Have a Nice Holiday
When you say you are going to be away for a couple of weeks ‘have a nice
holiday’ is often the response. To explain that you are going to Gaza
can meet with a blank look and even when you say Palestine this is
confused with Pakistan. Maybe I am being hard but with a husband who has
dedicated his later life to do all he can for the plight of Palestinians
I feel, like him, that the Israel/Palestine ‘conflict’ is the heart of
world peace and everyone should know about it.
I have just returned from our joint visit - the first for me but the
eighth for David. Little did we know when we booked our tickets that
Israel was to invade Gaza and kill over 130 - many children and mothers,
on the very weekend we were due to arrive. Our timing was set well in
advance to coincide with a medical symposium in Gaza at which David was
to give two talks to medical students on The Education of Doctors in
Palestine and Water. Needless to say the conference had to be postponed.
The second object of our visit was to meet with Nihad who represents our
charity The Dove and the Dolphin in Gaza. We needed to sort out several ‘office issues’, plan for future projects and meet or visit as many
youngsters as possible who are sponsored by our donors in the UK.
On the invitation of a young lady barrister (Mary) who David got to know
in London when dealing with legal actions in Palestine, we flew to Amman
in Jordan. Her father owns the Radisson Hotel and in which she and her
husband have a part in its management. Hearing of the invasion of Gaza
by Israel we were forced to stay three nights in Amman where we enjoyed
the luxury of a five star establishment! Mary made us so welcome and
organised a day’s sightseeing for us to Jerash (beautiful and extensive
Roman ruins) and then the Dead Sea. Finally we thought we were on our
way to Gaza but on reaching Jerusalem where we met Prof Tony Davies we
learned that the Eretz check point was still closed and another two
nights were spent waiting for the border to open which left us feeling
frustrated. David has made several acquaintances in Jerusalem - a trader
in the Old City and Ibrahim who sells olive wood carvings are two that
we visited. We also caught a bus to the outskirts of Bethlehem to visit
the Aida refugee camp where we support the Lajee Youth centre. Nidal,
the key worker along with Khaloud, a 20 year old student, showed us
round. The children have done a huge amount of photographic pieces with
the aid of Rich Wiles, a photographic artist. He is currently exhibiting
in Europe in order to raise funds to bring a group of children to the UK
in the summer. There are 4000 people living in the camp and 40% of them
are under 18. The total area is about two and a half acres and Nidal
said his ultimate dream would be to buy a piece of ground where the
children could play in relative safety. While we were at the camp we
could hear gunfire nearby. We learnt that young people were
demonstrating in protest against the 130 killed in Gaza. The Israeli
army had opened fire on the demonstrators and in the short time we were
there four children had been shot. Before leaving Bethlehem we made a
quick visit to Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation so Tony could
collect a set of microsurgical instruments for Sonia Robbins who was
already in Gaza.
Finally four and a half days late we headed for Gaza along with Tony who
was also planning to teach students. I was not looking forward to the
Erez checkpoint where one expects delay and a grilling. Our crossing
from Jordan into the West bank had taken nearly three hours with tedious
bureaucracy plus a good deal of b-----ing about. Erez is a vast hanger
like building bristling with cameras and a series of metal turnstile
type gates which you struggle through with your luggage. No other
travellers were there so our ‘processing’ was relatively quick but there
is about half a mile of walking from one end of the exercise to the
other, much on open rough ground. Overhead you hear the drones whose
cameras are keeping a close eye on you. Now we are in Gaza and all you
can see is rubble which is the remains of many flattened factories.
Dr Khamis had sent a car from the El Wafa Hospital to meet us and we
were soon whisked away passing dereliction like you can’t imagine.
Whilst we sat eating hospital lunch we could hear shells landing not so
far away and see puffs of smoke. We overlooked fields which could have
people or animals in them (you can‘t bear to imagine). Our welcome was
so warm and Khamis is such good fun I immediately felt at home. We were
reassured that Gaza was calm and we were quite safe and I believed him
(am I naïve?). The Islamic University had arranged accommodation for us
in an extremely spacious first floor apartment with balconies on all
sides. The view from our bedroom looked down to a harbour full of small
fishing boats. You could imagine an evening stroll by the sea but we did
not go alone though it was safe. Roads in Gaza have been damaged by
Israeli tanks and some are impassable with a vehicle. Amongst luxurious
looking buildings are those completely shattered or others bearing the
scars of gunfire. As Israel is not allowing any materials into Gaza no
repairs can be made at present. No petrol is being allowed in so the
roads were much quieter than on David’s previous visits. Some diesel is
coming in so there is a mad rush to fill up when the tankers arrive even
though the price per litre has gone sky high.
First thing on the next day we were collected by Nihad and taken to the
D & D office. Several Mums or youngsters were arriving to collect their
monthly donation of $30 from sponsors in the UK. The optician was also
seeing patients in the adjoining Optics Centre. David had his eyes
tested to get an idea of Hamed’s proficiency. He was fine and the
patients are pleased with his spectacles. We discussed future plans
before being taken to the Assalama Rehab Centre where we are supplying
10 computers for disabled folk to learn IT. The stops had been pulled
out and our tour was grander than we wished, seeing every department in
detail but interesting all the same. Wherever you go in Gaza tea, coffee
or juice is the first priority - I have never drunk so much in my life.
On that Wednesday evening we dined with Khamis and his family - what a
feast and what a large family with brothers, sister-in-laws, uncles,
aunts and many many children all appearing to shake hands. I kissed the
children and they kissed David’s hand in the Arab fashion, putting the
back of their little hands to their foreheads. Women and children stay
in a family room which I was invited into but the men and bigger boys
stayed outside.
I felt extremely humbled by the warm reception we received everywhere.
We had meetings with the Water & Sewage authority, the priest in charge
of the Roman Catholic School -Father Manuel Musallam, a minister in the
Hamas government and the head of the Free Gaza Campaign - Jamal
Al-Khoudary. I was a bit overwhelmed but can understand how pleased they
all are to see someone from the ‘outside world’. Apart from journalists
virtually no one goes into Gaza. The Israelis and the British consulate
combine to ensure that. We met up with Adli Hammad and family. Adli was
the key man when David sailed in MV Barbara with food, clothes, medical
supplies and carpet wool in 2003. He is married to Andrea who comes from
East Budleigh and they have eight children. Two are now in England but
the four youngest are still at school in Gaza. We had a jolly evening
with them but it is tricky for teenagers who have had a taste of the West.
We did not expect to see anyone on the Friday (Jumaa) morning but we had
a journalist from Khan Younis join us for breakfast. Mohammed Omer only
just escaped losing his life in the recent invasion and showed David the
most terrible scenes and injuries on his laptop. David has a good idea
what ‘modern’ weapons had caused such mutilation and burning; he wrote
about them in November 2006.
Nihad had invited us for lunch and again we were royally entertained
with a never ending stream of relatives coming to join us. Nihad’s three
year old tried to lock the door during lunch so we could not leave he
was so keen to be with us! Nihad’s wife had had a baby daughter three
days before our visit so Mum had prepared the super lunch. We spent the
afternoon visiting sponsored youngsters in their homes. They were all in
refugee camps and extremely poor but again at each one a tray of tea or
juice came out. One home more than the rest sticks in my mind - we
walked down a narrow ally and then up two flights of rough blackened
breezeblock steps in to a dark two roomed ‘hovel’. Maisa’a who we had
come to visit is 15 years old is tall and thin and does not look very
well. David noticed her legs were very bowed but we did not go into
that. We had a card and photos to give her from Jenny Dainton and she
managed to write a few words of thanks in return. Her ambition is to be
a journalist. We gave her and all the other children we visited a little
extra cash. Many of the children who are receiving sponsorship will be
eighteen this year so they will come to the end of their secondary
school education but if we can we would like to find replacements. One
in particular is Mohammad who had done very well and who wants to be a
teacher. There are many children in his family and his mother actually
asked if another of her sons could have help. The 30 dollars a month
they receive from us is a huge help.
Our last whole day in Gaza was spent at the Islamic University - this
was the only place I had to cover my head. While David was talking to
staff in the medical school, I was given a tour of the school of nursing
and the IT centre for blind students. The university buildings are
superb but marred by the very extensive damage done by a Fatteh faction
in February 2007. When David and his six doctor companions visited a few
weeks later he recalls the President, Dr Kamalain Sha’ath, saying ‘all
this is in the past’. Such forgiveness is rare in our world is it not? I
joined David to go to the auditorium where he gave his paper on
education of young doctors to a large audience.
Our exit from Gaza was straightforward. In summing up I would say the
people are resilient, very warm and resourceful and they are not giving
up despite the pitiless attacks from their neighbours and the gross
deprivation.
Susan Halpin 13th March 2008