Nine members of international women’s delegation stay behind in Gaza
A Palestinian delegate is detained at border, will attempt to cross again March 15

AL-ARISH, EGYPT –  Nine members of the 60-member aid delegation to Gaza with novelist Alice Walker have decided to stay back in Gaza several extra days until this Sunday, March 15, and one member, Palestinian Abdullah al Ghoul, was detained at the Rafah border and will attempt to leave early next week.

The rest of the 60 delegates crossed out of the war-torn region March 11 and will return to Cairo and home today and within the next few days.

The delegation, which includes Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Walker and organized by the peace group CODEPINK, was allowed through the Rafah, Egypt, crossing in time for International Women’s Day, March 8. The crossing has been closed by the Egyptian government almost continuously since July 2007. However, Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, chairman of the Egyptian Red Crescent (similar to the Red Cross) and president of the National Women’s Committee, communicated her “blessing” of the mission through the Red Crescent team that escorted the delegation through the crossing.

“We want to send a message to the governments of both Egypt and Israel that the borders must be opened to all individuals and organizations,” said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK. “ Long-term peace and prosperity are not possible without freedom of movement.”

The CODEPINK delegation was invited to the region by the Gender Initiative of the United Nations’ Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a program dedicated to promoting the rights of girls and women in the Gaza Strip. On the six-day visit in Gaza, the delegates met with social-service organizations and delivered more than 1,000 gift baskets to Gazan women and celebrated International Women’s Day March 8. This weekend they plan to visit the Palestinian Human Rights Center, the Palestinian Relief Center, hospitals and farms.

The Red Crescent estimates that 1,000 truckloads of supplies and other goods are needed every day to meet the needs of the 1.5 million residents of the Gaza Strip. Yet, the UN reports that the daily average has been only 125 truckloads since the borders closed about 18 months ago.

Also among the participants are Craig and Cindy Corrie, parents of 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, who was struck and killed six years ago this month by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to block the demolition of a Gazan home.

For more information and interviews, contact Jean Stevens, national media coordinator, at 508-769-2138 or Medea Benjamin at 018 9561919.

Here’s an excerpt from March 11:

This is my last day in Gaza before I head back to Cairo and then home to DC. And it’s strange, but I’m feeling “homesick” already. I feel both that I should stay here to show solidarity with the people  – joining the ISM (International Solidarity Movement) to help fishermen and farmers make a living — and to get to know this unique wedge of land and its population a little better. Today was jampacked with activities, starting with a tour of some of the most war-ravaged areas of Gaza (the bitter) and ending with a delightful evening with new friends I’ve made here who I hope will be lifelong acquaintances (the sweet).

Check out this excerpt from March 6:

There are 59 of us on the two buses.

Some you would expect to find in a Codepink delegation with a mission of breaking the siege on Gaza: The mother of a girl who was bulldozed to death by the Israeli army when trying to block a home demolition. A U.S. Army colonel and diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war. A Pulitzer-prize-winning author and feminist. A producer for Democracy Now and videographer for Big Noise Films. A member of the board of directors for the American Civil Liberties Union in Southern California.

Others would surprise you – perhaps even if you thought you knew them well. The owner of a small record label that specializes in jazz and blues. The manager of an art gallery and sometime candidate for mayor of Santa Fe. A high school math teacher. A veterinarian.

Most are from the United States, but they also hail from Canada, Australia, France, Turkey, Pakistan, Dubai and Egypt.

But no matter what their background or residence, we share the same mission: To focus the world’s attention on the continuing blockade of Gaza, and — in particular – to show solidarity with the women who must continue to hold their fragile families together despite extreme hardship.

A 60-member aid delegation – including novelist Alice Walker, the parents of Rachel Corrie, Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright – is currently on its way to enter Gaza, the first delegation of its size and kind to attempt to enter Gaza since July 2007. Delegates — which include members of the Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as doctors, businesspeople, lawyers and college students — will meet with Palestinian aid groups, Gazan women, and United Nations officials. They will also bear witness to the aftermath of the three-week Israeli assault earlier this year and deliver 2,000 gift baskets to Gazan women, purchased through an outpouring of donations through the CODEPINK website to honor Gazan women on International Women’s Day, March 8.

Day three in Gaza:

Well it is Monday, March 9, and it seems we have been in Gaza forever. My hotel overlooks the sea. I hear the sounds of the waves and it is so lovely – like any resort but Gaza is not a resort – it is a prison. We hear the same message everyday from all of the people we meet. We don’t need your humanitarian aid – we need a just peace. We need an end to the occupation. We need our children to grow up free and with a future. The people of Gaza want you to go to your governments and tell them that you will not tolerate seeing an entire population being held hostage.

I traveled north of Gaza City today to a community center. We saw children playing in the gymnasium and teenagers playing ping pong. We were not in a shelter although during the invasion there were people living here. Now there is a family - we met with the father so that he could tell his story. He had an apartment for his family – eight children and his wife. He has not worked in a few years. So many people here are dependent on humanitarian aid. The apartment building was destroyed and left he and his family homeless. He told of the children screaming and crying and their terror. They don’t want to go to a shelter because the family will have to be separated – male and female. He insisted that they stay in this community centre and they slept for many days in the auditorium. Now they have been given two rooms and a bathroom. They have had to fight for water…they have only the clothes on their backs. He has not changed his clothes since before the massacre. This is an educated and soft spoken gentleman. We went to the rooms and met his wife and daughters. It is not the way anyone should have to live. Discretely, I shook his hand and handed him $50 of the money friends had given me to help whoever I felt needed it.

We had lunch today with UNRWA and met John Ging, director of operations. He is a very dedicated and out spokn representative He said that this is struggle for truth and justice. He said that the Palestinian people have not forgotten their civility. He told us that they have hope but there is more extremism now but the general population is resisting. He also said that aid is not the first thing the people need but that it is truth and justice. He did talk about the aid that cannot get into Gaza and is waiting in warehouses in Al Arish.

Later in the afternoon we met with representatives from the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. They talked to us about the ongoing trauma for the people of Gaza. Children can’t sleep at night and when they do experience nightmares and night terrors. These children no longer believe that their parents can protect them or can provide the essentials for daily living. Every person in Gaza including the mental health professionals have experienced this horror and still they must continue to live in this prison.

This is an entire population that was targeted with white phosphorus and that had to face a full scale military onslaught. We were told that now the International Community must help Israel to heal their trauma of the holocaust. The Palestinians are victims of the victims. It is our responsibility now to put pressure, constant pressure on our governments. The end of the siege is the first step to healing the mental health issues in Gaza. An end to occupation and a just peace.

Day two in Gaza:

It is International Women’s Day. This is a day for solidarity for women all over the world. After breakfast this morning, we went by bus to various community centres that are receiving funding from the UNRWA. In the bus on the way to Gaa Al Qureen Development Association one of our guides told us about the recent destruction of Gaza by the Israeli government. She said that they want to destroy everything –old men, women and children- even the stones. I am so disgusted by the damage that I see. 1500 homes destroyed, the Al Quds hospital, the ministry buildings – everything reduced to rubble. How can an army with bombs, helicopters and tanks invade a community – where children are playing in the playgrounds, walking to school, sleeping soundly in their homes? What mentality can kill the innocent without remorse?

At the community centre we were met by all the women that use this centre. They had put a lot of thought and preparation into our visit. Three of us went to each centre. At Gaa All Qureen they sang, danced and performed a play for us. The women are learning a lot about their rights as women and this centre is very important to each of them. Many of the women have been very isolated for some time. Many are not educated – this is a very rural community and the centres have given them a place to be together and to learn about their rights as women. They have a room with exercise equipment and a room with computers. Mothers and daughters are coming for lessons together. Some said they were realizing their dreams. The program today was set up so that each woman in our group had an opportunity to meet with a group of Palestinian women and ask them questions and to answer theirs. The women asked me questions about women’s rights in Canada and about my opinion on women’s rights in general. There was personal sharing on both sides and tears on mine. Domestic abuse is a problem in Gaza – men are out of work and they are frustrated by the hopelessness here. The workshops sponsored by UNRWA are impacting both men and women and making a difference. There is a new awareness for the women of Gaza.

This evening we had dinner in a gorgeous restaurant with delicious soup and a variety of salads. After dinner we heard from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) workers. They told us about the work they did with the Red Crescent Society. They described the horrors of going into areas that were being attacked and taking out the injured – shelling and bombing going on around them. They told us about the fisherman and the farmers who are regularly attacked by the Israeli soldiers – before and after the massacre.

Palestinian territorial water should be 12 miles out from the shore and this should be safe fishing ground for the fisherman. However, the Israelis have only allowed them to fish 6 miles out from the shore and have shot at them when they were as close as 5 miles. Since the massacre this area has been reduced to 3 miles and fisherman have been fired at as close as 1 mile from the shore. Fisherman of late choose not to fish because it is not feasible financially to take out a trawler within 3 miles from the shore and also because it is so dangerous for them. Many continue as they have no other way to feed their families.

What do the women of Gaza want on this International Women’s Day? Like you and me they want to live in peace, to nurture their children and see them happy and free.

Day one in Gaza (March 7):

It is very hard to believe and it is very hard to describe how I am feeling. We left Al Arish this morning around 9 a.m. and made the 40 minute drive to Rafah. This morning Medea and the group told us that at their meeting last night with the Red Crescent, they received greetings from the wife of President Mubarak and an assurance that we would be getting into Gaza today. This was really hard to imagine since so many have been waiting for days to get in and humanitarian aid is rotting at the border. It is obvious that the Egyptian government does not want the negative attention that would come from not letting our group in. Our group is full of journalists and activists that would be sure to get the message out that a humanitarian mission is being denied entrance into Gaza. It is hard enough to get a sheet of paper into Gaza and we got not only 59 people but a bus as well. (Read the rest on her blog).

From Cairo to Al-Arish (March 5-6):

We left Cairo this morning around 9:30am for Al Arish, Egypt. This is no easy task since our numbers now total 59. The energy of the group is really quite fascinating. The group is diverse in ages, backgrounds and nationalities. The group is mostly American and Canadian and more women than men. We are make quite a scene wherever we go with all the pink, the noise and the craziness.

CODEPINK has raised enough money for 1000 gift baskets so we have 1000 pink baskets, pink scarves and then soaps and candies and so on. Gifts to just brighten the life of a woman in Gaza on International Women’s Day. We learned yesterday that the UN organizers in Gaza said that we should bring a treat to the women and not the staples of rice and beans that first comes to mind but instead something to remind the women of the Gaza that for one day they are just women.

The trip was long but the conversations on the bus were lively and interesting. We had one bus for 15 passengers that I was on and the other was much larger holding the bulk of the group. I heard that on this bus they were singing and learning to belly dance as well as telling their personal stories.

Once we were out of Cairo the scenery was lush and green and beautiful until we reached the desert and the Suez Canal. After that for me the landscape was just awesome. I am so fascinated by the desert and the rolling hills of sand, the Bedouin homes, the camels and goats. We drove onto the magnificent bridge that goes over the Suez Canal. We could see several big cargo ships moving gracefully along the canal.

At one point we stopped at a rest stop – similar to any truckstop in North America – mediocre bathrooms and junk food. The CODEPINK organizers were ahead of the game though and produced a delicious lunch of hard boiled eggs, hummous, pita, buns, salads, fruit and cake. We had a short stop and kept on our way to Al Arish.

A 60-member aid delegation – including novelist Alice Walker, the parents of Rachel Corrie, Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright – is currently on its way to enter Gaza, the first delegation of its size and kind to attempt to enter Gaza since July 2007. Delegates — which include members of the Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as doctors, businesspeople, lawyers and college students — will meet with Palestinian aid groups, Gazan women, and United Nations officials. They will also bear witness to the aftermath of the three-week Israeli assault earlier this year and deliver 2,000 gift baskets to Gazan women, purchased through an outpouring of donations through the CODEPINK website to honor Gazan women on International Women’s Day, March 8.

]]> http://codepink.org/blog/2009/03/gaza-delegation-day-two-in-gaza-sandra-ruchs-diary/feed/ 5 http://codepink.org/blog/2009/03/women-of-gaza-we-will-not-be-silent/ http://codepink.org/blog/2009/03/women-of-gaza-we-will-not-be-silent/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:49:52 +0000 Ann http://codepink4peace.org/blog/?p=1292 Hi all — I just posted this piece on Huffington Post on International Women’s Day in Gaza. You can read it here!

The Egyptians blinked!! We were contacted by the Egyptian Red Crescent just before dinner on the 7th and told that they and the Palestinian Red Crescent would facilitate the transportation of our relief supplies from Egypt to Palestine. This was a BIG signal. They also mentioned that Mrs. Mubarak was “very interested” in our International Women’s day project. At that point we knew that they Egyptian government did not want 60 international human rights activist camping out with big banners, Alice Walker and Rachel Corrie’s parents at the Rafah Gate. So…. Yesterday morning we set out from El Arish at 9 a.m. and after lots of bureaucratic screw-ups — including that LAST passport which was found on the copy machine — we were in Raffa, Palestine, where we were met by the mayor and had a press conference. We arrived, exhausted but exhilarated, in Gaza City at 5 p.m. and, after a brief lecture/q&a on the actual conditions in Palestine and hopes/despair for the future, we dispersed, some of us to the homes of Palestinians and some to hotels. Some of us stayed with a man who is a paramedic, studying to be a nurse. It was his ambulance which picked up Rachel Corrie’s body when she was mowed down by and Israeli bulldozer. More later about our families and our IWD events.