Meca Fall 09 Newsletter

FALL 2009 This young girl from Nuseirat Refugee Camp told us about her mother and siblings, who were killed by the Israeli army in January.

by Dr. Mona El-Farra MECA Director of Gaza Projects As soon as I arrived home, I felt a great relief, if that is the right word. I had been unable to return home to Gaza since before the 23 days of bombing earlier this year, because of the ongoing siege. I am not sure that the word relief summarizes my intense and conflicting emotions. Mixed feelings of relief, happiness, but also disorientation, continued to overwhelm me.

Danny Muller

Gaza my beautiful home, yes, my beautiful home, my beautiful people, who are trying so hard to live. To continue from one day to another. Despite the odds, the hardships, the silence of the world. The same day of my arrival home, July 9th 2009, I could see from my balcony the rubble of what had been at one time Arafat’s headquarters, The whole building was completely demolished, leveled to the ground, blowing out the windows on one side of my apartment building. It is the same place where one of my cousins was killed in the first day of the attack assault against Gaza last December-January. I now see a different Gaza, and it is not the Gaza I have known; it is like a city after an earthquake. Many of the historically important buildings were leveled to the ground. I decided to postpone my field visits to the different areas where the assaults were the most savage and brutal. I thought it might be a good idea to wait for the arrival of the delegation of US citizens who were due to cross the border. In the meantime, I met some dear friends and workmates who came to say hello. All of them were loaded with war stories and the panic they faced during the attacks against Gaza. One friend who was a political prisoner, who spent 15 years in the Israeli jails, said to me, “I never felt afraid of anything there like the fear I felt this time.” I find it strange to even write this sentence, but while we Palestinians are determined to continue our strug-

Chomsky in Oakland

October 3!

gle, the reality is that this assault against Gaza was severe and fierce and cannot be forgotten. We will feel its effects as a people for a long time. Our friends from the US were only granted visas to visit Gaza for 24 hours. As I waited, I pondered “How can we condense or begin to understand what children, women and men went through during 23 days of the assault in a 24 hours visit?” Upon the arrival of the Viva Palestina delegation, I sat at the borders to receive the delegation with some colleagues from PNGO (Palestinian Non Governmental Organizations’ Network). It was a touching and affectionate moment for me, to see American, British and French activists of different ages and ethnicities united under one goal, voicing to the world “Gaza, you are not alone; you are not forgotten, despite the shameful stand of the governments of the world, we stand with you, the people of Gaza!” We had to get immediately to work and were fortunate to have a solid team of colleagues. I was accompanied by Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) Director, Reem Salhi, an activist lawyer and human rights advocate, Danny Muller, a friend of MECA, Ehab Musalam, a MECA trainer and volunteer in Gaza, Travis Wilkerson, a filmmaker and professor, Jaiel Kayed, a computer expert and Palestinian-American, Talal Abu Shaweesh, Director of New Horizons, and Mohammed Majda-

Homeward Bound continued on page 7

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Dear Friend, Last month I traveled to Gaza for the second time this year. MECA volunteer Danny Muller and I joined Viva Palestina, a convoy of about 175 people and $1 million in aid, organized by British MP Galloway. We flew into Egypt and Viva Palestina purchased forty-eight trucks and cars in Alexandria, which we intended to drive into Gaza and leave for people there. But the Egyptian authorities said there were “problems with the paperwork” so the vehicles were left there until the next convoy. A lot of people don’t understand that while most of the Egyptian people support the Palestinians, the Egyptian

Letter from Barbara

by Barbara Lubin MECA’s Executive Director

government is the number two recipient of US aid (after Israel), and Egypt is a police state that oppresses its own citizens and helps Israel maintain the siege of Gaza. Finally, the hospital beds, refrigerators, wheelchairs, medicine and other aid Viva Palestina had purchased was loaded onto trucks and our group got onto buses and headed for Gaza. About half the people in our group were Palestinian-Americans. Some had family they hadn’t seen in years. Some were young people who had never been to Palestine or met their relatives. I was so impressed by these young men and women from all over the US. They will be the next generation of leaders who will build a bigger, stronger movement in the US for justice in Palestine. The Egyptian authorities allowed us to go to Gaza for just 24 hours. This was devastating to the people who had waited so long and come so far, and expected to have at least a few days to visit their home and their families. When we arrived, we were immediately surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who came to greet the convoy or meet someone in particular. For the Palestinian-Americans it was an emotional homecoming. Some kissed the ground; many cried. Then we became a big crowd chanting “Viva Palestina.” At that moment I realized that the aid is important—even though a million dollars of aid barely makes a dent in the enormous need—but just as important is the solidarity, showing that people from the US are determined to stand with Palestine and break the siege of Gaza. I had been to Gaza in January, right after three weeks of Israeli attacks, to bring in several tons of food, medicine, and medical equipment. It was amazing to see that some kind of normality has returned after the unbelievable horror that Israel inflicted. The Palestinian people have an incredible ability to keep rebuilding their lives again and again. Of course life is not really normal in Gaza. Five thousand homes were completely destroyed, leav-

2 MECA NEWS

Danny Muller

Barbara Lubin at the municipal park and accessible playground in Gaza City—one of three MECA helped build in the 1990’s. We brought children’s architectural specialists Moore, Iscafano, and Goltsman from Berkley to develop designs based on the ideas gathered from children and adults in each community.

ing 20,000 homeless. The Israelis won’t let cement and other materials in, so people are talking about rebuilding their homes with mud. My friend Dr. Mona El-Farra, MECA’s director of Gaza projects, had arrived just a few days before. (See page 1) Mona had left Gaza last year to visit her children in England and she had no idea when or if she would be allowed back in. That one day in Gaza with friends and colleagues from the US and Gaza was very exciting for me because we spent the day visiting MECA projects and seeing firsthand the difference we are making in the lives of so many children. We first visited Afaq Jadeeda at the end of one of many summer camps that was part of “Let the Children Play & Heal,” an ongoing psychosocial program through central and southern Gaza. (See page 4.) Then we saw the two water treatment systems MECA helped build in Gaza schools. (See page 5) The two systems provide clean, safe drinking water—which is normally a luxury in Gaza—to thousands of children. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this water project in the months ahead. Our goal is to raise enough money to build water treatment systems in 60 more schools in the next two years—and eventually in hundreds of schools and villages throughout Gaza. Over and over again, the people I met told me how much they appreciate MECA’s work—the support for community projects, the food and medical aid—but also our solidarity. It is so important that they know there are people who have not forgotten them, who care about their daily struggles just to survive and their ongoing struggle for justice.

Although some sense of normality has returned in Gaza, you can’t go more than one block without seeing the impact of Israel’s brutal war against the people in Gaza.

We Won’t be Divided for Long Ziad Abbas, MECA Education Coordinator The Palestinian people are facing one of the harshest situations in their history. Whether living in the West Bank or Gaza, inside the boundaries of 1948 (Israel), or in the large and widespread Palestinian Diaspora, the Palestinian people are facing hardships from both external and internal sources. In many cases, these hardships are connected. With the recent elections in the US many people thought that real change would come from a more liberal US government. In fact, the government promised it. While some sit and “hope,” the undeniable reality is that nothing has changed in the US Middle East policy—a policy of empty words and endless negotiations. The goal of the European Union and the US is to bring the two sides together for negotiations, so they appear to be “peacemakers.” Israel uses these empty negotiations to confiscate more land, build more settlements, and to continue construction of the wall, knowing that in the end the US will support Israel unconditionally. The Palestinian people hear words and more words as they continue to watch their land disappear before their eyes.

Barbara Lubin

Now on Look for the Middle East Children’s Alliance Group and our Cause, MEDICAL AID FOR GAZA

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A time of famous “words” was the 1993 Oslo Accords which did little for the Palestinians except to continue the polarization of the Palestinian population. The goal of the Oslo Accords was to divide the Palestinian people into two classes. One class, the Oslo class, received their own benefits and interests from the Accords, elevating themselves in status. The second class, the majority of the Palestinian people, received nothing but more suffering and oppression. It became evident from these Accords that during these times of “peace” and negotiation, the Palestinian people have lost more land than during times of war. While there has been a lot of talk about “peace,” for the past 61 years, the Western governments have, in reality, done nothing to end the suffering the Palestinian people endure in their daily lives. Then there is Israel’s new extreme right-wing government that not only continues its policy of denying rights to Palestinians, but has increased the harassment, land theft, checkpoints, and arrests which plague Palestinians daily. And the siege of the Gaza Strip continues. One and a half million Palestinians live as prisoners on this narrow strip of land, slowly starving to death. While dividing and isolating Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, Israel is putting huge pressure on the Palestinians living inside Israel to assimilate and live as a silent underclass. For sixty-one years Israel has failed to erase the Palestinian identity, but now the government is stepping-up pressure. Mention of the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) will be forbidden in schools; and more and more names of Arab villages and cities are being

We Won’t Be Divided for Long, continued on page 6 MECA NEWS 3

Your MECA Dollars at Work AID & PROJECT UPDATE Barbara Lubin

Barbara Lubin and Danny Muller in Egypt getting ready to board a Viva Palestina bus. The convoy brought in five truckloads of aid to the people of Gaza.

Viva Palestina-US After meeting with British MP George Galloway in May, MECA decided to join this aid and solidarity effort. For the month of June we became home to the Northern California Viva Palestina organizing committee to raise funds for the convoy to Gaza. Committee members held events, sold T-shirts at community gatherings, got donations from local businesses. Through these efforts, a contribution from MECA general funds, which was matched by the Alalusi Foundation, we donated a total of $70,000 towards the medical aid the convoy brought in. MECA Director Barbara Lubin, and long-time volunteer Danny Muller joined the convoy. (See page 2).

Barbara Lubin

As part of “Let the Children Play and Heal,” 120,000 children attended two-week summer camps throughout Gaza, which ended with music and dance performances.

“Let the Children Play and Heal” This psychosocial support program was initiated by our partner Afaq Jadeeda (New Horizons) to address children’s psychological needs after the New Year’s assault on Gaza. “Let the Children Play & Heal” is giving tens of thousands of children and youth opportunities to express themselves though art, dance, music, story-telling, theatre and puppetry; to get support from the larger community; and to have fun and just be children. In addition, hundreds of mothers have been trained to help their extended families cope with the aftermath of the attacks, and a psychologist identifies and refers children who need individual counseling. All programs are free, thanks to the support of MECA donors.

4 MECA NEWS

Barbara Lubin

MECA volunteers Mohammed Al-Majdalawi and Danny Muller with two young people, at the massive exhibit of art created by children at one of the “Let the Children Play and Heal” summer camps.

Clean Water for Gaza’s Schoolchildren Lack of access to clean, safe water is one of the worst features of the Israeli Occupation—causing major health problems. Israel diverts water for its own use, while denying materials, fuel, and permits to sustain and expand Palestinian water systems. Military attacks predictably—and often deliberately—destroy wells, water tanks, pipes, treatment plants, and sewage systems. Poverty prevents people from purchasing clean water or repairing their water tanks and plumbing. A few years ago, children at the UN school in Bureij Refugee Camp, Gaza voted on what they wanted most for their school and they chose drinking water. MECA helped build a water purification and desalination system for the school in 2007 with a grant from the Alalusi Foundation, and a similar system at the UN school in Nuseirat Refugee Camp, with proceeds from a fundraiser organized by the Arab-Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East. Recently, MECA received requests for water systems in community centers with pre-schools and kindergartens, and ten elementary schools throughout Gaza. These projects will begin as money is raised. MECA is making water systems a major program priority. Our two-year goal is to provide funds for systems in sixty schools, with a long-term goal of providing clean, safe drinking water for schoolchildren in hundreds of Gaza refugee camps and villages.

The sign reads “Started by Afaq Jadeeda in Nuseirat Refugee Camp and funded by the Middle East Children’s Alliance, December 2007”

MECA NEWS 5

We Won’t Be Divided for Long, continued from page 3 erased and changed to Israeli names written in Arabic. For example, Al-Quds, the Arabic name for Jerusalem, would be written in Arabic as “Yerushalaim.” While Palestinian history is being erased, the ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem escalates. More and more homes are demolished or occupied by settlers flying Israeli flags. More and more Palestinian Jerusalemites have their identity documents confiscated and lose the right to live in, or even visit, Jerusalem. As the Occupation increases the daily suffering for Palestinians, there is also a terrible internal division that Israel strengthens and exploits. The Palestinian community is divided politically into two main factions: Fatah, the party that runs the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and is supported by the US, the EU and many Arab countries; and Hamas, the party that has authority in Gaza, and is supported by Iran, Syria, and a few other countries. Israel is deepening this division by giving some privileges to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, while continuing the siege of the Gaza. Europe and the US are taking sides by providing political and financial support to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, while remaining silent about Gaza. The aim is to dilute the Palestinian struggle and shift the Palestinian focus from resisting the Occupation to defending the interests of the two “governments.” For example, before the division of the two political factions, the Palestinian people were united in fighting for the release of all political prisoners—10,000 held inside Israeli jails. Now some are fighting for the Hamas prisoners held in Fatah jails, others are fighting for the Fatah prisoners held in Hamas jails.

Palestinian community internally, but they will not succeed in shutting down the voice of the Palestinian political resistance. The only thing that they are willing to agree to is a “sort of” state next to Israel that they design with no controllable borders, no military, no weapons, no capital in Jerusalem, and no right of return for Palestinian refugees from 1948 and 1967. The Palestinian people will not accept compromises on their political rights, and eventually their collective suffering will bring them back together.

Ziad Abbas in Dheisheh Refugee Camp beside a one-room building like the one he was born in. People in Dheisheh are still struggling to return back to their original villages. These were the first “houses” the UN built in 1952 to replace the tents people lived in after the 1948 Nakba. A family of six lived in one room.

The internal conflict strains the Palestinian national spirit and advances Israel’s main goals of shutting down the Palestinian resistance and breaking down national unity. The Palestinians are very aware of these divisive political games. While the people continue to suffer under the Occupation, they watch the negotiations, and see the political divisions in the “leadership” tearing the struggle apart. But suffering itself is a uniting force, so the people will not stay divided for long. The feeling today is reminiscent of the stage before the second Intifada. During the Oslo Accords the people watched the negotiations and heard about the “peace process,” but they did not believe the political games being played. They became increasingly unsettled. It was like a volcano bubbling under the surface, not yet showing its true anger but building up silently. Such were the emotions brewing within the Palestinians. Everyone could feel that something deep inside was moving, before it erupted into an explosion of resistance. The world should expect another massive political eruption in Palestine. The Western countries and Israel persist in ignoring the political rights of the Palestinian people and try to divide the

6 MECA NEWS

Pablo Pitcher

Homeward Bound continued from page 1

the rubble of their former homes, with their little voices, they tried to tell us their stories.

lawi, a Gazan student and MECA volunteer. In Nuseirat Refugee Camp, we were invited by Afaq Jadeeda (New Horizons) to see the activities of their project, loosely translated as “Let them Play and Heal,” a program treating childhood trauma and sponsored by the Middle East Children’s Alliance. We had the chance to see hundreds of children’s happy little faces, singing along with the debka performance, which was one of many activities working to help the children recover after the war trauma. There were around 500 kids, 6-12 years old, boys and girls with their mothers, as the project targets mothers and their children. We then visited Al-Bureij School, where MECA has implemented water purification and desalinization systems to provide clean drinking water for schoolchildren. This is one of two water treatment projects MECA has recently implemented in the refugee camps, and we aim to build many more with the help of our friends and allies. We then moved to the north and while the van was going on, we could clearly see many demolished homes everywhere, and tent cities around the homes where families now lived.

I listened to their stories. I stopped writing about the rest of our activities, the rest of our day, the rest of my return home. At that moment I felt, and still feel, “I don’t want to hear or listen, I just want to cuddle these children and help them to forget.” But I want the world to remember what was done here in Gaza, and that those of us who are picking up the pieces, as hard as we try, we cannot forget. These boys have been living in this tent since January when their home was destroyed and several members of their family were killed. They are starting to build a new home with mud and pieces of their demolished home because Israel won’t allow building materials into Gaza.

We could not miss the Zaytoun area, where one of the many tragic events of the war occurred at the home of the Samoni family. The van went through neighborhood after neighborhood, through areas of vast destruction. How can I convey to you what I have seen in the little faces, eyes of sadness mixed with hope and excitement? On top of that, some of the kids who had broken or missing arms and legs, post operative scars, who are living in Barbara Lubin

A Life-Saving Gift for the Children YES! I want to do what I can for the injured and terrified children in Gaza. Here is my special contribution to help MECA deliver medicine aid, support mental health intervention, and build water treatment sytems in schools [ ] $250

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MECA NEWS 7

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The Middle East Children’s Alliance presents

NOAM CHOMSKY: “Obama, the Middle East, and the Prospects for Peace” Saturday, October 3, 2009 - 7:30 pm sharp The Paramount Theatre, downtown Oakland

2025 Broadway, adjacent to the 19th street BART For directions, parking, and other info: www.paramounttheatre.com

ORDER TICKETS TODAY at www.ticketmaster.com.

We expect this event to sell out! Co-sponsored by KPFA , 94.1 fm

Special Reception with Professor Chomsky after his talk, in the Mezzanine - $250 and $100 tickets only We regret that the Reception is not wheel-chair accessible

ALL TICKETS ORDER FROM WWW.TICKETMASTER.COM or PURCHASE FROM PARAMOUNT THEATRE BOX OFFICE Questions? Call 510-548-0542 $250: Seating in first two rows of Orchestra Pit t Post-Event Mezzanine Reception with Professor Chomsky
t
Special Chomsky Gift $100: Front Orchestra seating Post-Event Reception with Professor Chomsky $ 50: Orchestra middle or front side seating $ 32: Orchestra center/rear and Balcony* front seating $ 22: Low-income, Balcony* rear seating Wheelchair Seating (2 seats together) and ASL seating in front of theatre $32($22 low income) Please purchase these tickets in advance from the Box Office. *We regret that Balcony seats are not wheelchair-accessible & there are no elevators in the theatre. If you need disability seating, please contact the Paramount Box Office

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