Travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem isn't what it used to be

Picture from Facebook - Neil Le Roux

Joseph traveled from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, the town of David. He made the trip of about 65 miles with Mary. The trip was probably long and arduous, but they reached their destination.

Luckily, they lived before the modern state of Israel decided that Palestinians cannot move freely in their own land. Today that journey would be very different.

Even the three kings would not be able to present their gifts today. Where are today's wise men? Why can't they bring the gift of peace to the Holy Land?

Picture from Facebook - Irfan Iqbal

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

What better way to celebrate November 29^th, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People than to highlight some of the wonderful musicians that find a way to give joy amidst the sorrows and violence of continued military occupation?

Two young talented Palestinian singers performed at the United Nations before an appreciative audience and the following is an excerpt from that performance.

The entire performance lasted about an hour an a half and may be seen at http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/other-meetingsevents/watch/concert-featuring-palestinian-singers-on-the-occasion-of-the-international-day-of-solidarity-with-the-palestinian-people/2868976278001?fb_action_ids=3744815116915&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B525950050834553%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D#full-text

That sent me on an internet search for more wonderful music. It did not take long to find a veritable treasure chest filled with gems—all ripe and ready for the listener.

http://nabilaharbmusic.blogspot.com

My favorite of all the offerings is a somewhat scratchy recording of the music of George Kirmiz accompanied by the wonderful visual images of the art of the late Ismail Shammout.

Checkpoint Kalandia - Now even bigger

Checkpoint Kalandia, my next novel, may be set a decade ago, but the problems the family face continue today. Kalandia is one of the major checkpoints on the West Bank. It is now a permanent fixture that looks more and more like the entrance to a maximum security prison every year.

Today a Palestinian broke through a checkpoint near Jerusalem. He injured two guards slightly, and the ensuing gunfire failed to stop him. That’s all the news article in the Jerusalem Post says. (http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Palestinian-breaks-through-checkpoint-near-Jerusalem-injuring-2-security-guards-332243).

I wonder what drove the man to run through the checkpoint. What made him so anxious to get to the other side that he was willing to risk his life to get there? Does he have family on the other side? Maybe a sick mother or grandmother?

   Or was it something else entirely—was he at a point where the idea of facing one more checkpoint, one more humiliating experience of being patted down asked to raise his shirt to show his skin, and asked countless meaningless questions just too much for him? Was this act a scream of desperation and despair?
   This is life, not a novel, so we will never know what prompted his actions. We will never share his inner thoughts. We can only imagine what it feels like to live in what may be characterized as the world’s largest prison. No, maybe not. In a prison the prisoners are fed, sheltered, and in most countries given medical care.

There is a very good blog describing a trip through the Qalandia Checkpoint by an American photojournalist. The photos are striking, and the narrative is entertaining. http://holylanddispatches.blogspot.com/2009/06/military-checkpoint-is-one-of-most-well.html

Perhaps you noticed that the spelling is not consistent in this blog or across the internet. The reason is that when words are transliterated from one alphabet to another, the spelling is interpreted by the person doing the transliteration. I use Kalandia, but Qalandia is probably the most common spelling.

The video below is one of the best portrayal of the checkpoint I have seen. It chronicles the history of the checkpoint from temporary to permanent with increasingly restrictive layers of security.

Gaza: Where the Arab Spring Turned to Winter

As I begin writing another novel about Palestine, it was suggested that I write about the Palestine of today, this minute—the Palestine with cell phones and Facebook.

Could I do that? Could I write about the Palestine of computers and cell phones without writing about the Palestine of hunger and constant fear? Could I do that without including the children traumatized by Operation Cast Lead and the smaller, unnamed operations that continue, unceasing, yet unremarked by the media?

According to the Gaza Community Health Programme, Operation Cast Lead affected approximately 95% of the people in Gaza, and an estimated 12% suffer from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The Arab Spring gave a flare of hope for Gaza. In spite of the Israeli blockade that was imposed in 2007, the economy revived in 2012. Hundreds of tunnels were built under the houses and olive groves of Gaza, stretching to Rafah and different strategic points in the Sinai. Goods of all sorts, including building supplies, clothing, computers, fuel, medicine—even Kentucky Fried Chicken, flowed through the tunnels. Men were employed rebuilding the homes destroyed by bombs. Engineers, truck drivers, shopkeepers, dressmakers, health care workers went back to work. Taxes on the goods imported through the tunnels paid the government employees. Teachers, clerks, ministers, sanitation workers were paid.

Then the Egyptian President Mursi was ousted, and the new Egyptian government began to destroy tunnels. Ceaseless and relentless, they destroyed or water-logged an estimated 90% of the tunnels, and Gaza was sealed at both ends. (Read more about this: http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/gaza-between-the-rock-and-a-hard-place-1.1247751)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1450513948

Gaza has a long coast line and has always relied on the sea for food and as a source of income. Since the beginning of the Israeli blockade, many Gaza fishermen have avoided the guns of the Israeli naval forces by fishing in Egyptian waters. This , too, stopped suddenly and without warning when Gaza fishing boats were fired upon by Egyptian forces. The video below gives more details. Gaza is now the world’s largest prison.

Can I write about this? Even when I write about Palestinian refugees, I need to have stories that end well. I like happy endings. Can I find a happy ending in Gaza? 

Maybe not today, but I know where I would begin looking for a happy ending--the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme under the able direction of Dr. Eyad Sarraj. The doctors and staff work tirelessly to help alleviate the suffering and depression that invades the population a conditions grow steadily worse. Perhaps that is my happy ending--not an ending but a beginning, a place to find hope.

You can help these efforts by donating today: http://www.gazamentalhealth.org The Gaza Mental Health Foundation is a US charity that is run entirely by volunteers and all donations go to the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.