On December 27, 2008, 27-year old Khulood Ghanem was in Gaza City when Israel launched its massive three-week military assault on the captive population of Gaza. 1400 Palestinians were killed, a majority of them non-combatants and 400 of them children. Much of Gaza's infrastructure was destroyed.
Khulood kept a diary every day of the Israeli assault. In March 2009, Khulood volunteered to help with translation for a CodePink Women for Peace delegation that managed to get into Gaza for International Women's Day. Two of the delegates -- Tacoma WA resident Linda Frank and Canadian-Israeli Sandra Ruch -- learned of the existence of Khulood's diary and asked Khulood for permission to read and make public this rare personal account of living under the bombing. Khulood translated the first seven days of the diary from Arabic into rough but clear English. Linda Frank brought playwright Edward Mast into the process to adapt the text into a performance piece which has been performed several times in the Seattle area. Plans to perform the piece in other cities include solidarity events with the Gaza Freedom March on December 31, when 1300 people from 42 countries will attempt to break the siege.
A full year after the assault ended, Gaza is still in ruins. Israel has maintained sporadic attacks as well as a siege and blockade which prevent food, medical supplies, building equipment and other necessities from entering Gaza. Israel's blockade has made reconstruction impossible, and this human-created catastrophe continues. What follows is an adapted excerpt from Seven Days From A Gaza Diary, a performance for three voices adapted by Edward mast from the diary of Khulood Ghanem, Gaza, 2008-2009
-- Linda Frank and Edward Mast]
I stopped beside a building looking at the sky, watching the military planes. At that moment I lost my ability to move or even to think. People, girls and children, all were shouting, running every where, it was the time for students to leave their school, I thought that if they started to attack haphazardly they will make a catastrophe. I walked a lot till I felt sick, the attacks increased and all streets started to be empty from people except the emergency and ambulance cars. I was worried about my family, sisters, brothers, friends, I tried to phone every one I knew to assure that all are safe but the attacks destroyed the telecommunication net.
My journey to Khan Younis took 3 hours. It was more safe to avoid the main street because most of the police stations that have been attacked were located at the main street. Finally I reached home. All my family were sitting glaring at the screen of the TV, shocked, pale, yellow and horrible faces, sitting like idols. I took a place beside them. The first scene was the police academy. The number of martyrs was big, about 180 in one place, the scene was horrible, really can't be described, blood in every place, severed parts, heads, hands, legs and arms, couldn't be described. I spent my whole day sitting on a chair in front of the TV. I did not expect one day that I will face such catastrophe, hour after hour, number of martyrs increased and increased.
At 8:30 this night I had a call from my sister who lived in Gaza city. She was walking beside the fence of that school, she saw the heads of young children, bags colored with their blood. One child with his blue shirt, she taught him once before, he was thrown on the ground, bleeding from all parts with no legs, he was shouting and raising his hands, but no one could help. She started to scream, what should we do? I kept silence and started to cry loudly, the vision was so hard to imagine. She started to lose her breath. I told her that is enough, please stop talking, I can't tolerate. I closed my mobile and took my diary and sat in the living room . . . .
Full text of Seven Days From A Gaza Diary at www.palestineinformation.org/GazaDiary
For more about the Gaza Freedom March: www.gazafreedommarch.org
To listen to a studio recording of Seven Days From a Gaza Diary, go here.
"Meanwhile back in the Gaza Strip, Channel 10 quoted unnamed Hamas sources as saying they managed to smuggle into Gaza weapons that would tip the balance of power between Israel and Hamas.
The report, which The Jerusalem Post could not confirm, comes after several days of intermittent rocket and mortar shell fire entering Israel, some of it fired by groups not affiliated with Hamas.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1262339436535&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
I guess since the Palestinians could not succeed as conquers they will be able to succeed as victims.
The Palestinians have no one but themselves to blame for their situation.
Once again Hasbara talking points FAIL
When you Blockade a people of all of lifes necessitys that is as much of an assault as rockets are. Israel has never kept an agreement with the Palestinians so no suprise that there is no trust
Thanks to Khulood Ghanem, Linda Frank & Edward Mast for bringing forth this presentation to the American public when our politicians & the corporate media would prefer that the Palestinians like Khulood remain voiceless.
Awful too, must be the fate of Palestinian children whom are raised by parents who don't report the missile launching attacks of their neighbors. What a cruel fate, to be parented by those complicit in homicide attacks--what a conflicting message it must be.
So, shine a light, by all means. Just be sure to point it in the PROPER direction.
Unprovoked rocket attacks?
Imprisoning 1.2 million people in an open air ghetto, stopping essential aid from entering, cutting off water, holding and torturing over 9000 political prisoners (including children), destroying crops, stealing land and killing innocents seems ample provocation to me.
in fact, I'd call it self defense.... as does the Geneva Convention!.
If the rocket fire from Gaza is such a concern to the Israeli government, why does the Israeli government allow many of its citizens to face it without any protection (paragraph 1714 of the Goldstone report)?
And how do you excuse the attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Gaza by the IDF that occured before any rockets flew?
But then, how could you take matters into your own hands?
Where were the so-called human rights groups , the UN., and all the bleeding hearts ?
I guess, when it comes to Israel, no one can find it on the map, right?
wake up and smell the coffeeand get a life!
US tax payers provide over $30 billion annually to Israel although Israel has consistently misused U.S. weapons in violation of America's Arms Export Control and Foreign Assistance Acts.
In November 2006, Father Manuel, the parish priest at the Latin Church and school in Gaza warned the world:
"Gaza cannot sleep! The people are suffering unbelievably. They are hungry, thirsty, have no electricity or clean water. They are suffering constant bombardments and sonic booms from low flying aircraft...the cries of hungry children, the sullen faces of broken men and women who are just sitting in their hungry emptiness with no light, no hope, no love.
"These actions are War Crimes!"
The Rest:
http://wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1523&Itemid=227
I strongly believe that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had chosen a disproportionate response. Israel should begin to recognize the excesses of their own leaders, but I suppose this will not begin to happen until there is some stable security arrangements made. Israelis, and people from neighboring countries and territories adjacent to Israel should not miss the historical opportunity inherent in President Obama's administration for peace.
Just make an attack within reason, don't blow up any civilians, don't try to "solve" the problem in one campaign. For that matter, tell them the strike is going to happen and to clear the area, and then demolish a landmark.
Symbolism is more useful than carnage. One meaningful death can do a lot of good, lots of senseless death will never be helpful. Kill just one or a few guys who are responsible.
It was the same mistake Harry Truman made in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and FDR made in Dresden and Tokyo. Civilian casualties didn't help "win" the war, they only made the world a more grim and paranoid place to live.
And Einstein was in agreement with this understanding, and President Truman broke the agreement. It wasn't necessary to gain the surrender of Japan. Military strategists who rely on old doctrine and old rules of engagement are creating misery.
If I were a general, I would be able to slay all the generals whose thinking belongs in the last century. I'm not saying I aspire to that or I have animosity towards them, I'm just saying I would handily defeat them if all other circumstances were equal.
Futhermore, in violation of the 17 June 2008 cease-fire agreement with Hamas, Israel permitted only 20% of the amount of essentials agreed to into the Gaza Strip which led to sporadic rocket fire into Israel (causing no casualties) by Islamic Jihad and Fatah’s Al Aqsa Brigades, not Hamas, which attempted to stop the rockets. On November 4 – the day of the U.S. presidential election - Israel crossed the border and killed six Palestinians. Hamas responded with rocket fire but also offered to extend the June 17 truce if Israel would abide by its terms. Israel refused. Hamas rocket fire resumed and although no Israeli was killed, it was used by Israel as a justification for its murderous rampage that began on December 27.
Funny, israel has a thriving tourist industry, can't be to scary there.
Anyone planned a holiday to Gaza to year?
FAIL!
As the occupying power Israel is the aggressor in Gaza.
You can't blame the occupation of Gaza or East Jerusalem / West Bank on Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood.
Further, the blockade of Gaza predated by years the election of Hamas also. It was merely tightened after 2007.
A pox on both your houses..!
I'm all for telling both sides of the story.
The U.N. position
"Yes, the U.N. defines Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as Occupied Palestinian Territory. No, that definition hasn't changed," the spokesman replied.
The U.S. position
The CIA World Factbook says: "West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -- permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005."
The U.S. State Department Web site also includes Gaza when it discusses the "occupied" territories.
All Israel did was move the troops to the border, when you control everything that goes in and out you are still the occupying agent. More inaccurate Zionist ideas.
Since no one else recognizes "international law", and there is no enforcing power; since not everyone is "equal under the law", ther is, in fact, no valid law.
Does Hamas have army barack style locations?
Or do they live with their families while planning and executing operations?
Because it accomplishes NOTHING!!
The Palestinians deserve a homeland but first they must renounce their stated position that Israel must be destroyed. Doesn't seem like a lot to ask.
The Israelis left Gaza? They merely pulled out their illegal settlers. They remained in control of what goes in and out. What about the stifling siege that Israel has imposed, restricting the available food, water, fuel, and medicine available to 1.5 million people? This is a blockade that caused a humanitarian crisis even before the invasion a year ago, and it still is imposed. Israel had peace from the rockets with a cease fire that lasted for months despite Israel's refusal to ease the blockade. The cease fire ended when Israel violated it with a deadly raid n early November 2008. It still could have been repaired, but Israel refused to allow any challenge to its "authority" to make Gazans miserable.
Are Hamas's rockets aimed at civilian areas in Israel morally indefensible? I think so, but how can you condemn such acts while condoning and even supporting far worse violence on many more people?
So please, let's at least be accurate where empirical data is available.
I don't agree with a lot of what the Israeli government does, but I do understand that when your next door neighbor repeatedly advocates your total annihilation, it is a bit difficult to normalize relations.
Maybe you haven't been paying attention to 2,000 years of history, but the Jews have not exactly been welcomed in a lot of places on this planet - and that includes the US. Israel is the one small corner of the world that we can go to and have some control over our fate. Not a small thing. I'm not denying that the Palestinians deserve a similar right - but they have to share, which Hamas will not agree to.