Looking for Trouble

Gaza and the sea, by Gerri Haynes

(Gerri Haynes and Laura Hart, of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, have returned to Gaza, taking in medicine. Gerri will be sending back reports.)

Sometimes listening to a sage is the most enlightening way to learn about a situation. Today, Laura and I were treated to time by the Sea with Dr. Sarraj – surely one of the wisest of Palestinians. Dr. Sarraj’s son, Ali, 7, and Mahmoud Al Shrafi, Dr. Sarraj’s assistant traveled with us to watch fishermen working along the shore and to enjoy a placid sea (minus patrolling Israeli gunboats for the first time in any visit since 2009).

Dr. Sarraj reviewed for us the history of Palestine since 1948. He has been involved in every phase of governmental and medical development for many years and provides council in each move toward peace. We spoke of the need for freedom for Gaza. The vote to accept Palestine as an observer state in the UN has created a window of hope.

Throughout Gaza, a sense of possibility is reported. We look forward to a day when the infrastructure of Gaza can be repaired instead of destroyed – when electricity is available continuously, when the water can be cleaned and the sewage safely treated. We look forward to a day when there are enough schools to house the children seeking education, when trade with the outside world can be fulsome, when fishing can be extended to the deep sea area.

The population of Gaza prizes education and wants to extend all phases of educational offerings – including advanced medical education and research. The possibility exists. Last Spring, I asked a friend in Gaza how long it had been since he turned on a faucet and took a drink of water. He paused and replied, “Never.” We look forward to the day when his response will be “Today.”

This evening, Ann Wright and a group from Code Pink visited the hotel where Laura and I are staying. I visited briefly with them and heard that when Pillar of Cloud started, they had rapidly gathered a group of more than twenty people to come to Gaza. They are observing and learning and will return to their countries to help others become more aware of the situation here.

Perhaps others will hear what we are hearing: the shelling in Pillar of Cloud created fires that were difficult to put out; agricultural areas were shelled and there is concern about what poisons future crops may contain; there is a group gathering water from rain puddles to see what chemicals are in the air; there is concern about what properties were used in the bombs dropped by Israel – did they contain Uranium 238 or some other permanently dangerous properties.

So while hope exists, the realities of war – the fatalities, the injuries to people and land, the ongoing sense of trauma – exist. We are constantly inspired by the courage of the people we meet.