Despite the outpouring of support for Gaza from the international community after the Israeli attacks in January, there is still an overwhelming amount of work to be done as winter approaches and conditions remain in a desperate state, activists say.
But hope is finally on the horizon as the Gaza Freedom March is expected to take place from December 27, 2009 to approximately January 2nd, 2010. The multi-national convoy of thousands is expected to enter Gaza through the Rafah Crossing in northern Egypt with the goal of providing Gaza’s beleaguered civilian population with the supplies and support they sorely need and are unable to receive because of the Israeli blockade.
In support of the Gaza Freedom March, a fundraising dinner titled “Gaza: A Year Later” will be held on Wednesday, December 2 at Bint Jbeil Cultural Center in Dearborn from 6-9 p.m. Tickets for the event, which will feature Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Huwaida Arraf of the Free Gaza Movement as keynote speaker, will be $35 in advance for students, $45 in advance for non-students, $350 per table of 10, and $50 at the door. Proceeds support the Free Gaza Movement and the Gaza Freedom March. For more information on the dinner, send an e-mail to umd.ssri@gmail.com or call 313.623.7177. Volunteers are also needed for the event.
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An Israeli border police officer (L) holds back a Palestinian farmer during the removal of water pipes from their farm near the West Bank city of Hebron October 29, 2009. A confrontation erupted during the removal of the pipes by Israeli authorities that illegally divert water, an Israeli border police spokesman said on Thursday. REUTERS/Nayef Hashlamoun |
The idea for the dinner came from friends Alia Charara of Dearborn Heights and Nada Noor of Dearborn, who attended a Michigan Peace Team meeting and impressed the group with their ambition.
Redigan talked about the selection of the dinner’s title, “Gaza: A Year Later.”
“We chose the title to remind people that not that much progress has been made. It was on the TV, but now media-wise, it’s not on anymore,” Redigan said. “There are many homes still in rubble and the Goldstone report has gotten people around the world more angry about the situation in Gaza.”
Redigan compared the upcoming Gaza Freedom March in spirit to the Salt March to Dandi in 1930 orchestrated by Ghandi in India to protest British rule and salt taxes. The march, which also influenced the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., brought widespread international media coverage to the plight of the Indians and eventually helped them win their independence.
Both Charara and Noor hope to go to Gaza along with Peace Team members as well.
“It’s the ultimate thing for any humanitarian in this day and age to go to Palestine,” Charara said. “If I go there I feel like I can speak more and show the reality and severity of what’s going on there.”
The march will be broadcast live on streaming video through the Web site www.gazafreedommarch.org.
Redigan said delegations from a variety of countries such as France, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Africa among others are expected to join in the march along with noteworthy guests like Alice Walker, author of the classic novel “The Color Purple,” and possibly a member of the French parliament.
But with Gaza in dire need of food, water, shelter, clothing, and other supplies, much of the march’s success depends on donations, which highlights the importance of the dinner.
“The goal of this march is to open the eyes of the world and to take the attention of the media and shine the light of awareness where it is needed most, and that’s in Palestine,” Charara said.
“We want to thank Bint Jbeil for opening their doors to us and we hope that everyone will come out and support this noble cause.”
For more information on how to help or to join the Michigan Peace Team, go to www.michiganpeaceteam.org.
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