Gaza Pilgrims: my heart is with you

Heba, Contemplating from Gaza, 1.1.08. Isn't it appalling ? Isn't what's happening to Gaza pilgrims shocking and indescribable?. I am in short of words and no matter how far I stretched my imagination before they left Gaza, it never occurred to me that they will face what they are facing now of dehumanization, negligence, displacement, and torture. It is the first time in long that I feel angry , yes, I used in the past period, experiencing what Gazans experience, to feel victimized , sinned against , sad . But now, for God's sake, I am angry and the rest of Gazans are in rage .

The pilgrims left Gaza from Rafah crossing suddenly after it seems some negotiations between Egyptian authorities and Hamas took place or whatever have you as these things are never clear. It is not the point . These pilgrims had to take the road instead of planes and spent like 3 to 4 days till they arrived at Saudi Arabia. The problem rose when they wanted to get back to besieged Gaza . It is kind of ironic, you know, to be prevented from getting back to a prison . So these pilgrims left Jordan through Aqaba seaport to Egypt . Some of them were floating in a ship for about 2 days without food or water . And those who were allowed to enter Egypt were sent to Al Arish to stay in refugee camps !!. Does it ring any bills?. It is the refugee status stamped on our foreheads, it seems . And all that because Israeli authorities insisted that they go through Kirim Shallom terminal and not Rafah crossing . "My feet are swollen and some of the pilgrims are really sick. We got hungry and thirsty and were denied going to bathrooms at times", a pilgrim friend of my mother said in a tired husky voice over the phone. Of course , it is freezing clod now and these pilgrims are in tents in Al Arish and some are still in a ship in the sea port . Two women pilgrims died already of illness during this extremely exhausting trip .

What do we call this ? It is beyond human rights violations. I don't even know why I thought it would be different for the pilgrims than the rest of Gazans who are experiencing deprivation and exclusion every single day . Right now it is not the time to point fingers of blame , it is just "please let these pilgrims get back to shackled besieged Gaza !! "
posted by Heba | 7:44 AM | 6 comments links to this post