Gaza:
For the last three days we have been in
the Gaza strip. This means we are no longer in the middle of a
military operation but we are in one of the world's largest prisons.
1.2 million people live in this prison in a strip about 6 miles
wide and about 25 miles long. Of that land about 1/3 is taken
by 3-5 thousand Israeli settlers, leaving 2/3 for the 1.2 million
Palestinians. I do not have much time but I will give you some
highlights.
We saw the checkpoint in the middle area
of the Gaza strip two days ago. When we got there there were hundreds
of cars sitting there in the extreme heat just waiting. The checkpoint
had been closed all day, no one had gotten through. Our contact
here is convinced that the only reason they opened the checkpoint
is because the soldiers saw us from the US and Canada approaching.
These checkpoints have absolutely nothing to do with security;
they are merely to harass the population. When they opened it
up they did not even do so much as check anyone's id, much less
search any cars. If there were actually some kind of security
risk would they have just let all these people pass through. It's
really sick.
Yesterday we met with mayors from two of
the municipalities in the area Nuseirat (where we are staying)
and Boreig. These and the other areas of the middle area of the
Gaza strip are extremely short of water. (If people are not aware,
a lot of the reason for why Israel occupies Palestinian land,
the Golan Heights and formerly southern Lebanon is to steal the
water from these areas. They do that in Gaza as well often selling
the water under illegal settlements back to the Palestinians whose
water it rightfully is in the first place.) Aside from the water
under the settlements there are two wells here outside of the
Netzarim settlement. One of them is not working but it is close
to the fence around the settlement. Every time Palestinian workers
have attempted to go to the well to fix it and make it operational
again they have been shot at and had to flee. This has happened
even when they have gotten permission from the Israelis. We are
working to see if there is any way we can help. If the workers
are willing we told them we will accompany them to the well to
make sure they are able to fix it. We spoke with soldiers at the
settlement who basically gave us bureaucratic bullshit. We would
like to go even without permission but need to see if the Palestinians
are willing to do this.
On the way back from the settlement we
saw an army bulldozer destroying an orchard with orange trees
and olive trees. This has been happening a lot here in Gaza in
the last two weeks (it happens all the time all over Palestine
but has apparently been particularly bad). Even knowing that it
happens and seeing someone actually sitting in a machine and destroying
a farmer's crops for no reason is so disgusting. These particular
fields had to be at least a kilometer and a half from the settlement.
There is no reason.
The situation here is horrible. I urge
everyone to do whatever they can to support the Palestinian people
against the fascist policies of Israel. People are dying every
day, crops are being destroyed every day, homes are being destroyed
every day, people are being rounded up without charges every day.
One of the Jews in our group has said that if you stand by and
do nothing it would be like standing by and doing nothing knowing
that the holocaust was going on. I find it hard to disagree with
her. I also find it hard to disagree with the comparison of Israel
to Nazi Germany, straight down to writing things on men's arms
and using dogs to round people up. Please do what you can, contact
your representatives in Washington and tell them that as a taxpayer
you are absolutely disgusted by what is happening with US support
here. Speak out against Bush's imperialist agenda in attempting
to tell the Palestinians who there leaders should be. If the US
decides for the Palestinians then there is no independence (then
again the people of the US don't even get to decide who there
leaders are anymore as we saw with Bush himself). Work for justice.
The US must end all aid to Israel if it truly supports democracy
and justice around the world (I'm under no illusions that it does
but perhaps the people can force it to.)
