Eyes in Gaza

Well everyone, it is time for another post to keep you all updated on the life, dreams and ambitions of your favourite correspondent. Life has been (surprise surprise) busy, but busy is good in this case. I’ve started to get some donations and that has made me feel a lot better about my fundraising goals…there’s something just so de-stressing about watching an overwhelming large number ($1700) take a broadside hit and emerge a couple hundred smaller. I enjoy the feeling immensely. So please, those of you who want to donate or contribute to my fundraising, please don’t be shy. Click here for more information on how you can help my fundraising campaign.

Dr. Mads

Today I’d like to talk about an extremely powerful experience I had, which brought to light some issues that we talked about in our Beyond Borders class last term. Spurred on by a ringing endorsement from my sister, I went to the “Eyes in Gaza” lecture on Monday given by Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian doctor who has done work in Palestine for many years. He has gone back and forth between the Middle East his home in Tromso, Norway (interestingly, it is the most northernly university town in the world, 2 hours!!! north of the Arctic Circle) for the last 25 years, working as a doctor in both regions but also building understanding and support between his Norwegian countrymen and the people of the Middle East. Although his work in the Middle East began in Lebanon in 1983, during that country’s war with Israel, “Dr. Mads” has since spent most of his time and energy in Palestine. In the Winter of 2008/2009, Dr. Mads was one of two foreign doctors in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead, an Israeli operation that was devastating to many Palestinians living in Gaza; since he was one of the only foreign nationals who was in the area at the time, Dr. Mads gave many interviews to media from around the globe, describing what was happening and becoming the main source of information for the world. Currently, Dr. Mads is travelling to many different universities throughout Canada and the United States, describing his experiences in the hope of swaying Canadian and American opinions on what is happening in Palestine, especially since the Gaza Strip has been cut off from the world by an Israeli-imposed blockade after the election of Hamas in 2007. For more information on Dr. Mads, click here.

As I mentioned earlier, my sister (who saw him at an earlier stop on his Canadian circuit) strongly recommended that I attend the lecture; to be perfectly honest, I probably would not have gone without her pushing me. I think I am similar to many other people in our society, in that I consider myself an empathetic person who is deeply troubled by conflict in the Middle East, especially between Israel and the Palestinian people; I sincerely wish for peace and a lasting peace instead of seemingly endless wars. As time went on, however, I just didn’t want to think about it anymore, partly because I know people who feel very strongly on both sides of the issue and it was extremely polarizing and deeply emotional. At the end of the day I decided that roughly speaking, both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian issue were correct in some way, both sides were guilty of atrocities, and that the issue is really complicated with an extremely long history. Given the fact that attempt after attempt to negotiate a lasting truce had been made, with no success, and with no reason to think that peace would come soon, I unconsciously decided that it was better not to stress about issues that are important and affect the lives of millions, but are entirely out of my control. I ended up deciding to be neutral on the subject. It saves me a lot of headaches.

In essence, my decision is one that many people make every day. Although people “out there” do care, many of them are like me – they see no way out, no end in sight, and don’t know what they can do about issues that they hope will be resolved. They don’t know what they can do, but they are looking for a way to do something. Joanne, our professor, has talked to us about this before, and it is something I have noticed when I talk to people about Beyond Borders. They see me, they know what I am doing, and they become extremely excited for me. They want to help me out because they see me DOING something. It’s something that I was never really prepared for, but my friends in Beyond Borders have said that they experience the same thing with people. Seeing people “come to life” is amazing. And according to Joanne, it’s one of the central goals of the program: activating us, as well as the people we interact with and affect, so that we stop being completely neutral and DO and make our world more just and peaceable.

Dr. Mads’ 2-hour presentation has ended my neutrality on the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and that was his goal. He is openly a supporter of the Palestinian people, and strives to create solidarity with them among people in Norway and throughout the world. Seeing his lecture was an extremely powerful experience; he combined an impersonal presentation of information – such as the number of Palestinian dead and the text of Israeli politicians speaking about their stance toward the Palestinian people – with intensely human and personal aspects, such as smiling pictures of the Palestinians who are his friends, and pictures and videos of life in the hospital during Operation Cast Lead. Looking at pictures of the Palestinian civilians who died in Dr. Mads’ care from the injuries they sustained, or the pictures of the many amputations he performed, and hearing the sounds of artillery shelling while watching young children run for their lives, affected me in a very profound way. It convinced me that the current Israeli policy towards Palestine must stop, because it is a complete disgrace. Yes, in many ways the situation is complicated, but it isn’t THAT complicated: things must change. Dr. Mads suggested several ways to pressure the Israeli government to change, such as by writing to our governmental leaders and asking them to withdraw support for Israel, to stop buying Israeli products and convince others to do, and to divest stocks in Israeli weapons manufacturers. These pressures, he said, have a precedent in the world’s isolation of South Africa for its apartheid policies. I will definitely start investigating them.