March 29: Happy birthday K!

K shows birthday rabbit to baby brother

You might recall we visited K and her family once already, via the lovely Atfaluna School for the Deaf. J from 14 Friends of Palestine, who sponsor K, asked me to go back again for her birthday; I’d been meaning to go anyway as I had the rest of the money J had sent over to deliver to them. J suggested I buy some food and toys for the family with a little of the money. In the end, I decided that my blog readers might like to share in celebrating with K too, so I put in some of the money you’ve sent; this meant that K’s mum S received all the original cash from 14 Friends and the food and toys were an extra bonus.

March 26: Dancing in the Ruins

Dubke dancing in the ruins of the Red Crescent theatre, Telal Howa

The building in the shelled Telal Howa Red Crescent complex (which includes Al Quds Hospital, burned with phosphorous) that was worst hit during the attacks was the Red Crescent Theatre, which I believe also had a music school in it. It pretty much burnt down, and its ruins will be demolished. But this afternoon the Palestinian Brotherhood of Tunisia sponsored cultural groups, including the Watar Band and the specially formed dubke dancers, the Jerusalem Group for Folklore and Heritage, in a performance “at the scene of the broken Red Crescent“, and it was inspiring.

March 23: “Fire also upon rescue”…

…it said in the “how to run an Israeli incursion” notes a commander appears to have left behind (doh) near Jabalia, according to Haaretz. Just in case the Palestine medics thought it was accidental. I shouldn’t read the comments that follow articles like this that try to speak out within Israel, but inevitably I do…and it’s kind of funny how half of them appear to be from such ignorant and rascist people that all by themselves they totally provide the answer to the “how could anyone possibly believe Israelis would do this” comments posted by others. And that second lot of Israelis – what bubble do they live in? Do none of them google? Do none of them read my blog, for goodness sake?

March 19: Speaking truth to power

January 09 art from children at the Al Amal Centre, Khan Younis

We were back at Faraheen this morning accompanying farmers again, eyeing the jeeps driving along the Israeli border while our farmers removed the irrigation pipes from one of the fields we have visited regularly. Since Mohammed was shot in the leg, the farmer here has decided to give up on this field, its convenient well, and its half-grown parsley crop – 200,000 shekels worth – in case of further injury or death of harvesters. It was a quiet morning, thank goodness.

March 16: Worth no more, worth no less

Today's mural for the over 1,400 dead reads 'Gaza in my heart'.

Our Rafah ISM colleagues (both of whom worked with Rachel) invited us south for a commemoration kite-flying today; 1 kite to comemorate ISMer Rachel Corrie who was killed by Israel on this day in 2003, and 14 kites to commemorate the over 1,400 Palestinians killed by Israel in Dec 08/Jan 09. They also invited local artists to paint a section of the Israeli wall near where Rachel was killed.

March 13: The high cost of living

Tristan, seriously injured in Ni’lin yesterday

I have just been in touch with West Bank ISMer A to find out how ISMer Tristan is doing, after he received a severe injury yesterday when the tear gas canister an Israeli solider shot at his head created a hole (see footage here). Apparently he is still in critical condition and has had to have the front part of his brain removed. If he makes it through the next 48 hours his chances of survival increase. There will be long term effects but not clear yet how severe.

March 12: When a 2nd home isn’t due to wealth

J and L's kids - still alive because they've abandoned their house

In the taxi on the way back from Al Fukhary tonight, E is on the phone checking if we can visit Abd tomorrow in Al Wafa hospital to deliver the chess set. “Fil asr.” she finishes.

“Is ‘asr‘ arabic for afternoon?” I ask.

“Well, maybe. Unless it’s the word for honey.” she says thoughtfully.
“No, that’s asal.” I say.
“And as long as it’s not the word for juice.”
“No, that’s asir.”
“Then if I didn’t say we’d meet him in the honey or in the juice, I probably said we’d meet him in the afternoon.”

Rama writes about the FreeGaza Play Space

Rama is going to be the link person between Norwich Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the FreeGaza Play Space in Samoud Camp in Jabalia. She wrote the following after our first visit to the play space on March 6…

March 6: Space to play in Samoud Camp, Jabalia

Games in the Girls Tent, FreeGaza Play Space, Samoud Camp

Yesterday I went along to the second day of the new kids play space, set up in the temporary (insha’allah) Samoud Camp in the ruins of Jabalia‘s Hi Salaam area. EJ and C have partnered up with local youth leaders to put the space together, naming it after the FreeGaza project, and using some one-off donations from various folks outside, to buy the (scarce and hard to obtain) tents, toys, and snacks for the kids to last the next while.

March 3: Back home in Zaytoun

Saja exercises her injured arm

Last night E and I went to visit Amer and Shireen Al Helou, and surviving kids Saja, Foad, and Mahmoud. They are back living in their Zaytoun house, which looks like a home again inside, instead of the disaster area the Israeli soldiers occupying it left behind. Shireen showed us the cupboards full of scrubbed folded clothes, all of which had been left soiled for her to clean. It was a relief to E and me to see everyone there, in their proper place with their belongings back in place around them. Amer’s now-widowed mother is living with them, and his younger sisters too.