Joe Smith

Funny in my aricle I spoke about Joe Smith, Well, I went to Rafah today to pick my bag up for my last attempt to leave Gaza as it gotten late I met at the borders Patricia, Patrick and Jose traveld today all american from DC...the Egyptians asked the Palestinians to send them in....while Ayman Alsayad an american man reminas trapped in Gaza!

The thing is I never thought this thing exisits, I thought in the job market they do chose and discrminate based on the name..but not the government service!

Not cool!

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Action Alert

Hani Almadhoun's op-ed and moving personal account about being trapped in the Gaza Strip appeared in Saturday's Salt Lake Tribune. Please write your letter to the editor Sunday or Monday to show your support for Hani.

Letters should be sent to letters@sltrib.com. E-mail letters lacking full name, postal address and daytime telephone number and those sent to other e-mail boxes will be deleted. E-mail with attachments will be deleted. The letter must be submitted as a plain text in the body of the message. Please note that letters should not be more than 200 words.

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http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_13422260

Salt Lake Tribune

Gazans unfairly trapped by Israel
By Hani Almadhoun

Israel's winter bombardment of Gaza is over, but the situation for Palestinians there remains grim.

I grew up in Gaza and recently returned on behalf of the Jerusalem Fund, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit providing humanitarian and educational assistance to Palestinians. As the organization's grants and accounting associate, I visited facilities helping the disabled, kindergarteners and those suffering from mental health issues. I also checked on medical supplies we deliver.

Due to my Gaza ID card, I had priority getting into the war-torn area in late June. Evidently, I do not have priority getting out despite possessing an American green card.

Confined to this narrow strip, essentially 25 miles long by 7 miles wide, I long to return to the life I have built for myself in Washington, D.C. I have joined 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza as foreign powers wrestle over the intricacies of how best to consign us to Gaza without starving us. As Dov Weisglass, an adviser to the Israeli prime minister in 2006, infamously put it, "The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger."

The Israeli restrictions and siege on Gaza devastate the local populace. Children are permanently harmed by malnutrition. After food, what people want most is freedom of movement. Confined to Gaza, they do not have it.

I have tried on several occasions to exit, always unsuccessfully. The Rafah crossing, the only outlet Gazans have to the world, used to process 3,000 travelers a day. Now it takes days or weeks.

The local government has its own priorities and has wait-listed me and countless others. The Egyptians have bigger regional concerns. Israeli officials will not allow me to use the Erez crossing because they discriminate against me as a Palestinian. Fifteen Palestinian Americans I know here face the same treatment.

My biggest disappointment during this ordeal comes from American officials. One official abrasively told me, "You are on your own." It's demoralizing. I have no doubt that if my name were Joe Smith, rather than Hani Almadhoun, I would already be back in my office in Washington. Allowing an ally to trap me and American citizens is not consistent with the principles of Obama's America.

The officials at the American Consulate in Jerusalem told me they would help evacuate me and other trapped Americans only if there was war. No sane person would hope for war in order to get back home.

I want to return to Washington and get back to work funding the humanitarian projects I visited. And I miss my burgers at Five Guys.

But there is a fundamental truth that weighs on me: Once my release is secured, 1.5 million Palestinians will still be effectively imprisoned. President Obama ought to use every meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, like the one earlier this week, to speak up for the rights of Palestinians and Palestinian Americans locked in Gaza.

Hani Almadhoun is the grants and accounting associate at the Washington, D.C.-based Jerusalem Fund. He received his bachelor and master's degrees from Brigham Young University.

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Op-Ed In the Salt Lake Tribune

Friends,

hope you are well...Please read the Salt Lake Tribune tomorrow, I should have an op-ed in about my current situation in Gaza.

Here is the website in case you cannot get a hard copy.

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_13422260

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Yes, I am still here

I started my six day fast today...part of the Muslim faith is to fast the month of Ramadan, and then one gets extra credit for following that with six days. They call them the white six, and they are meant to be good.

I fasted the day with Roa'a and we broke the fast together at her home, we had a potluck and it went well. I just told her that something a her place makes me sleepy, as I always wants to fall sleep. I think it's the lighting.

We are still waiting to hear the news about the Crossing news. I feel terrible for not being able to do a lot more work for my job form here, and work is piling up! The Board has been kind enough not to be on my case about it.

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My Gaza Teeth

Just got back from the dentist...yes Gaza dentist...he was really good and had all the right gadegets. He went to school in the Ukrine and his chair was top-notch. I went earlier to the local hospital to do an X-ray to make his work and my pain less intense as he can see and not just guess. The Xrays were about 4 bucks. The Xray machine is top of the line and donated by OXFAM.

The filling cost about 9 bucks and the cleaning cost about the same. But the best part was the chat with the dentist, he really wants to leave Gaza and come to America...so we spoke as he stoped working and kept asking me questions like if I was the American Consulate!

I am still nummed, but I figured I got the time and it is cheap in Gaza to take care of those things that always need to be taken care of.

I might do a crown...I think he asked for 100 dollar for top of the line crown...not sure if I will do it, as the insurance might cover most of the cortst if I did it in the States....but a good deal is a good deal.

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Meet Ahmad…The Qassam Foot Solider
By Hanitizer
When you reside the Gaza Strip, with its high population density, your neighbors come from all political views from they crazy Palestinian conspiracy theorist, the religious zealot, the obnoxious progressive and they guy who wants to be left alone. One of my the guys that lives in my area is Ahmad and Ahmad as a 23 years old Palestinian man who’s a member of Hamas’ militant wing, Al Qassam Brigade, and he is also an employee of the Hamas government where he drives around one of their political figures. I often see him rushing to the local mosque and when I speak to him, it is often a short exchange.
We spoke about how pissed of he was when President Abbas renewed his own term, while insisting that Hamas should abide by the election deadline. Upon learning of my struggle to leave Gaza, he asked me to speak to his boss—a big Hamas wig. I let him know that for a smart guy, he says stupid things. On a hot summer night, I returned home late around 2 AM only to spot him carrying an assault rifle and heading to his Murabt’een unit. Murabt’een are individuals who belong to various Palestinians militant wings who stay up all night long at strategic locations as well as border lines to wait for a sudden Israeli incursions.
I had an outlandish conversation with Ahmad few days ago. Ahmad was sitting at his cousin hole in the wall grocery shop and out of the blue he asked me, “Is it true in America is fornication wide spread?” regardless of how random the question is as I thought to myself “What the Hell?” feeling like an unofficial spokesperson for Uncle Sam in my little town, I told him sure, people do have sex over there and it is not considered as bad as we view it here. I felt obligated to also tell him about that not all groups in the States approve of. I spoke of the Mormons, Baptists as well as others who tend to hold out. Ahmad was surprised that America was not what he saw in movies in his words, “Is it true like in America in bars and parties guys ‘ride’ any chick they meet” I do not why he insisted on pushing this subject and labeling America as a whore house, America got other things going for it. I said sure some people have some luck with that and they rarely return home from the bar empty handed—pun?
Then our uncomfortable conversation took another turn, Ahmed wanted to to know that according to him women are responsible for initiating promiscuity. I happened to disagree with Ahmad and believe that men are responsible for initiating sexual behavior. Ahmad was surprised when I told him from my personal experience women tend to be more conservative and are the ones who say “No!” while the guy wants to do what Marvin Gay sings about. I know that once started men are harder to stop, and thus less inclined to harbor self control.Although I am willing to be wrong on this one, I am not all comfortable with the subject. I felt the need to share this little story to show where people’s priorities are laid—pun intended. Now Ahmad is not a spokesperson for an entire brigade, but his views are common among the zealot crowd and the common man. My problem with such mentality is their mixed signals; many of them have no problem killing a person who disagrees with them, but all seem to raise hell when someone sticks his dip stick in the cookie jar. At least in the second act there seems a mutual agreement and no one loses his/her life.
Two weeks after my conversation with Ahmad, his GED results came in and our friend, the great religious figure of our neighborhood here, actually failed in the religious studies, thus he had to repeat taking the exam…oh the irony. I then felt GOOD
But Ahmad few days ago and all of a sudden actually decided to move out of our area. I noticed that few of the folks living nearby were discreetly happy by his decision to move out of the neighborhood. Evidently, if Israel to take him out: as they did in the past will not stop till they find him dead even if it took demolishing the entire neighborhood or killing few innocent souls.

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Eid in Gaza: Brought to You by…the Tunnels

By Hanitizer

Aside from the siege, and the unique political situation in the Strip, Gaza is just like the rest of the Muslim world. Gazans celebrate the holidays just like the rest of the Muslim and Arab word. Ten days prior to the Eid, the Muslim holiday following Ramadan one starts to see more activity in the markets. The first items that indicate the arrival of the Eid is the appearance of pickled and sun dried salty fish (fiseekh). This type of fish makes you so thirsty that it’s all banned in Ramadan. Clothing vendors start exhibiting all sorts of new garments as people tend to buy new outfits to welcome the holiday. Thanks to the tunnels Gazans can find many goods including clothes as Israelis do not include clothes as humanitarian good. For their mediocre quality, clothes are a lot more expensive in Gaza than the rest of Palestine.

A week prior to the Eid, Gaza’s vendors start brining out the good stuff: candy, dates cookies, Turkish delight and nuts. Part of the Eid is visiting families and friends who compete in hospitality—the competition really is on your waste line. Most of those produces are made locally, still more expensive however than prior the siege. Many homes start baking their own date cookies, ladies of Gaza start forming baking teams. Banks start getting crowded where people start getting paid or taking out cash to meet the needs of the holiday because part of the Eid in some Muslim countries is to make money gifts to kids and women. As a result, change becomes hard to come by as people start holding on to it, something I despise. Kitchen ware stores start getting busier, as demand on cups, classes and plates skyrockets as homemakers work hard to impress expected guests with their flashy ware. Demand for cleaning supplies also surges, as most homes make sure that every corner of their home sparking clean.

Part of the Muslim holiday, well off people discreetly donate to the poor they know, some give to a social group that has better knowledge on who is in need. Some needy people kindly start reminding people of their need. I did notice this year a public announcement telling people tom make sure their donations do not fall in the wrong hands like terrorists.

Because the Muslim calendar is a lunar one, one finds out the day of the actual holiday the night before. Mosques start making announcement via their microphones congratulating the people in Gaza and wishing them a happy Eid. Since this is Gaza, political groups rent vans place gigantic speakers on top and wander the streets of towns and villages wishing them a great holiday season. Others political factions use graffiti to communicate messages of best wishes. In Gaza, the Islamic groups are better at this game as they control the mosque and are better organized than the secular ones. Barbershops get really busy where men and boys head there to shave, trim and cut their hair. If you can get a barber to take a day of on that eve of the Eid, you can do anything.

On the actual day of the Eid—it is three day holiday. People start visiting with each other and kissing in public, they even kiss total strangers. This is a holiday for the children and women. The kids receive a lot of cash gifts and they use it to buy whatever items on their wish list. Since cash is King, Santa Clause got nothing on those kids. They buy all sorts of toys and treats. Perhaps the most popular toy this season is a plastic gun made in China; this gun has a laser pointer on its front and shorts tiny plastic balls. This is a proof that Palestinians are buying weapons form the Chinese. Other winners of this holiday are cab drivers, restaurants, sellers of toys, and anyone that runs a business geared toward women. Women make plans all year long for what they will do with their cash gifts. They usually use it to pay off debits on goods they already have bought or save up to buy a piece of jewelry. At the end of the day, you have eaten tons of treats and drank even more, making it perfect for stomach trouble. That’s why pharmacies open on the day of the Eid and stock up on stomach trouble medicine.

On a serious note, many Muslim homes in Gaza open a small funeral in the early morning for those who have passed away since the last Eid. Gaza had many of those this time due to the rather large number of victims of the Israeli offensive on Gaza.

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