Pilgrimage to Gaza on Christmas of 2009

in Solidarity With the Besieged

 By John Dear

NCR, January 17, 2010

Cairo Journal:
  
*Sunday, December 27, 2009*

I left New York City for Cairo on Christmas day, with a long wait in
Amsterdam, and this morning at four o’clock made my way to the Sun Hotel
near Tahrir Square and the Nile River. Others have come, too -- 1,362
people representing 43 nations -- all of us journeying to Gaza to
participate in the “Gaza Freedom March.”
 
The march coincides with the first anniversary of Israel’s bombing and
siege of Gaza, which left 1,400 dead, including 300 children. The
wounded numbered 5,000; those left homeless numbered 50,000. Thirteen
Israelis died. Here, to my mind, are new depths of evil, even for the
chaotic world of the Middle East.
 
Plans for the march were laid long ago, but while I was over the
Atlantic an edict was issued. The Egyptian government would allow no one
into Gaza; there would be no travel toward the Sinai; meetings of more
than six would be forbidden; tonight’s meeting at the prestigious Jesuit
College of the Holy Name would not be permitted.
 
They have, as I thought on it, tipped their hand. The United States
supports Israel’s siege on the Palestinian people, and when the United
States twitches the strings, Egypt, obsequious police state that it is,
does America’s bidding.
 
The news leaves me saddened and disappointed. For our plans for
nonviolent action are unprecedented, impressive in size, international
in scope. There has never been such an outpouring of solidarity -- not
during the wars in Vietnam, Central America, or Iraq -- except in 1993
when several thousand activists, mainly Europeans, tried to march
through Bosnia to Sarajevo, only to be blocked. Here, we thought, the
global peace movement would be breaking new ground.
 
Of course, ground-breaking movements menace oppressor nations, and
instinctively governments pull out their bag of tricks, put up
obstacles, and try to bring things to a halt. But no matter. Egypt may
be obsequious, but we’re not. We’re peacemakers. Obedience with us
doesn’t come automatically. Abject obedience, not at all. Only six
allowed at a meeting? We’ll just see about that. At any rate, whatever
we do or fail to do, simply getting some 1,300 people to Cairo signals a
turned page. In a sense, we’ve won already. The siege and the occupation
will one day end.
 
I slept on and off all day, and towards evening attended a briefing with
the great peacemaker Ann Wright. Organizers had to be supple with Egypt
cracking down, and she explained the latest strategies in light of our
tight circumstances.
 
Tonight, I joined a gathering of some 200 by the Nile for an impromptu
candlelight peace vigil. Police showed up in force and lurked about, but
did nothing to disrupt our action. Our prayers for Gaza’s liberation
were passionate and sincere. One thinks everyone's heart is with Gaza,
even the hearts of the on-looking policemen.
 
*Monday, December 28, 2009*
This morning, I joined a hundred others in a dingy hotel hallway for
another briefing with Ann Wright. Already there’s news. More than 400
French activists arrived at the airport and, on hearing of Egypt’s
repressive edicts, hauled themselves to the French embassy and demanded
redress. They’ve camped there all night, right on the sidewalk, circled
by hundreds of policemen and soldiers. The scene is tense and dramatic.
 
Others, defying Egypt’s orders, have set off in small groups, in cabs
and buses, and headed for Gaza. No easy feat. A six-hour drive in the
best of times, and police have complicated matters by erecting a dozen
road blocks along the way. Early reports indicate no one made it through
and many have been detained or arrested. Soldiers confronted one group
from London, confiscated their passports, and set them loose in the
Sinai desert.
 
Crammed in the hotel hallway, we listened as Ann orchestrated things.
“We’re not here for tourism,” she said. “We’re here to speak out.” And
then she sent us to the United Nations offices by the Nile. Some 800
converged there and for five or six hours we vigiled behind police
barricades, “speaking out” for an end to the siege.
 
A long peaceful afternoon of singing, dancing, and impromptu teach-ins.
But not before some initial tense moments. We were hemmed in by hundreds
of police, and before long an angry contingent from Italy lifted voices
and began raising hell. Here was trouble, I fretted. But much to my
relief, friends like Franciscan Fr. Louie Vitale
<http://ncronline.org/news/justice/us-franciscan-detained-cairo-street>
[1] took matters in hand. He and a handful of others inserted themselves
between the hot-blooded Italians and the glowering police. Presently the
tension subsided.
 
At noon, Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor of 85, held a press
conference in our midst. She announced that she would immediately begin
a hunger strike for the people of Gaza. Several of us, including my
friends Fr. Louie and Martha Hennessy, decided on the spot to join her.
 
So I’ll fast for the rest of my time in Egypt -- not the turn of events
I imagined when I bought my tickets. But in our situation I can’t think
of a better use of my time.
 
Throughout the afternoon, I met many friends and activists, such as
Walden Bello, the heroic Filipino critic and politician; David
Hartsough, a longtime Quaker organizer; Donna Mulhearn, the great
anti-war activist from Australia; Medea Benjamin, one of the organizers
of Codepink; and several labor leaders from South Africa.
 
Medea asked me to pray for a miracle. So at our next prayer gathering,
with folks of all faiths, I indeed did pray for a miracle -- that we
would be allowed into Gaza, that the Israeli siege would lift, and that
Israel, Egypt and the United States would renounce their terrorist
violence and treat our Palestinian sisters and brothers with nonviolence
and justice.
 
And I prayed that we would all be safe. We know the police have our
names. We are followed, under surveillance constantly. We wonder if we
will be beaten, arrested, jailed and deported. We wonder how to respond
nonviolently. We wonder what to do next. We talked all afternoon.
 
The tense day over, back at the hotel, I’m grateful for undertaking the
fast. It has slowed me down, centered me, calmed me. Things are coming
into focus. It dawns on me that whatever the chaos on the streets, our
week here is transmuting from emphasis on overt agitation to weeklong
prayer vigil. My prayer: End the siege and occupation of Gaza. May all
live in nonviolence and peace.
 
*Tuesday, December 29, 2009*
Our vigil at the U.N. plaza has caught the attention of the nation.
We’re front page news throughout Egypt. Meanwhile, the occupation of the
French embassy continues. More people left for Gaza overnight; all have
been stopped and detained. Several camped out in front of the U.N.
offices. A few brave Egyptian activists joined the group, but they were
swiftly arrested and disappeared. Lawyers are trying to find them. We
plan to continue to disrupt the city as long as we are here, but this
morning, Ann warned us to be careful. We are all being closely watched
and followed.
 
After a noon planning meeting, 22 of us who are fasting joined Hedy
Epstein for a two o’clock press conference and vigil in front of the
massive Journalist Syndicate building near the Nile. We held signs that
read in English and Arabic: “Hunger Strike for Gaza,” along with our
names. We intended a quiet peace vigil, but hundreds of European
activists -- Italian, Spanish, German -- descended on us and hollered
slogans, each language competing with the others. So much for our irenic
witness. The police quickly assembled and blocked us in.
 
In the center of it all stood Hedy, gently having her say. I think she
is a model peacemaker -- gentle, wise and friendly, always with a smile
like Buddha under the Bodhi tree. Whenever someone greets her, she
reaches out and clasps their hand. While she spoke, scores of reporters
stood by, scribbling, and her words were carried far and wide.
 
Meanwhile, across town, some 50 Americans tried to enter the U.S.
embassy, only to be cordoned off, surrounded, and threatened with
arrest. No U.S. citizens allowed in the U.S. embassy. So it goes.
 
*Wednesday, December 30, 2009*
At 7 a.m., I went out for coffee and ran into my friend Martha Hennessy
in the hallway. Had I heard the news? The Egyptian president’s wife had
intervened, and Egypt has granted 100 of us access to Gaza. The
organizers debated the offer all night. Reluctantly they agreed and drew
up a list. My name was on it.
 
I dashed off with Martha to the two waiting buses. There, as usual, we
found a large gang of police, plus hundreds of angry activists who
failed to make the list. They were yelling: “Don’t go! Don’t go! Don’t go!”
 
Apparently, our contacts in Gaza had encouraged us during the night to
accept the offer and come. But as we sat on the bus, an organizer came
aboard with a cell phone which he put to a bullhorn. Our contacts in
Gaza had changed their mind. Don’t come after all, one of them said from
Gaza. Egypt is trying to divide the movement, saying that those who
didn’t make the list are terrorists. Hearing that, Fr. Louie and I
disembarked, as people from both inside the bus and outside shouted at
us and one another. Several others followed us and stepped off the bus
amid an angry clamor. All told, 60 people stepped off to shouts and boos
and cheers. Forty activists remained and went on to Gaza -- and the
clash left me demoralized. “So this is nonviolence,” said a Codepink
organizer to me as she watched so-called peace activists scream at each
other.
 
The bus gone, and afternoon descending, I found a place to rest, read
and pray. Towards evening I met for tea and juice with the other
fasters, and we shared our reasons for fasting, our hopes and our
feelings. I’m grateful for the fast. It anchors me in a spirit of peace
and, despite the chaos here, focuses my thoughts on the reality of Gaza.
We closed our time by cobbling together plans for another peace vigil.
We’re trying to keep our hearts and minds on Gaza.
 
*Thursday, December 31, 2009*
My most difficult day here, the anniversary of the Israeli attacks. A
massive action was planned, against all odds, and the word was spread:
line the streets in groups of five and precisely at 10 a.m. swarm into
traffic like a cloud of mosquitoes and bring Cairo’s business to a halt.
 
Quite a scene unfolded. At ten o’clock sharp people flooded the streets
and the city’s traffic lurched to a stop and drivers leaned on their
horns. Battalions of policemen were on hand and they converged from all
directions. Pummeling and pushing, they nudged the activists toward the
right side of the street. Many in response planted their bottoms on the
street, in front of hundreds of impatient drivers, and I feared the worst.
 
In the street myself, headed toward a group of friends, a line of
policeman charged my way. I worried that our provocation would heighten
the danger, and decided to make for the sidewalk. There I watched those
sitting in the streets, with the police towering over them, the chants
and horns filling the air.
 
Just then, a few yards away on my left, a line of police appeared out of
nowhere, and charged toward me and a few others. Here was a concerted
maneuver to corral us tight and seal us off -- and once sealed, to
arrest en masse and deport us, I presumed. I walked headed toward them,
hoping to skirt around. But three came right at me and pushed me hard,
almost knocking me to the ground. So I headed off in the other
direction, just as another line of policemen came at us on the sidewalk.
I braced for the worse, but to my surprise, one stepped aside and let me
through. So I walked away.
 
Many activists were roughed up; a few were beaten. Most were frightened.
But after an hour, tensions eased and sanity returned. People set up a
peace camp and sang, unfurled banners and waved flags. At five o’clock,
the group called it quits.
 
A tense day, but no serious injuries, I hear. Undaunted, hundreds
gathered for another candlelight vigil to mark New Year’s Eve and
express solidarity with suffering Gaza. As I close the day, the fast
reminds me of the pain in Gaza, and I hope the new year will bring a
miracle of peace for Gaza, Palestine, Israel and the world.
 
*Friday, January 1, 2010*
At noon, our group of 30 hunger strikers held our second vigil. At the
same time, hundreds gathered at the Israeli embassy, where hundreds of
police blocked them in. The standoff lasted for several hours, as did
the non-stop chanting, “Free Gaza Now! End the Occupation!”
 
As for our vigil, it took place on the steps of the Syndicate Building.
Many friends stood nearby. A gathering of policemen hemmed us in. Our
group statement read: “We recognize that the Palestinians of Gaza
continue to hunger for food, shelter, and most of all for freedom. We
continue to hunger for justice for Gaza and all of Palestine. We call on
all people of conscience from around the world to renew their resolve
for peace and justice in Palestine.”
 
We took turns speaking, first Hedy Epstein then others, including Louie
Vitale and Martha Hennessy. When my turn came, I thanked Hedy for
starting us on the fast, and told the crowd of a conversation I had had
with her on Tuesday.
 
“Look what you’ve started,” I had said to her. She replied, “I didn’t
know I had that much power.” It was a comment I pondered for days. We
all have a power, I said, a power stronger than all the weapons of the
world, the power of nonviolence, the power of love and truth. I reminded
the crowd of the examples of Jesus, Gandhi, Dorothy Day, and Dr. King.
They teach us not to believe the myth of powerlessness but to claim our
power and to take a stand for peace.
 
Like Rosa Parks and Hedy Epstein, each one of us can make a difference,
I said. Each one of us is needed. Each one of us can help speed up the
day of liberation for Gaza. I urged everyone to do what we can to end
the siege of Gaza and the occupation of the Palestinians and to work for
the abolition of war, poverty, nuclear weapons and global warming.
 
Tonight, another gathering at Tahrir Square, this time for a closing
circle of stories and sharing. We greeted one another and this time,
engaged the police as friends. Most of them are very young, badly paid
and quite frightened. Is it really a new year? Have days passed already?
I’ve lost sense of time; I’m feeling a bit disoriented. The fast has
left me unmoored. My senses are buffeted. Cairo feels like limbo. Still,
I’m grateful -- for our modest effort, for our showing solidarity with
Gaza, for those who take risks for peace. Let it be a new year of peace.
 
*Saturday, January 2, 2010*
Day Six of the fast. Louie, Martha, Jan, Julie, Margaret, Sherri and I
took a taxi out to Giza to spend a few hours walking slowly around the
Sphinx and the pyramids. My one and only tourist outing. I had visited
Egypt and the pyramids 28 years ago, just before I entered the Jesuits.
This time I undertook my visit as an exercise in Buddhist walking
meditation. The sky was clear, the vista vast, and blowing in from the
trackless Sahara was a cool fresh breeze. I felt restored for the first
time in ages.
 
I regarded the massive stones, hauled thousands of years ago perhaps by
exhausted slaves, one generation toiling after another. A sense of
timelessness descended on me, and a sense of the brevity of life. Spend
your time wisely, said the breezes. Life is short, the pyramids
whispered. Make it count. Let it be guided by compassion and resistance.
Stand up for those in need; rebuke the powerful who repress them. Leave
the earth behind having made it more peaceful, more just. A good
meditation there among the boulders, camels, sand and sun.
 
Tonight, our circle had tea and juice at a corner smoking shop, and
shared our feelings and experiences of the week, as well as our hopes
for Gaza. For the first time, we are beginning to relax and catch our
breath.
 
*Sunday, January 3, 2010*
Day Seven. We broke the fast with a morning Eucharist, celebrating the
feast of the Epiphany. I read chapter two of Matthew’s Gospel, the story
of the three wise men in search of the Christ, their joy upon finding
him, their civil disobedience toward Herod, and the holy family’s flight
in and out of Egypt.
 
And we spoke of our own pilgrimages, our own Epiphanies, our own flights
in and out of Egypt. The sharing was rich and beautiful. We passed the
bread and cup, and afterwards, shared a modest breakfast. We expressed
gratitude to the God of peace for the blessing of the fast. And more,
for our attempt, though largely thwarted, to get into Gaza.
 
The 40 who did get in returned this afternoon and reported on what they
saw. They traveled 15 hours each way, accompanied in each direction by
an Egyptian military caravan. They arrived at last and found themselves
shocked to see the destruction. Last year’s bombing had caused untold
suffering and heartbreak.
 
One woman told them of the loss of her 28 relatives. Many told of their
homes turned to rubble. Food, medicine and basic supplies are blocked,
getting in intermittently in meager quantities through underground
tunnels. And these Egypt, Israel, with the help of the United States,
are trying to unearth and close down.
 
A recent article in /The New Yorker/ said, “Fourteen percent of all
buildings in Gaza were partially or completely destroyed, including
21,000 homes, 700 factories and businesses, 16 hospitals, 38 primary
healthcare centers, and 280 schools. 250 wells were destroyed, 300,000
trees uprooted and large sections of agricultural land were made no
longer arable, in part because of contamination and unexploded ordnance.”
 
At the Rafah border, four rabbis joined the group, and the war weary
Gazans at first shunned and feared them. But the rabbis assured them of
their solidarity, and reminded them of Judaism’s ideal of shalom. And
soon every Gazan regarded them with love and trust. “We used to live
together as friends and neighbors,” the rabbis said, “and one day, we
will again.”
 
Tonight, the week comes to a close, and I fly off to Europe. But I leave
behind my prayers and heartfelt sympathy for the people of Gaza.
 
The situation is far worse than apartheid, a contingent of South African
activists told us. They spent much of their time drafting a “Cairo
Declaration,” calling for “a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid
movement” to implement the Palestinian call for boycott, sanctions and
divestment on Israel and for justice for the people of Gaza and
Palestine. I signed on, and it is now being widely circulated. For
information, see: www.gazafreedommarch.org
<http://www.gazafreedommarch.org> [2]. For the best information on Gaza
and Palestine, see the Palestinian Center for Human Rights’ Web site:
www.pchrgaza.org <http://www.pchrgaza.org> [3].
 
The whole world needs to learn what is happening in that tiny
25-mile-long stretch of desert, and demand an end to Israel’s siege.
 
Let me offer a final thought. The trip was hard but noble, a worthy
experiment in creative, organized, international nonviolence. Could our
nonviolence have been on better display? Yes. Still, I come away
grateful. This modest pilgrimage was, for me, a long prayer and a living
solidarity with sisters and brothers. The outcome, the results, like all
our work for peace and justice, are in God’s hands. And so the
pilgrimages, the prayers, the peacemaking goes on.
 
****
 
John’s new book, /Daniel Berrigan: Essential Writings/, has just been
published by Orbis Books. With other recent books, /A Persistent Peace/
and /Put Down the Sword/, along with Patricia Normile’s /John Dear On
Peace/, it is available from www.amazon.com <http://www.amazon.com> [4].
Next week, he will address the Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry network
on Prince Edward’s Island. For information, or to schedule a speaking
event, visit: www.johndear.org <http://www.johndear.org> [5]
 
    * On the Road to Peace <http://ncronline.org/taxonomy/term/166>
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Source: National Catholic Reporter online

 URL:* http://ncronline.org/blogs/road-peace/cairo-journal

*Links:*

[1] http://ncronline.org/news/justice/us-franciscan-detained-cairo-street
[2] http://www.gazafreedommarch.org
[3] http://www.pchrgaza.org
[4] http://www.amazon.com[5] http://www.johndear.org