On the ground in Cairo

Dec 29 - Cairo: Cairo is overwhelming --17 million people in the metro area. The streets are filled with young people late into the night. The city is a cacophony of activity and sound. The ride from the airport was a high-speed bumper car experience with police checkpoints along the way… But no time to get my bearings, there's much to do.

I knew (and posted) that Egyptian authorities have declared there will be no crossing for our delegation into Gaza. Things have intensified. With meeting places closed, people are regrouping in small groups, networking, and sharing info. I bump into 3 “internationals” as delegates to the GFM refer to themselves. Two from Europe, one from Canada. They fill me in on the day’s events in more detail.

The bus company that was to take us to near the Gaza border was pressured to pull out. Delegates who have made it on their own to Al Arish, the Egyptian resort town an hour (by car) from the Gaza border are essentially under house arrest in their hotel. Egyptian police, and “secret police” with walkie talkies under their jackets are following every group of delegates around Cairo, breaking up gatherings, or surrounding them and not allowing them to move. A commemoration ceremony for the 1400 killed in Gaza in the "war" last year was broken up by police who threw memorial flowers into a river.

 

They share stories of being shadowed and threatened by the authorities while finding ways to get into the streets and the news. Small groups gather at times with quickly made signs, and chant “free Palestine” in English and Arabic. Is all this big news in the US? If this was China during the Olympics, and the protesters were Tibetan or Chinese dissidents, this would be front page New York Times for months (not to dismiss or downplay the oppression of Tibettans and suppression of dissent in today's capitalist / pseudo-socialist China, just noting the gross hypocrisy).

The manager of the shop where we are talking is listening in. He apologizes for the Egyptian police. That’s not you, I say -- we understand. We have the same problem, our government isn’t us either.

Delegates from France, the US, and other countries were encouraged to visit their embassies and ask their governments to intercede. The Europeans tell me they went to the US embassy, where only a delegation of 3 people were allowed into the embassy, they were not allowed to talk to anyone of import, and only given five minutes to raise their complaints to someone. They were assured though, that the embassy was “very concerned.” I describe to the others the story of the movie “Missing,” and the “concern” the US embassy showed for a US student murdered by Pinochet in a US-sponsored coup. No, that’s not “our” government.

A couple from Europe read my previous post. I ask them for their perception of / insights into Americans? They had thought that maybe America came to its senses with the election of Obama but now they are in turmoil tryign to figure out what that really meant. They know about the “rednecks” who hate Obama in America, but wonder if he’s really any better than Bush? We begin to sift thru that, but we have to get up before sunrise, and I gotta go write up and post this blog.

Tomorrow morning, we will attempt to leave en-masse for the Gaza border. Stay tuned.!

Photo: dawn breaks over smoggy Cairo

En Route: A tale of 2 papers

The flight attendant is pushing a small shopping cart of newspapers down the aisle of the airplane. Most of the papers are in Arabic, which unfortunately I cannot read. One is in English – the Jordan Times. I look at page 1, and see an article on the front page: “Gaza convoy remains in Aqaba as Egypt talks at impasse.” Whoh! We’re on page 1 in Jordan? It turns out that the article is actually about another delegation, a humanitarian convoy of including ambulances, trucks, vans and jeeps from England, Turkey and other places  (actually, we do make page 1 - an update of the story in the Dec 27 edition includes substantial coverage of the Egyptian government’s blocking of the GFM).

I read the rest of the paper. One article is about how Christians in Gaza (mostly Greek Orthodox) don’t have much to celebrate. One holiday “human interest story” details the situation of a Christian family in Gaza who were denied permits to make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem by the Israeli’s because the mother in the family is under 35 years old, and therefore ineligible to get Israeli permission to travel from one part of Palestine (Gaza) to another (the West Bank). One gift shop owner is only selling posters of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel – there isn’t much market for Christmas presents, and the article says that Gazans find “scant holiday cheer ”on the 1 year anniversary of the so-called “war” – Israel’s massacre at the end of last year, and the beginning of ’09.

Before I left, I solicited questions from people of very different perspectives – things they wanted me to investigate. One asked, how can people in Gaza support Hamas? The Jordan Times does not appear to have a pro-Hamas slant at all. But an article notes – in passing – the obvious: In the “war” last year, 1400 Gazans were killed, compared to 13 Israelis, and this, the article notes, “swelled the ranks of Hamas.”

You want to end that cycle? Let's start with opposing Israel's crimes and "our own" government's role in backing them.

On page 4, another article details a strike on “suspected terrorists” in Yemen on Dec 17^th of this year. The article says that President Obama “approved” the raid, According to civilian authorities, the attack (details were very vague in the article) resulted in the death of some 49 civilians, including many women and children, Did you read about that? How big was that on the news in the US? Then, several days later, the article says two protesting young people were killed (the article doesn’t explain by whom).

I finish reading the Jordan Times and pick up the Xmas edition of USA Today: There is a page one story about how in some states in the U.S., police are giving out coupons for chicken sandwiches for motorists stopped for seatbelt checks who have their seatbelts on. The letters page celebrates “our” troops " who are "protecting our country” … in in Iraq & Afghanistan.

People in other countries, who do not have as much of reality hidden from them, distorted, and turned upside down, must wonder wtf is wrong with Americans .

They need to see, and know that 1300 people from around the world, including hundreds of Americans, are determined to join the Gaza Freedom March on Dec 31. Powerful forces around the world are determined to keep that from happening, and people around the world are being challenged to make it possible for this to happen. Stay tuned.

check out: FOOTNOTES IN GAZA

As I’m getting ready to leave, I’m reading the graphic novel (actually graphic photo-journalism book) FOOTNOTES IN GAZA, written and illustrated by Joe Sacco. There’s an interesting review of the book in this Sunday’s New York Times. It vividly illustrates (literally) two Israeli massacres in Gaza in 1956. One (as far as I have read as of this posting) documents the Khan Younis massacre vividly, humanly, giving voice to the victims and the survivors. Little known to the world, these events are foundational to understanding the current situation in Gaza and Palestine, the nature of Israel and its backers.

The political struggle to get into Gaza intensifies

The political struggle to get the Egyptian authorities to grant international delegates to the Gaza Freedom March permission to cross into Gaza is sharpening up. Egypt’s decision, at this point, to close the border crossing into Gaza during the time we are scheduled to cross is a significant event in international news (BBC, Hindustan Times, Brunei World... In the US, unless you listen to Democracy Now, you haven’t heard about it. The BBC reports that Egypt warned that anyone attempting the crossing from Egypt would be "dealt with by the law." I’m not familiar with this publication, but a fellow-delegate sent me a link to an interesting analysis of Egypt’s position at a publication called Faster Times titled “Egypt Builds Walls and Bans Protests to Navigate the Gaza Border.” One thing that is becoming more and more clear to me is how ferociously, and yes, desperately, the world’s powers (and those whose strings they pull) are determined to suppress any news of the actual situation in Gaza and the conditions of the people there, and crush any expressions of outrage and opposition to that. The situation is unfolding rapidly, so again – stay tuned, subscribe to this blog, and send links to everyone you know.

A brief note on the status of our delegation

Over the past few days, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry informed march organizers that the crossing into Gaza from Egypt will be closed during the time we are scheduled to cross. It is very important that the march organizers, and participants, have responded that we are not changing our plans. This march is so important, and it is also critically important that we are able to witness, and then share with the world the situation the people of Gaza face. This is a story that all the great powers in the world today want suppressed, in particular “our own” government that backs and supports Israel’s crimes. The March organizers are calling on people to contact representatives of the Egyptian government and call on them to allow our delegation to proceed. I encourage all of you to do this (info is in the previous posting), and to follow events closely. And, to email my blog address to all your lists. I’ll be updating this blog as events develop.

* * *

Let's all start thinking and organizing now on how to maximize the impact of this trip. I'm ready to speak to groups large and small when I get back. It will also be important to schedule talks to student groups who have budgets for speakers, as a way for me to pay back substantial money that was lent to me for this trip. Contact me: alanxgoodman@gmail.com.

Urgent update on status of Gaza Freedom March

From the organizers...
For Immediate Release: December 21st, 2009
Contact: Ann Wright
019 508 1493 (Cairo), microann@yahoo.com

Gaza Freedom March is determined to break the siege
1,360 International Delegates appeal to Egypt to let the March proceed

Citing escalating tensions on the Gaza-Egypt border, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry informed us on December 20 that the Rafah border will be closed over the coming weeks, into January. We responded that there is always tension at the border because of the siege and that if there are any risks, they are risks we are willing to take. We also said that it was too late for over 1,360 delegates coming from over 42 countries to change their plans now...
Read entire press release plus what you can do

Getting ready to go to the Gaza Freedom March

I'm preparing to go on the Gaza Freedom March – in Gaza, Palestine – on New Years Day. And, to spend time in Gaza learning first hand about the lives of the people and the conditions they face. This march marks the one-year anniversary of Israel's horrific assault on Gaza. A UN delegation led by Richard Goldstone said the blockade that preceded the assault constituted "violations of international human rights and humanitarian law," and that in the war itself, Israel's target was "at least in part… the people of Gaza as a whole.” (for an insightful summary of, and analysis of the Goldstone report, how it has come under attack, and why it was ignored by the U.N, see " Gaza UN report: The U.S. and Israel vs. the truth," by A World To Win News Service).

I'll be reporting from Gaza for Revolution and beyond, and I'm going to use this blog to share news as it happens, bounce my thoughts off of you, and pose questions that I'm investigating or thinking about. So, here we go with missive #1…

Preparing for the trip has been inspiring, and eye opening. I've had a chance to meet dozens of people from the U.S. who are going – religious activists (including Muslims and Jews), people from the Middle East, activists who have been protesting Israel's crimes against the Palestinians for years, and a significant number of college students – many of them women.

It's very heartening to hear people from the U.S., from many walks of life, talk about their motivation to brave dangers and make this trip. The courageous example of Rachel Corrie came up at an orientation meeting, and that is a factor that inspires people. In future postings, I'll be sharing more about the people going, and their motivations and stories. There are, of course, lively and intense discussions, exchanges and disagreements among those going over politics, religion, culture and our various understandings of the foundational factors and causes that have led to the intolerable situation in Gaza – even as we all oppose the blockade of Gaza and stand in solidarity with the people there (the march as a whole takes no position on the current Gaza administration).

I've also had a chance to network with, and get valuable advice from artists and writers with ties to and deep knowledge of the Middle East – including an influential artist in the region whose work explores with sensitivity the experiences of women discovering sexuality, the oppression of women, and homosexuality – not topics one might associate with popular culture in the Middle East these days. I'm curious to learn more about what this represents.

Finally – and importantly -- I want to make you all aware that our trip depends on the Egyptian authorities allowing us to enter Gaza. This will be touch-and-go until we cross the border. Those going are mobilizing public opinion in Egypt, and around the world, to create a climate where the Egyptian authorities do not impede or delay us. If there are well known or influential people among those reading this posting, or people who know such people, letters to the Egyptian government affirming the importance of allowing our delegation expeditious and unhindered crossing into Gaza will be helpful, maybe critical. Those letters can be emailed to me, and I will make them available to the march organizers, or they can be sent to the march's Government Liaison and Logistics coordinator in Gaza/Egypt -- Ann Wright -- at microann@yahoo.com.

Stay tuned!
Alan Goodman