Internationals for Justice in Palestine
Delergation Report Backs - Gihad01
Salamaat min Ramallah!
Greetings from Falasteen!
I’ve been in Palestine for four days now and I’ve seen some
of the most beautiful and the most horrid of things. We started our journey
in Haifa, a gorgeous town on the Mediterranean Sea in northern 1948 Palestine.
I thought I loved it, and I did, but it does not compare to Ramallah and
all of the West Bank. Haifa is a mix of Jews & Palestinians. Although
there is interaction between the two groups, they tend to avoid one another
whenever they can. We also were able to visit Al-Ghaabsiyah, a town that
was destroyed by the Israelis in 1956. The only thing that remains standing
is the town’s mosque, which is abandoned and in ruins. After that,
we visited a Bedouin town called Ar-Rimyeh, a town that is in shambles.
The Palestinians living there have no running water, no electricity and
live amongst rubble and stones from the homes that once stood but were demolished
by the Israelis. The most horrible part of Ar-Rimyeh is the huge, mansion-like
Jewish homes that are literally across the road from the ruins that is Ar-Rimyeh.
The Jewish occupiers look out of their bedroom windows only to find poor
Palestinians living in horrible conditions.
We left the '48 territories on Wednesday morning and passed through Jerusalem and Kalandiyah checkpoint via taxi (the most popular mode of travel). Since we’ve been in the West Bank (which is all Palestinian, not a mix of Jews & Palestinians), we have visited Bir Zeit University, numerous political and social organizations, and we were even able to take part in a powerful & energetic rally through the streets of Ramallah! It was unbelievable and I only wish we could organize such a rally in Chicago. The streets were flooded! Cars were unable to pass for at least an hour, and everyone, old & young, male & female, participated. Women dressed in thiyaab held pictures of their imprisoned and martyred loved ones. The chants were loud, clear and in unity! The strength of the crowd was unbelievable. After the rally, students had put together an exhibit on prisoner abuse. The exhibit was great and informative, and just so you all know, the American media only showed us a small fraction of the pictures taken at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
So much lays ahead for us. I wish I could give you more details, but there is too much to report in one email. Hopefully, we will be able to get into Nablus and Gaza where the real horrors are. I’ve taken over 200 pictures already and hope to take a lot more.
The people here are so hospitable and great, and the food is so fresh and delicious. I have to go now, because we are on a tight schedule. I miss you all & I miss Chicago, but I am having a great time. I’ll keep you posted whenever I get a chance. Take care for now.
Bism al-thawrah!
-gihad