May
3
2012
Bert Sacks
Welcome to the sixteenth monthly posting: Those who’ve followed these postings know that my legal battle with the federal government over a $16,000 fine has ended. The fine was because I traveled to Iraq to bring medicine to Iraqi children without asking for a U.S. license. The judge dismissed the government’s efforts to collect from me on the grounds that the government waited too long to sue me.
I’d like to use this posting – possibly my last on this website – to reflect on what the past 21 years have meant to me since I first learned about Iraq and then traveled there. Was it worth it? What have I learned? How has it changed me?
I begin with the front-page story of the New York Times of March 22, 1991. It is a long article and I ask the reader’s indulgence. I have added my emphasis with bold and italics. But I include the entire article: it foretells the whole tragedy of the Iraqi mis-adventure the U.S. was about to engage in. Remember, the Soviet Empire had just collapsed. This article tells how, as the world’s sole superpower, we intended to proceed.
The New York Times
After The War;
U.N. Survey Calls Iraq’s War Damage Near-Apocalyptic
By PAUL LEWIS, Special to The New York Times
UNITED NATIONS, March 21 — A United Nations survey of civilian damage caused by the allied bombardment of Iraq calls the results “near apocalyptic.” The survey, which was made public today, recommends an immediate end to the embargo on imports of food and other essential supplies to prevent “imminent catastrophe.”
The report, prepared by a United Nations team that visited the country between March 10 and March 17, says the bombing has relegated Iraq “to a pre-industrial age” and warns that the nation could face “epidemic and famine if massive life-supporting needs are not rapidly met.”
It calls for “a major mobilization and movement of resources” to provide immediate substantial supplies of food, agricultural equipment, fuel, electrical generators and machinery for water purification, garbage disposal and sewage treatment.
U.S. Position on Sanctions
The report was prepared by Under Secretary General Martti Ahtisaari, who was sent by Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar. He was accompanied by representatives of Unicef, the United Nations Development Program, the High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Mr. Ahtisaari, a Finn, earned praise in 1989 for his handling of Namibia’s move to independence.
A White House spokesman said the Administration would “give the report careful study,” but declined to comment on its findings.
The report seemed to be at odds with allied military officials’ insistence that the damage in Iraq was largely confined to military sites and transportation links. But allied briefers acknowledged that they had destroyed power plants and oil refineries, and the United Nations report stresses that the lack of electricity and fuel is paralyzing hospitals, water purification and sewage treatment plants and irrigation projects.
It says the monthly allocation of food staples to the population fell from 343,000 tons last September to 135,000 tons in January.
Most Workers Are Idle
The report says 90 percent of Iraq’s industrial workers “have been reduced to inactivity and will be deprived of income as of the end of March.” Most families already “lack access to adequate rations or the purchasing power to meet normal minimal standards.”
The report says that until Iraq acquires fuel and electrical generating equipment, “food that is imported cannot be distributed; water cannot be purified; sewage cannot be pumped away and cleansed; crops cannot be irrigated; medicines cannot be conveyed where they are required; needs cannot even be effectively assessed.”
Diplomats say the report’s findings are likely to bring pressure for a substantial relaxation in the trade sanctions against Iraq when the special committee monitoring compliance with the restrictions meets on Friday.
The United States has said sanctions should be lifted only when Baghdad fulfills all the allies’ conditions for a permanent cease-fire. The special committee can grant a waiver on food and shipments of humanitarian aid, but the entire embargo may be lifted only by a Security Council resolution.
Ever since the trade embargo was imposed on Aug. 6, after the invasion of Kuwait, the United States has argued against any premature relaxation in the belief that by making life uncomfortable for the Iraqi people it will eventually encourage them to remove President Saddam Hussein from power.
Complex New Resolution
An American draft of a proposed resolution on a permanent cease-fire that has been circulating here indicates that the Bush Administration wants the Security Council to lift only the ban on food shipments after adopting the complex new resolution.
Under the American draft, even after a permanent cease-fire is set, Council permission would still be needed for imports of “materials and supplies for essential civilian needs,” though the Council would examine this requirement every 60 days in the light of Baghdad’s compliance and could eventually lift it.
As expected, the American draft also requires Iraq to agree to the destruction of its ballistic missile systems as well as chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
1963 Frontier Cited
Only when Iraq formally agrees to all provisions of the draft, which is still under discussion, would a cease-fire become effective.
The United States draft says Iraq must accept the boundary agreement it made with Kuwait in 1963 but subsequently rejected. And it empowers the Security Council to guarantee that frontier with “all necessary means,” a phrase that would permit the use of military force against any violator.
In addition, it calls for deployment of a United Nations military observer force along the frontier to monitor possible cease-fire violations and establishes a special fund to pay compensation for damage caused by Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait.
The draft maintains a complete ban on sales of military equipment to Iraq as well as dangerous technologies used in making chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and sets out a four-month timetable for Iraq to comply with all these provisions.
The original sanctions banned all trade and financial dealings with Iraq and occupied Kuwait, except for the provision of medicine. Food was allowed when the committee judged that humanitarian circumstances required it.
This month the committee agreed to speed approval of shipments of food and humanitarian aid, but the call for lifting the restrictions appears to go further than the United States envisages at present.
At Odds With U.S. Position
Assessing the effects of allied bombing and the trade embargo on Iraq’s economy, the report says “the recent conflict has wrought near-apocalyptic results upon the infrastructure of what had been until January 1991 a rather highly urbanized and mechanized society.”
The report says that about 9,000 Iraqi homes were destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the war, including 2,500 in Baghdad and another 1,900 in Basra, and that about 72,000 people have been left homeless.
It says “most means of modern life support have been destroyed or rendered tenuous” and warns that “for some time to come” the country has been “relegated to a pre-industrial age but with all the disabilities of post-industrial dependency on an intensive use of energy and technology.”
After surveying the food shortage and warning that this year’s harvest may fail, the report recommends that “sanctions in respect of food supplies should be immediately removed, as should those relating to the import agricultural equipment and supplies.”
The report concludes: “It is unmistakable that the Iraqi people may soon face a further imminent catastrophe, which could include epidemic and famine, if massive life-supporting needs are not rapidly met. The long summer, with its often 45 or even 50 degree temperatures (113-122 degrees Fahrenheit) is only weeks away. Time is short.”
Copyright © 1991 The New York Times Company
Simply put the U.S. says it will use famine and epidemic to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
That is what the article tells us, on the front-page of our paper of record. The deaths of 100,000s of Iraqi children are foretold. When after 12 years of trying, our goal failed of removing Saddam Hussein from power by “making life uncomfortable for the Iraqi people”, we moved on to our final option: initiating an illegal war of aggression, invading Iraq to accomplish our geopolitical agenda of controlling this oil-rich part of the world.
Even as I write this now, I experience some feeling of anger. At the time, I couldn’t believe we were doing what the article said. But after reading in The New England Journal of Medicine of 46,900 excess deaths of Iraqi children in just eight months – and after my first trips to Iraq to see for myself – my feelings of anger had grown very intense!
That was the first lesson I had to learn. I was eaten up by my anger at what I knew and had seen. As a result I wasn’t very skillful in educating about this. And no less important, I was suffering deeply from my anger – an afflictive emotion – and in danger of burn-out.
As someone wanting to make things better, I’ve now come to see the work in a new light: I have to be willing to look into the darkness – to accept that that’s how our world is at this moment – and to work as skillfully as I can to change it. But without the anger and hurtful criticism and even hatred for those responsible, which I had been feeling.
That’s a hard task.
I was brought up on the American (and not just American) way of seeing the world as divided into ‘good guys and bad guys.’ Of course we were the good guys. We made mistakes, sometimes, but even those mistakes were done with good intentions. Working on the Iraq sanctions issue put this view right in my face. What I knew about Iraq challenged that Manichean view of reality and forced me to look deeper into how things really are.
I’ve been helped by honest introspection – admitting that I have not always been the good guy that I like to think of myself as being – as part of an eclectic spiritual practice.
A few days ago, I was heartened to watch Bill Moyers & Company on TV. His second guest was Carne Ross, formerly a high-ranking British government official in charge of UK Iraq policy at the United Nations. In the interview, he said the following:
In Iraq, we harmed the civilian population grotesquely. And Iraq is still suffering from that. … Well, to my shame, I, you know, I did it, when I was working on sanctions. You know, those were the sanctions that I helped implement. I negotiated those at the U.N. Security Council. I think only afterwards was I really confronted with the reality of what these sanctions had done to ordinary Iraqis. They damaged the Iraqi population very fundamentally and very severely and in a very widespread way. … I feel some sense of personal responsibility for it. … I mean, a lot of people suffered in Iraq, because of sanctions. Who is responsible for that? Who is accountable for that? And I kind of feel that at least I can say, “Well, I was part of it, therefore I am responsible.”
How wonderful to hear, “I feel some sense of personal responsibility for it.” Would we not be delighted to hear that from our own public figures? He goes on:
Act as if the means are the end. This is purely quoted from Gandhi. I didn’t come up with this myself. He was convinced that actually the form of politics that you choose is actually the end. … I read a lot about nonviolence, which is not doing nothing. It’s not pacifism. It’s actually a series of techniques, which are very powerful and persuasive, and can achieve, you know, extraordinary ends but without relinquishing the moral high ground by using violence.
If I wanted a practical demonstration of Gandhi’s principle that bad means cannot achieve good ends I would look no further than the means the U.S. used in Iraq. By using a means which knowingly killed 100,000s of children what ends did we reach. It has been a terrible disaster which most Americans are only still vaguely aware of.
The next public document which has special personal significance for me is the August 1999 UNICEF report. It said “if the substantial reduction in child mortality throughout Iraq during the 1980s had continued through the 1990s, there would have been half a million fewer deaths of children under-five in the country as a whole during the eight year period 1991 to 1998.” Now no longer eight months but eight years of kids’ deaths.
In the decade that I have been citing this statistic from UNICEF to dozens and hundreds of people, not one single person has ever said, “That’s can’t be! I would have heard of it on the Nightly News or read it in my mainstream newspaper.” No one’s ever said that!
This tells me something significant: People know they can’t turn to their mainstream news sources to get all the important news they need to know. The most common responses I would get from citing the UNICEF statistic – after “Oh, my God!” – is “Well, they only tell us what they want us to hear.”
It’s been important for me to recognize there is a story line connected with our country – and that events and facts which conflict with that story will usually be omitted (or distorted). Remembering this helps me have greater compassion (and less anger) for the people who don’t know the facts as I do about Iraq. This includes even those who don’t want to know (but I admit that’s often harder for me). I can also remember that at a certain level of awareness Americans know that we are being continually propagandized by our media and public figures. Also at some level of awareness, we know this is wrong.
To conclude on this final point, the last public statement with deep personal significance for me came from Mr. Obama in his 2012 State of the Union address.
We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes [who fought in Iraq] has made the United States safer and more respected around the world.
I wrote in last month’s posting: Can anyone possibly believe that our 2003 invasion and war in Iraq has “made the United States safer and more respected around the world”? Can President Obama possibly believe this? Does it matter that thousands of U.S. lives were lost, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, $5 trillion dollars will be spent paying for the war, Iraq has been left in shambles, and much of the world knows about Abu Ghraib and knows that this war was an illegal war of aggression? Does it matter that no one can believe what Obama says?!
In a very strange way, I take comfort in the President’s statement. It shows the distance from reality which our rhetoric and story line have gone. But reality does exist. No matter how much we are propagandized, there still is truth. The laws of nature cannot be bent to our will no matter how much we deny climate change. The views of hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims cannot be changed no matter how much we tell them what they ought to believe and feel. Propaganda can obscure truth but it cannot create truth.
I am sorry that this posting is so long, though about 40% is the NY Times article from 1991. When history is written, I believe it will mark the beginning of a serious overreach by the American Empire planners, and the start of the collapse of the American Empire. Our tasks as nonviolent peace workers have to be focused on the urgency of abolishing wars – the re-establishing of the rule of law – and creating greater equality and sustainability in our country and the world.
Have these past years on the Iraq issue been worth it? Have they changed me for the better? The short answer to both is Yes. I’m not sure now if I have anything more that would be useful to say. Perhaps I’ll have a future posting, perhaps I won’t feel a need.
In any event, I’d like to end by repeating my last paragraph of thanks from last month.
I need to express my deep gratitude to my lawyers who’ve given so generously and freely of their time. And to express my appreciation for all of those who’ve read these postings and followed my case with their words of support. And finally to my friends in the media who’ve recognized that this issue is not ‘old news’ but an important ongoing one. Thanks to you all,
April
28
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Twelfth, and last, in the series.)
Zoughbi Zoughbi (Photos by Bob Haynes).
Our final day in the Middle East for this journey. As we prepared to travel north by bus to Ramallah, Lucas and Rafiq Zoughbi joined us. At the outer rim of Ramallah, we were in touch with Zoughbi Zoughbi by phone and then stopped to pick up Zoughbi and his nephew, Rajaii, who waited for us at the edge of the road. Travel to Jerusalem from Bethlehem is forbidden to those who have neither special permission nor a Jerusalem identification card. We were so happy to see Zoughbi again and thanked him for arranging another day for us.
We stopped our bus to speak with a group of people protesting the treatment of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. More than 2000 prisoners are presently on a hunger strike – many are held without charge in administrative detention. After fortifying ourselves with ice cream from a local specialty store, we wandered, somewhat lost, through the streets of Ramallah – first in the bus and then on foot.
The good nature of the Zoughbi family buoyed us and we arrived for our appointment with Prime Minister, Salem Fayed. What a
Prime Minister Fayed with the Zoughbis.
Following our visit with the Prime Minister, we visited the new memorial to Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. A museum is scheduled to open soon on this site and we were delighted to
From the Mahmoud Darwish memorial.
We bid farewell to the Zoughbis when we arrived at our hotel and, after a quick supper, many from our group made quick visits to the Old City.
Soon, we will return to the airport near Tel Aviv to go through the intense security screening and return home. We are blessed to have had this time in this beautiful, conflicted land.
***********
“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of The Golden Dome.compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. 
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” ― Howard Zinn
April
27
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Eleventh in the series.)
The old city of Jerusalem (Photos by Bob Haynes).
Leaving the hills of Nablus this morning, our group exclaimed over the grace and generosity of the people we met in Nablus – a mayor who has his own fortune and works for the community as a volunteer, a scientist who found Steve Gilbert on the internet and set up a wonderful educational and cultural day for our group, Germans who have taken on the work of water treatment; the list is long and rich.
We entered Jerusalem (Al Quds) and enjoyed exploring the Old City while we waited to check into our rooms at the Notre Dame Center. The Old City, even on a quiet Friday, is full of aromas, music, colors, people. It is a fascinating place to wander through – stopping often to talk with shop people in the souk. It is possible to be lost and found again and again as the narrow covered streets wind from the Arab Quarter to the Jewish Quarter to the Armenian Quarter and to the Christian Quarter.
This afternoon, part of our group returned to Bethlehem to thank Zoughbi Zoughbi and Wi’am for their great help in making trip arrangements for us – and to attend an outdoor mass in support
Prayers for peace in Bethlehem.
Leaving Bethlehem this afternoon, we decided we would walk though the checkpoint – a long and confusing pathway to the Jerusalem side. No taxis were available so a kind young Palestinian
The play area at Wi'am - rare for children in Bethlehem.
As we traveled today, we spoke of next steps. We have requests to return for more work in Gaza and here on the West Bank, we’ve heard about possibilities of video conferencing. Medical specialists are needed in many areas. The quality of care is very good – the need for more specialty education is the next step. The possibility of healing gardens for Gaza is real. We will work on returning!
April
26
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Tenth in the series.)
Steve Gilbert during a lecture (Photos by Bob Haynes).
Early this morning, we drove north through Palestinian villages and past innumerable illegal Israeli settlements – all built on land occupied since 1967. The good rainfall of the spring has turned the hills green – the land is beautiful! How wonderful it would be to have peace here.
In Nablus, students and their instructor, Ansam Sawalha, PhD of the School of Pharmacy at An Naj University, greeted Steve Gilbert. Steve’s historical toxicology papers and poster were displayed on large bulletin boards – a celebration of his work. Steve gave an excellent talk on Toxicology, addressing lead, mercury, pesticides
The old city of Nablus.
We met with the Mayor and Water Minister of Nablus and were treated to a fascinating tour of the old city. We were then were driven to the site of a new water treatment plant for a dedication ceremony. Full water treatment will be available for Nablus by the end of this year. Prior to this time, sewage flowed directly through the earth by gravity, seeping into the earth toward Tulkarem where the remaining sewage drains into the earth. Presently, in some areas around Nablus, septic wells and water wells are in close proximity. The Municipality of Nablus is addressing this problem.
Following the dedication, we joined the celebrants for a walk through the Greek and Roman ruins located near the village of Sebaste. In this area, John the Baptist is said to have been either killed or buried and a tomb area holds a memorial shrine to him.
The lovely hills of Nablus.
A German organization is funding the water treatment plant and hosted a concert in one of the amphitheaters of the ruins and a pizza dinner. We were invited to join the full celebration and knew ourselves to be blessed by this day.
Tomorrow, we drive to Jerusalem – grateful to have visited Nablus!!
April
25
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Ninth in the series.)
Bypass roads cut up the Palestinian land, with more land lost to Israeli settlements like the one in the distance here (Photos by Bob Haynes).
This morning, we toured the edge of Bethlehem and realized some of the scope of the Wall separating Israel from the West Bank. Zoughbi told us that Israel controls 87% of the Bethlehem area and there are 23 Jewish settlements on the occupied land around Bethlehem. In one area, the Wall is being installed that will take away thousands of acres of fertile agricultural land from Bethlehem. Bypass roads cut through the land, most of them forbidden to Palestinian traffic. The situation is dispiriting. Still, the people we meet here are hopeful for peace to come to this crucible of the world.
We traveled to Hebron and visited the Old City. Near the tomb of Abraham, 400 Jewish settlers
Laura Hart visits with a child at Ibrahim mosque.
This afternoon, we were delighted to visit with Mustafa Barghouti, M.D., head of the Palestinian National Initiative and founder of the Palestinian Medical Relief Committee. We talked about the possibility of combining some of the work we are doing in Gaza with work that might be done in the West Bank. Dr. Barghouti’s continual efforts to reconcile differences between political parties in Palestine provide hope for many Palestinians.
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti and the delegation.
*Editor’s Note: In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights.
April
25
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Eighth in the series.)
Travelers on the road to Bethlehem.
As we leave Gaza, we reflect on our brief and full time. Each day was packed with opportunities to work and serve and I am thankful to have traveled with a dedicated and expert group. The passage through Erez is always time consuming. The steps are numerous – from the first taxi ride to the Gaza checkpoints, to the taxi ride between Gaza checkpoints, to the long walk through the open-air tunnel to the Israeli side, the multiple inspections of every item we transport, to the reclaiming and repacking of our suitcases, to passport control and finally, to the van waiting to take us to Bethlehem. Today’s passage was remarkably more rapid than some – from first ride to the van took only four hours – a small portion of the time required for Palestinians who might possibly be able to pass this way for medical care.
We were driven through a winding two-lane road up to the bypass road that leads to Bethlehem. We passed large orchards, vineyards and fields of vegetables – all irrigated from the aquifer common to Israel and Palestine; the aquifer pumped by Israel that thus denies water to Gaza.
In Bethlehem, Zoughbi Zougbhi, director of Wi’am, Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center, welcomed us to his office. There, we enjoyed a spectacular lunch/dinner prepared by his sister-in-law and learned about the community, regional and international conflict resolution work of Wi’am.
Water Minister Dr. Simon Al Araj (Photos by Bob Haynes).
This evening, we had a delightful tour of the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem. This maternity and infant intensive care hospital serves the entire West Bank. Their Level III nursery takes neonates as young as 28 weeks gestation and has an excellent record of saving lives of very small infants. The hospital has a 20% Caesarean birth rate – lower than the rate in the U.S. – and 100% of the women who give birth here breastfeed their babies.
We were welcomed to the hospital by the CEO, Hussam Wahad. The head physician Dr. Michelle, who, along with his female surgical colleague, led us through the hospital, is from Belgium and serves in this hospital for one week every eight weeks. His gracious demeanor and delightful sense of humor, dedication and respectfulness for the culture were inspiring.
Physicians at the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem.
Tomorrow, we will travel somewhere in the West Bank – learning about the work of people seeking peace in the region.
In reflection on Gaza, Don Mellman wrote: I am a neurosurgeon from Tampa, Florida, who now also does international domestic healthcare policy and management work focused on human rights and am on my third trip to Gaza.
I saw outpatients in the hospital, in outpatient clinics, at their home, and at a makeshift “clinic” at our hotel, The Marna House. I also lectured to surgeons at the large public hospital al Shifa and to fifth and sixth year medical students at the Islamic University of Gaza. I met with the director of the Gaza office of WHO and with leaders of various heath care related NGOs.
April
23
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Seventh in the series.)
The women who shared their stories. (Photos by Bob Haynes).
A, whose only daughter died nine months ago at age 13 of lung cancer – believed to be related to toxicity from the Cast Lead attacks. She was the light in her home and her younger brother withdrew completely for months after her death, as he could not be consoled over the loss of his closest sibling.
E, whose husband was killed by a missile during Cast Lead. She is raising their two sons and two daughters. Shortly after her husband died, both of her parents died. She now lives with her husband’s family and describes herself as very patient.
S, whose pregnancy was complicated and a few days after the birth of her daughter, her baby died. Two months later, her mother died. She has three daughters and three sons and grieves the loss of her baby and her mother.
F, whose husband and son were both killed in the same year by Israelis. She says Allah supports us and that she is patient and accepting – raising her five children with very little support.
Boats that cannot go into deep, safe water to fish.
I, whose mother was recently shot by another Palestinian while sitting with her husband outside her home. Political pressure and cultural beliefs were given as reasons for this killing. All the women note that domestic abuse has risen under the pressure of the siege and so few jobs available. One woman described her advanced university degrees and stated there are no jobs available in her area in Gaza.
O, whose father died of throat cancer. Because of the war, he was unable to leave Gaza for the specialized care his disease required. He tried to go out of Gaza into Israel and into Egypt, but by the time he received permission to enter Egypt (many months were consumed), he died.
J, whose brother and four other family members were killed by missiles from Israeli planes during a funeral. Her brother had been asleep and family members awakened him, telling him he had to go to the funeral. He had just arrived at the ceremony when the attack occurred. His wife and five children survived.
This sewage line dumps partially treated and untreated waste into the waters just offshore.
W, whose mother had lung fibrosis. She was pregnant and miscarried twins. Because of the siege, she was unable to obtain the medicine she needed. She was hospitalized and died on the Eid.
There are many stories. This morning, I met with a family whose three children died when a candle they were burning tipped over, setting the house aflame. The family said the children had asked for light at night and because electricity is often not available, a candle was provided for them.
The caseworker for this family also told of two brothers who were attempting to connect to the Internet to see a soccer game this week – they somehow touched a power source that surged and electrocuted both of these young men. In one month, in one area of Gaza, there are three incidents of multiple deaths related to the severe problems with electricity.
Shady, the volunteer who has made our trip work out.
I was received with grace and much affection – I will leave Gaza tomorrow with both joy for having met the people here and great sorrow for the critical situation of life in Gaza.
April
22
2012
April
22
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Sixth in the series.)
Hamdi Shaqqura of Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (Photos by Bob Haynes).
Because our schedule has been compressed, we are trying to fit service and meetings into a brief period of time. We are dispersed, learning and working. Rich and Ismael, pediatric urologists are spending their days and long evenings operating on children at two of Gaza’s hospitals. Ahmed Abeid, anesthesiologist is working in operating rooms with Rich and Ismael and teaching in the medical school.
This morning, some members of our group heard from a deputy of the Palestine Center for Human Rights – an organization critical to the mental health of the people of Gaza. Without regard for political affiliation, PCHR serves the rule of law – assisting people in Gaza and the West Bank. Their work focuses not only on Israeli abuses, but on Palestinian Authority and Hamas abuses of the human rights of Palestinian people. They work with many other NGOs including GISHA and Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Following Cast Lead when 1400 people were killed (many of them women and children) and more than 5000 homes were destroyed, PCHR filed 495 civilian cases against Israel. Of all of the well-documented human rights abuses by Israel, only one soldier was held accountable for his actions. He was sentenced to seven months in jail for credit card theft.
A beautiful vegetarian meal with the Al Basheer family.
They spoke of a mother whose son works in the tunnels. (The tunnels connect Egypt and Gaza and more than 200 people have died in the tunnels.) She waits for him every day to come home – always worried because the work is so dangerous, always fearing that someone will knock on her door to tell her that her son has been killed. Her husband has no work and there seems to be no alternative to this tunnel work – no other way to earn money for food.
These women reported that a recent study described that 88.4% of the women in Gaza face economic violence – no money for food, clothing, fuel and no control over the finances of their homes. Culturally, husbands control all finances even when the woman works outside the home. When the husband is unable to find work, the situation is even more complex and violence in the home is a threat.
This afternoon, I worked with mental health professionals from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme as they evaluated a family whose son was recently killed and whose mother is critically ill. The GCMHP sends teams into homes to complete comprehensive evaluations and then serves individuals and families throughout Gaza. In the current situation, with the constant threat of external and internal trauma, this program is desperately needed. Funding is always needed and international donors are critical to the continuation of their work.
Tonight, we were treated to a spectacular vegetarian dinner in the Al Basheer home – family of Abed, who attends Washington State University, and his wife, Kara. Abed’s father will be coming soon to the United States for help with his vision – we look forward to seeing him again!
April
22
2012
(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Fifth in the series.)
Children at the orphanage (Photos by Bob Haynes).
I wish I could send you the sound of the roosters that crow outside our window. One has a strong “roostery” call; the other has an altered and aged sound. As they communicate with one another, the 4am call-to-prayer competes with their conversation – the air is full – another day begins in Gaza.
This morning some members of our group met with an official of the Gaza City Municipality – talking about the possibilities for building a healing garden. He is an architect and teaches in a Gaza university. His enthusiasm about Roxanne’s proposal to include students from his
For various reasons, these children cannot be adopted.
We also met with the family of Dr. Abuleish, author of “I Shall Not Hate.” Two of Dr. Abuleish’s daughters and one niece were killed by Israeli tank fire of their house just before the end of Cast Lead (the Israeli attack on Gaza 2008/2009). Another daughter was nearly killed and we met with her today also. Dr. Abuleish’s wife had recently died of cancer and this grieving family’s response to their sadness is part of his story.
This afternoon, we delivered toys, school supplies, toothpaste, toothbrushes and soccer equipment – first to a local kindergarten and then to the orphanage. These gifts, provided by individual donors from Washington and Oregon – including many children – were enthusiastically received!
This afternoon also, I met with a woman whose elderly mother is dying in India. The woman has six children,
The Abuleish family: The young woman on the right was nearly killed by tank shelling.
Bob Haynes writes: “I was welcomed back to Al Awda Hospital today by the clinic staff and my cardiologist colleague, Majed Sultan, whom I have worked with for several years. In the midst of the mild chaos of the outside garden waiting area and the more crowded clinic hallways, there exists a gentle code of respect for their elders. In America dutiful daughters often bring their elderly parents to doctor visits. In Gaza, pride and respect, culture and the reality of soaring unemployment, mean that sons bring their parents for medical care. The level of medical expertise is high in Gaza but due to the siege and politics many medical supplies are limited. Additionally, continuing medical education is difficult to acquire – leaving and re-entering
A gift to little Mohammed from Ella and Nate.
Steve Gilbert writes: “Underlying the many challenges in Gaza are policy decisions that affect public health. Two of the most glaring which particular effect children are lead and pesticide exposure. I met with Mr. Bahha Alagha at the Environmental Quality Authority and gave a lecture to about 40 people on pesticides. The use and over use of these materials results in ground water contamination, worker exposure, community exposure, and crop contamination with pesticide residue. Worker exposure occurs during mixing and application of organophosphate pesticides. Children are exposed to pesticides tracked into a workers car or home. Chronic infant and childhood exposure to pesticides harms a child’s nervous system and damages their learning and memory abilities. Tracking the amount and types of pesticides used in Gaza is challenging – most of the pesticides move through the Rafah tunnels from Egypt. Programs to provide training in the safe handling of pesticides and integrated pest management principles to
Mike Poage looking out on the prohibited sea.
Leaded gasoline also comes through the tunnels from Egypt into Gaza. This leaded gasoline is cheaper and more available than unleaded gasoline from Israel. Burning of leaded fuel is dangerous. Even low levels of lead exposure can damage the central nervous system. There are well-documented studies regarding the vulnerability of infants and children to even the smallest amount of lead exposure. The United States stopped adding lead to gasoline in the 1980s and childhood blood lead levels have dropped dramatically. We know what the problem is and how to fix it. Protection of children is essential – the use of leaded gasoline and pesticide exposure must be stopped. Children have a right to live in an environment that allows them to reach their full potential. “