Bay Area Barnstorming -- questions so far
Day 2 of week long Bay Area Barnstorming with Gaza Freedom March Report-Back. Taking me to a church, a college, a high school, an art studio, and living rooms... Questions asked so far: Why historically can people in that part of the world not get along -- Christians, Jews, Muslims? Why are so many Palestinians still in Gaza? How big a factor is Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East? What is your solution, given you object to the West vs. Islamic fundamentalism choices? How does Iran fit into the picture? How do I convince my Jewish friends that Israel is wrong? What is Israel trying to accomplish by blockading Gaza? What is the story with Egypt? What about voices of dissent in Israel? Why would Israel destroy the American International School in Gaza? If Hamas is using the tunnels to bring in weapons, how can we argue against Egypt's wall to close them...
Report Back from the Gaza Freedom March - 2/21/10 Berkeley 7 PM
Report Back from the Gaza Freedom March
A presentation by Alan Goodman
Sunday, February 21st at 7:00 pm, Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar Street in Berkeley (at Bonita)
Alan's slideshow- presentation illustrates and brings to life the critical situation for the people of Gaza one year after Israel’s massacre. It highlights the importance of the Gaza Freedom March, in breaking the siege of Gaza.
This presentation paints a vivid picture of challenges of persevering with the mission of the march in Egypt after Egyptian authorities banned the marchers from going to Gaza – including the "great debates" among the participants over whether to accept an offer from the Egyptian government to allow 100 of the 1300+ marchers into Gaza as a humanitarian mission.
And it paints a living picture of "everyday people" from around the world who, at great risk and sacrifice, went on the march.
Based on interviews with dozens of participants – some of whom have been to Gaza recently – Alan Goodman’s report-back from the Gaza Freedom March paints a living picture of the situation faced by the people of Gaza.
And, from the perspective of a reporter from Revolution newspaper (revcom.us), Alan’s presentation poses important questions about the global forces behind the blockade of Gaza, and the oppression of the Palestinian people.Bring your toughest questions about the situation of the Palestinian people, and the state of Israel! Q&A / discussion to follow presentation.
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
1924 Cedar Street in Berkeley (at Bonita)
1924 Cedar Street in Berkeley (at Bonita)
For information call: 510-684-8270. $10-15 at the door, sliding scale students & unemployed, no one turned away for lack of funds. Co-sponsored by the BFUU Peace & Social Justice Committee, Oakland Educational Association Peace & Justice Caucus, and Revolution Book.
The Gaza Freedom March: A Call to the World Part I:
The Gaza Freedom March: Part I: Locked Down in Cairo - in REVOLUTION newspaper
At precisely 10 am on December 31, 2009, a dozen or so "tourists" moved swiftly into eight lanes of traffic in the middle of a main thoroughfare through the center of Cairo, Egypt. Hundreds of signs in English and Arabic emerged from suitcases and backpacks: "End the Siege!" "Free Gaza!" This was the signal. Within seconds, hundreds of other "tourists" poured into the streets to join them — the Gaza Freedom March was on! After an hour of pandemonium, security forces had managed to push the protesters to the sidewalk, where they were surrounded and detained by phalanxes of riot police for seven hours. The Gaza Freedom March, which was already front-page news in Egypt and the Middle East, became a living call to the world: Free Gaza! Read on…
video clips from my report back on Gaza Freedom March
Also, seems people are finding my talk at the Emergency Town Hall Meeting to Oppose the Massacre in Gaza last year relevant, including the arguments I made to speak to people who keep asking "but what about those Hamas rockets?"
Stories to tell!
Over the course of participating in, and covering the Gaza Freedom March for REVOLUTION, I recorded some 30 interviews with participants. Those interviews tell the stories of people who at great risk and sacrifice left their families, jobs, and countries to be part of the March. These interviews also provide a window into the conditions and lives of the Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere.
They include the experiences of the Bahrain delegation -- a doctor and a nurse who were in Gaza during the war.... the story of a woman whose husband is in Gaza, and who documented the brutal conditions and irrepressible spirit of people there last May, five months after Israel's "war" (massacre)... the experience of the a Jewish woman from the U.S. who was provoked by the Israeli-orchestrated massacre of Palestinians in the Lebanese refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla to discover the roots of Israel in ethnic cleansing, and then to go on the "Birthright unplugged" tour and witness the situation in the West Bank...
Photos: Above- Teachers at The American International School in Gaza stand outside their former school building last May. The building was destroyed by Israel in last year's massacre of Gaza; Right - the takeout window at Sam's Pizza in Gaza City. Credits: Linda Todd, used with permission - if reprinted please credit.
And the interviews paint a picture of our experiences here, including that of the Luxembourg delegation (10 people from a tiny country in Europe) who made it to the northern Egyptian town of Al Arish near the Gaza border and who spent their confinement there mobilizing the local population in opposition to Egypt's planned wall....with people who participated in the activities of the GFM all over Cairo
I interviewed students, political activists... people who identified their values as Christians, Muslims or Jews as motivating factors.... about why they came. The interviews shed light on why all kinds of "normal everyday" people awakened to the real situation of the Palestinian people -- experiences they had that opened their eyes... and what it was about their backgrounds that made them receptive to hearing, seeing, and thinking about the situation of the Palestinians. They show the potential for mobilizing the people of the world to support the liberation of Palestine, and to oppose the crimes of Israel and the U.S. and the whole network of oppressive power in the Middle East.
And there are different perspectives and insights on the causes of the oppression of the Palestinian people, and how that fits into a larger picture of a world of oppression and injustice.
Here's how you can help make this material available to the world:
* Post or email me (alanxgoodman@gmail.com) your suggestions on how to present this material in REVOLUTION newspaper, at revcom.us, or in other ways....
* Volunteer to transcribe one or more of these interviews.
* Volunteer to translate this material into Spanish for Revolución, or into Arabic (or other languages)
* Network / collectivize / dialog on how those of us who were part of and documented this experience in different forms can amplify its impact.
* Arrange to have me speak to your students, your activist group, your community organization, your church/mosque/synagogue, radio show, etc... including as part of group report-backs from the GFM.
* Include me on panels / forums / debates in Israel and Palestine (consult before listing me of course)
* Other ideas?
Again, feel free to post ideas here, or email me at alanxgoodman@gmail.com.
They include the experiences of the Bahrain delegation -- a doctor and a nurse who were in Gaza during the war.... the story of a woman whose husband is in Gaza, and who documented the brutal conditions and irrepressible spirit of people there last May, five months after Israel's "war" (massacre)... the experience of the a Jewish woman from the U.S. who was provoked by the Israeli-orchestrated massacre of Palestinians in the Lebanese refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla to discover the roots of Israel in ethnic cleansing, and then to go on the "Birthright unplugged" tour and witness the situation in the West Bank... 
And the interviews paint a picture of our experiences here, including that of the Luxembourg delegation (10 people from a tiny country in Europe) who made it to the northern Egyptian town of Al Arish near the Gaza border and who spent their confinement there mobilizing the local population in opposition to Egypt's planned wall....with people who participated in the activities of the GFM all over Cairo
I interviewed students, political activists... people who identified their values as Christians, Muslims or Jews as motivating factors.... about why they came. The interviews shed light on why all kinds of "normal everyday" people awakened to the real situation of the Palestinian people -- experiences they had that opened their eyes... and what it was about their backgrounds that made them receptive to hearing, seeing, and thinking about the situation of the Palestinians. They show the potential for mobilizing the people of the world to support the liberation of Palestine, and to oppose the crimes of Israel and the U.S. and the whole network of oppressive power in the Middle East.
And there are different perspectives and insights on the causes of the oppression of the Palestinian people, and how that fits into a larger picture of a world of oppression and injustice.
Here's how you can help make this material available to the world:
* Post or email me (alanxgoodman@gmail.com) your suggestions on how to present this material in REVOLUTION newspaper, at revcom.us, or in other ways....
* Volunteer to transcribe one or more of these interviews.
* Volunteer to translate this material into Spanish for Revolución, or into Arabic (or other languages)
* Network / collectivize / dialog on how those of us who were part of and documented this experience in different forms can amplify its impact.
* Arrange to have me speak to your students, your activist group, your community organization, your church/mosque/synagogue, radio show, etc... including as part of group report-backs from the GFM.
* Include me on panels / forums / debates in Israel and Palestine (consult before listing me of course)
* Other ideas?
Again, feel free to post ideas here, or email me at alanxgoodman@gmail.com.
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