? Does Hamas think it can entirely prevent the few visitors - clearly pro-Palestinian - from hearing non-official versions? Don't the people giving the orders realize what a bad image they were creating? Or was there really a security concern?
Someone who, to put it mildly, is not a Hamas fan explained to me that young men who quit Iz al-Din al-Qassam for the amorphous Jaljalat militia are a genuine headache. They are a convenient excuse for restricting contact with "just anyone," but the fear that they might try to harm the visitors in order to damage Hamas is real.
These are devout young men who, officially, criticize Hamas for not enforcing Islamic religious law in its entirely. However, as the critic said, "Unwittingly, because of their lost lives, our lost lives, they are angry at the whole world."
Postscript: After two days all the visitors, journalists included, had to leave Gaza. According to Hamas, this was an explicit Egyptian demand. Egyptian officers confirmed this.
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I was part of the GFM and I DID enter Gaza with the 84 people on the bus. What was said about Hamas is all lies. We were treated with great hospitality, we were to speak to the Gazans and take pictures and videos. We visited hospitals and the orphanages. Why the hell do you have to bash Hamas all the way. You seem to have got your testimonies from the ignorant people who joined us on the bus, I spoke to them and argued with them. They went in to Gaza with a mindset that Hamas is an oppression. They came in with a closed mind and a westernized view of how people should be living. I myself did not have a good view of Hamas prior to this trip, but after leaving I discovered so many misconceptions I had about it.
Israel is the most biggest threats to the The Middle East,which has the most destructive weapons in the world.
" My view is that they should not have been allowed in BUT when you are a people blockaded, bombarded and systematically killed by the Israeli colonial army for almost 3 years, living in the rubble without the basics THEN you do have to make such concessions.." if the Israelis don't make consessions and end the blokade they will be systematically bombarded and blocked by the world's people. That's another chunk of truth there too. I might as well add it on...Dutch
Mrs Amira Hass you were there at the Cairo Bus Station on the 30th Dec, speaking French and awaiting for the Egyptian gvt buses to take the GFM 100 elected representatives to Gaza. You were there but you do not report what you saw. You do not report that the GFM coordinating committee at late night decided finally NOT to accept the EGY gvt offer for sending 100 out of the 1362 activists. They came and announced it there. You saw that the overwhelming majority of the 100 reps GOT OFF the buses.. In their place went 50-60 people from the awaiting lot on their own NOT ENDORSED by the GFM. So the cold reception they received by the Gazan Authorities was the expected one. My view is that they should not have been allowed in BUT when you are a people blockaded, bombarded and systematically killed by the Israeli colonial army for almost 3 years, living in the rubble without the basics THEN you do have to make such concessions.. Alas the Need
Great reporting! It is great to have such a wonderful journalist as Amira covering such complex situations. She is also our best hope for peace. Peace on the common people level. Shalom-Saalam.
Mr. Dutch sir, I am saddened to ready your posts. I have noticed that you claim to be a supporter, a moral supporter, of the Palestinian people, yet, You support a gang of cruel mosogynists, do you hate women sir? You support the firing of rockets, even though you know this will lead to the deaths of many innocent Palestinian women and children. Do you actually care about the people? You support a regime that murders homosexuals, do you hate gays? From the article you understand that Hamas does not allow for any open or hidden opposition, is this what you call democracy? I find your support for the Palestinians to be more a stick to beat Israel with, rather than a sincere and moral act of justice. I did enjoy that you sounded like George W. Bush, taking his slogans as your own, this is the sign of a monkey see monkey do, rather than any spark of creativity.
Amira, One thing for sure The Gaza Freedom March is only beginning and it will be waged on many different shore especially on US shores where the Zionist apologists are not only getting the US Congress to sign on the bottom line for the release of US tax payers dollars for this horrific injustice against the Palestinian people and lining up the Pentagon to release shipments of arms &fuel to the Israeli Army to carry out such evel & mass killing of Gazans& the US State Dept to rubber stamp all this & Israel?s apologists in the world media to justify this evil world wide. This arm of complicity and axis of evil must be exposed for what it represents today and has perpetrated against Gaza and the Pale- stinian people (and continues with the criminal blockade and aggre- ssive policies iin the WB& E. Jerusalem ) whose only crime was to voted their democratic choice in 2006 for the leadership of its choice. Of course, I should add here a people who opened their hearts and country to the victims of the Holocaust following the world war 11 and who are now the victims of its leadership & greed for over 60 years to systematically deprive & displace them from their homeland and it must end today if Israel is allowed to have a continued place in the Middle East by the world?s people. (Yes, the people of the world will eventually deciide Israel?s future not its leadership or the US. ) Amazing-- isn?t it --this thing called people power? Peace, Dutch
first, it sells, second, you never know where you will find it the next morning, and third. men has inexplicable fatal attraction to experience either one. Hey Amira, did you find Danny Pearle father in the croud protesting Gaza?
" It`s is deranged that Egypt is joining in the mass starvation of their neighbours just to suit Israel and the US and more deranged that most of the world doesn`t give a damn." Marilyn, Your comment is totally unfounded. People most certainly care and they have been watching this event all along and will decide on a response. Amira's piece will also help guide them towards that end... Dutch
Notes: The peace activists were violent Hamas is not a friend of the activists. The activists are folks who seek out abusive relationships. Hamas is no friend of the Palestinian people. Palestinians still trying to figure out who they are. Feminists are protesting in support of misogynists. Homosexuals are voicing their support for Homophobes. Egyptians want no part of this Moslem Brotherhood inspired movement. In the middle east nothing has changed. Turks are looking to recreate their pre WWI empire. Hamas supporters and apologists are blind to reality.
Hamas is terrorizing the women of Gaza. Can't laugh in public, no riding on scooters, put on your headscarf. Back we go to the middle ages, what fun for feminism everywhere.
where were the women and the children, the ordinary people? All Hamas security, where's freedom for the Pals in Gaza.
American activists around anymore.You can always try to lure them back by blaming Mossad or by giving them kafyia scarf with your signature on them,but will that work? :)
Mass starvation - purlease. Do you write for the daily telegraph? Piers Ackerman your mate? Your membership of Australia's national front is showing. You certainly failed your mensa application. Ask what Hamas has done to the trade unionists & what Hamas does for women & minorities in Gaza? (Which Hamas is rapidly becoming).
Marc wrote "It took Amira Hass a long time to recognize that not everything that happens in Gaza is Israels fault." You are looking through blinders. Most people recognize that Israel has a major influence on all Gaza affairs, even indirectly or by proxy. If Israel encourages a government that makes Palestinians look bad... ultimately it will reflect on Israel.
I regularly read your post! They are fantastic! I have never met a person from Australia who know soo much. Tell me did your ancestors pay for their trip to OZ?
It does not mean to be a joke to name Amira Hass the candidate for the the President of Gaza.If Jews were among the marches, as they were or among Communists of Russia, International Brigades of Spain, journalists of Weimar Republic, Comintern activists & PM of France why Amira Hass can not be a candidate. Intelligent, democratic, a woman, a prominent journalist, politically gifted she is a good candidate. I am not asking Hamas opinion about her candidacy. I am asking my friends bloggers what is the reverse side of creativity , independence & ethical imperative Jews are so prominent of. Or put it simply : if Jews are " the salt of the Earh" what is the effect of too much salt. Somebody knows? At least with apllication to this Gaza episode or on much more fundamental level of Israel & Israel/Jewish political life. One might call it "Too much salt effect". I would not mind.
No one will be allowed to meddle with Egypt sovereignity. No more Galloways or the like in Egypt. And you Marlyn, go mind your own business.
Egypt backs Fatah and wants a united Palestinian government that CAN negotiate for Palestine not seperate conflicting fiefdoms of WB & Iranian client Gaza. Iran wants to keep the conflict on the boil.
to death! Shameless hypocrits who turn their eyes away from real suffering!Pal refugees are a burden on the world by Arab choice and without South African support and corruption Mugabe would be out on his ear and Zimbabwe and its people would be free and fed & Al Bashir would be facing the world court.
Murad, It seems to me that the Palestinian National movement has failed not because of wanting to be independent, but are doing in micro what what happened when Lawrence of Arabia brought the Arab speakers who were occupied by the Turks after they "won the war". They wanted one great Arab Union, and it fell apart almost as soon as sit began. The Great Powers picked up the pieces and took over. Today, with Palestinian Arabs its a fight between one Mukhtar and another fighting the other over the same turf with another set of Great Powers mixing in to make it more interesting. Somehow, East-Central Europe leadership was better, even Mandella Jomo Kenyatta knew enough to stop the violence when it looked like peace was coming. It kept the "foreigners" out, and made it possible to build a nation. One hopes that the Palestinian Arabs have time to stop fighting among themselves and build a nation for themselves.
How should we call this article, the Amira awakening?
Sounds like she does not lay the blame exclusively on Israel. Incredible !!!
They didn't want us to speak to ordinary people... Really... quelle surprise and why would that be... exactly. What was Hamas afraid of... after all, these activists didn't come to Gaza to expose corruption or injustice. They came with good will and Palestinian aspiration in mind. They wanted to demonstrate that the Israeli siege was the root cause of the suffering. Something, Amira Hass has devoted a good part of her journalistic life. So what morbid tales would these ordinary people tell... anyway. You know... anyone reading this sophomoric attempt at reportage, can't help but notice that Ms. Hass has no ability what so-ever to decode the larger context. The simple fact that Hamas and the society it stands for... must be first be dragged, while screaming and convulsing into the 21st century.
They didn't want us to speak to ordinary people... Really... quelle surprise and why would that be... exactly. What was Hamas afraid of... after all, these activists didn't come to Gaza to expose corruption or injustice. They came with good will and Palestinian aspiration in mind. They wanted to demonstrate that the Israeli siege was the root cause of the suffering. Something, Amira Hass has devoted a good part of her journalistic life. So what morbid tales would these ordinary people tell... anyway. You know... anyone reading this sophomoric attempt at reportage, can't help but notice that Ms. Hass has no ability what so-ever to decode the larger context. The simple fact that Hamas and the society it stands for... must be first be dragged, while screaming and convulsing into the 21st century.
Gaza, you might stop to think about how you would like to live in society or a world where the value system of their chosen leaders prevailed.
that israel doesn't? better yet, can you tell us ANY "right" that gaza has?
hamas is a chain around the neck of the palestinian people. the majority of gazans are NOT too keen on it, and its popularity, for the most part, has been dependent on israeli military. it won the last elections while riding a peak caused by sharon's military incursions into the territories(with the help of bad election strategy by fatah). but during the israel's self-imposed restraint following its withdrawal from gaza, hamas' popularity plummetted as it continued firing rockets into israel. and today, hamas would not likely win any majority in a free election. hamas is not good for the palestinian people, which is why i'm totally against it. but it's unfortunate, because it does has many positive aspects which are overshadowed by its militant and religious extremism. for hamas to be an asset to the palestinians, it needs to ditch its extremist philosophies, revise its charter to reflect a recognition of israel, and redirect its primary focus to the success and advancement of a unified palestinian state and its "people". otherwise, it will remain the pestilent obstacle to their aspirations and prosperity that it now represents. this is something to which many pro-palestinian advocates seem oblivious. hamas' endeavors will NEVER see fruition, and they will only bring more hardship, constraints, and loss of opportunity. hamas will NEVER defeat israel; nor is israel ever going to pack up and leave. it's NOT going away, bottom line. hamas needs to accept that fact(and israel), then direct its efforts towards the attainable goal of a palestinian state within the more widely accepted borders of the pre-1967 armistice lines. but as it is, lending one's support to the palestinians via hamas, is like blowing air into a broken balloon; you might make some squeaking and rattling noises, but the balloon is NOT going to inflate. i'm glad to see that maybe a few eyes have been opened to the true nature of hamas, and i sincerely hope they realize it does NOT represent that of the great majority of palestinians. the palestinian people and their aspirations remain worthy of their advocacy.
that israel doesn't? better yet, can you tell us ANY "right" that gaza has?
I don't know why the Palestinians don't keep blowing up the damn illegal walls. It's is deranged that Egypt is joining in the mass starvation of their neighbours just to suit Israel and the US and more deranged that most of the world doesn't give a damn.
I was one of the internationals who came to Cairo for the Gaza Freedom March, and who got through to Gaza in time for the March. I was picked up from the Commodore Hotel in Gaza by Gazan friends that evening, and had supper downtown with them. And again the following day they picked me up and took me around the city without a guard or escort of any kind. I certainly did not feel under siege myself, and spoke to and was welcomed by many Palestinians. I was at the forefront of the March, like the most of the nearly 100 internationals, and particularly admired the passionate address by four Orthodox rabbis who apologised for their nation's actions. They were treated with respect and friendship by the organisers of the march and the participants. Regards, Alex Bell
My only question - why are there so many Jews blindly working against the only Jewish state and supporting oppressive regimes?
One side is evil -- and so everyone fighting it must be good. We went through this in World War Two with the Nazis. Soviet Russia is fighting the Nazis, too -- ergo, Stalin isn't all that bad after all. Actually, he was, and there's nothing in any of Israel's actions that would imply that Hamas is therefore composed of saints.
These useful idiots will go home from their holidays and forget what they learned about the real nature of Hamas. Meanwhile the people of Israel do not have the luxury of living in a fantasy world: they have to deal with the reality of Gaza as a rocket-firing neighbor.
activists? for what? terrorists? maybe if their activism was directed at hamas and their brutal siege of gaza, their starving of their people, their use of their people as human shields, their insane rejection of israel as a jewish state, maybe then they might achieve something for the few innocent people in gaza who dont support hamas...the majority support hamas and their goals and are one and the same as hamas...the people who quietly dont support hamas need public activism but of the kind that demands hamas change it's platform and commits to peace, not some 20 yr hudna while they rebuild and fortify to ultimately fight when they are stronger...its nuts.
Amira Hass must finally realize that Gaza if not a dictatorship is certainly an oligarchy. All these protesters are ostensibly promoting a repressed society led by the heavy hand of Hamas. The reality is the Palestians way of life is getting worse and it may be convienent to blame the Israelis,but their only a contributant, and not the main culprit. Their children suffer because of continued poor leadership over the last 60 years. I pray that this may change.
700 American activists go to Egypt to join the Free Gaza movement! : )
La, la la..we support the right of Hamas to...oppress us!
But for the threat of stopping, or reducing, the $2B that Egypt receives from the US, does anyone dream that Egypt would continue to put up with the blistering criticism from all Muslim countries for its participation in the vile blockade. Obama could cause Egypt to open its border crossings in a day with the stroke of a pen.
Using the Hamas Charter of death & destruction against Israel to charter your political path towards the mirage of a Palestinian State with a footprint the size of the Jewish State is neither halal nor possible to achieve in the lifetime of this universe. Any incoming supporters of Gaza that purposely fail to address this underlying cause of Gaza's plight are disingenuous at best.
Than they will see the true face of evil
done in the name of the Palestinian people. I always read Amira Hass but sometimes she reminds me of left-wing activists from Europe and the states who seem to just to want to take out their frustration against the west by supporting my people. But when I read this, I discovered that Amira is a friend of the Palestinian people, not the Palestinian movement or uprising or revolution or the illusion that so many in the west have of us. It may be that she supports some of these. I don't know. But what I feel I do know is that she is a friend of the Palestinian people. Reading this makes me very sad but the fact that a Jew wrote it and that so many Jews were there to show their love for Palestinians tells me that hope doesn't always come in the shapes we desire or expect but as King David said, "there is a river whose streams make glad to city of God."
I urge these pro Hamas activists to visit some Arab villages in Israel like Abu Ghosh or Bak'a al Gharbiye, Then they will see How Arabs live in Peace and prosperity,and do not suffer occupation as long as they don't attack Israeli citizens calling that resistance
Gaza, as an occupied territory is the responsibility of Israel and not Egypt. The pro-Gaza marchers should be approaching Gaza though Israel. Israel would love for Egypt to take responsibility for the welfare of Gaza thus releaving them of the responsibility and the ongoing war crimes they are committing with the seige (aided and abbetted of course by the US and that hapless idiot, the PM of Canada, Harper).
If Gaza goes back to Egyptian territory then basically all the problem for the Gazans would disappear. First of all they are both Arab peoples of the same background. The Gaza ~ Egypt border will disappear. Second. As Israel and Egypt have a peace agreement then there will be a peace with the Gazans. Third. As there will be peace then the Gazan ~ Israeli border can be opened. This is all pretty simple but it would work.
"criminal behavior"? sealing off your borders is not criminal. any nation has the right to protect and seal their borders. why is it Gaza has all these rights to such and such, but their neighbors dont have the same rights?
They're terrorists. People like Gallway and the CodePink ninnies are just opportunists. Gee, how come you didn't interview any Iranians? I'm sure there are some in Gaza.
It's good to see a few of the "activists" are discovering all is not what they thought it was in Gaza.
of rockets at Israel. I wonder at what point are the protestors going to visit Sderot and Ashkolon? Given past precedence, I'm not going to hold my breath on this one.
Both. If one hand doesn't know what the other will be doing this kind of thing cannot succeed. Too many slogans, too many disparate hopes and not enough homework about where they are going. Code Pink made the same mistake in Iran. The change, when it comes, will come from the people of Gaza and the people of Israel, the people of the West Bank and the people of Israel, the people of Gaza and the people of the West Bank. When each realizes how many of the other are sick of the whole conflict, the whole Punch and Judy show, change will come.
will the loony left now get brains ?????
But Gaza is free. Israel withdrew for Gazan's to run their own life. However, Hamas does not respect the borders of Israel or Egypt. If they stopped their belligerent provocations the border crossings would open with no need to smuggle. As for arms, Egypt has a peace treaty with Israel and will not allow armourment in to Gaza destined to be FREELY used on civilian targets.
"Militant pacifism and feminism" is how Amira Haas described the mob of anti-Israel agitators of whom "80% were Jewish" who wished to enter Gaza. This is remarkable considering the fact that Hamas is the antithesis of pacifism, and Gaza is one of the last places on earth where a feminist could survive. The sickness of leftwing Jews like Ms. Haas is characterized by their living in an inverse reality, where black is white, and dark is light. Self-hatred among some Jews in not a new thing, but people like Amira Haas show us that there really is no depth too low for them to sink.
bbc: "Egypt and Israel impose a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip, which Israel says is aimed at weakening Hamas". I think the Gazans can deal with Hamas, once the boycot is gone.
Amira Hass: "We came to demonstrate against the siege, and we found that we ourselves were under siege". Which goes to show that CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR is contagious, and often infect neighbouring countries. We Jews are acquainted with this phenomena. In 1948 Aba Kovner - The famous Vilnius Ghetto fighter turned Givati POLITRUK wrote in DAF KRAVI [battle leaflet] on July 12, 1948: "The rotting corpses of our enemies will make our fields blossom" [bezevel gufot oyvenu od yelavlevu sdoteinu]. 5 Days later Kovner wrote: "Squeeze the trigger with love! Slaughter, Slaghter, Slaughter" [lekhatz al ha-hedek be ahava - lishkhot, lishkhot, lishkhot].
First time ever that I can remember you,criticizing your brothers and not the Israelis where you live in Israel, make a living and support your family and write what you want FREELY .I hope this visit to Gaza and Egypt had a great experience for you. First time ever I read a article that is not totally anti Israel .
It took Amira Hass a long time to recognize that not everything that happens in Gaza is Israels fault. Quite to the contrary it is the Hamas which rule and run Gaza. Similar it is Egypt which has no interest in opening its borders with a terrorist only entity.
Why do we tolerate what is not tolerate in Arab countries??
Hamas is the biggest threats to the people of Gaza.