Rod Cox and Gaza: Bittersweet

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Bittersweet

My first night in Gaza and I keep waking up thinking of Arif & Asim who were prevented from entering by Egypt. We should have stayed with them but believed Egyptian officials who said that they would be allowed in later. They were seperated because they had not entered Egypt with the convoy but flew in to Cairo. Several so called 'celebrities' had done the same, some being with Galloway the first to go through the gates betraying those who had driven 6000 miles & were still denied top billing.

Arif & Asim's names were given to convoy officials in accordance with the rules but these officials now wash their hands of the matter and will not assist them.

Our reception by the Palestinians has been overwhelming, the vehicles being mobbed by ecstatic people all the way from Rafah to Gaza City, but it sticks in my throat, this adulation wasted on those who don't deserve it while Arif & Asim face an uncertain future.

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Welcome. What are we trying to do, and how you can help.

*Giving Children a voice: Everyone in Gaza is Traumatised by the Israeli onslaught. There was nowhere to run to, and nowhere to hide. When Decent people see how it has affected Children in particular, they want to do something about it. I have brought a travelling exhibition of Children's Paintings to the UK, and you can see the dates that it is booked on the Chester and Palestine Exchanges website www.cape.uk.net

For the posts in the blog about the collection of the children's paintings from Gaza click here.

*The Campaign to open the Gates of Gaza, and end the siege, is of course wider than the Art Van. It is fundamental. Gaza is not even a prison, it is regarded by the Israelis as a Zoo. Any complaint from the Lions caged up here is met by death through the Bars. Honestly, there is nothing more important in all the world than ending this siege, where one set of people treat another as sub-humans, and seem to be supported by the country where you live. Please tell Your Friends, together we can make a difference. Link to this blog.

*The pictures show attacks by the Israeli army on civilians. While the Israelis claim they are fighting a just war they are suppressing any evidence to the contrary. The pictures reveal evidence of bombs that tear off arms and legs, and of the widespread use of Bulldozers in the frontline, demolishing houses to bury people alive, as well as destroying agricultural land, so they could be evidence of War Crimes, too.

**What we need to achieve is a wider awareness of Isreal's crimes, and I hope that seeing the Exhibition will encourage schools and others to link with counterparts in Gaza. We have few resources in CAPE but we will try to put you in touch if you ask, otherwise Twinning with Palestine is the group to contact.

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