I am a Palestinian from Gaza. I am a journalist. I am a mother. I am a Muslim. This blog is about the trials of raising my children between spaces and identities; displacement and occupation; and everything that entails from potty training to border crossings. My husband is a Palestinian refugee denied his right of return to Palestine, and thus OUR right to family life. Together, we endure a lot, and the personal becomes political. This is our story.
Journalist, mom, occupied Palestinian-all packed into one.
At last-we've made it through. We left at 6am, and by later afternoon were in Gaza City. But we were a only a handuful of thousands- I estimated 5000- still stranded and unable to get through to Gaza, or out of Gaz.a All of Rafah's roads have been blocked off by the sheer number of people trying to get out. More tommorow plus osme pictues..
posted by Laila @ Wednesday, December 06, 2006
23 Comments:
I just want to tell you: Welcome back home!
I am waiting to see pictures of Yousuf playing in his home…
Almdullilah assalamah...
Looking forward for the picture;)
7amdellah 3ala al salamah.
Congrats Laila and welcome home!
Your trip home refreshed my memories about trying to visit friends there last Febrary. A photo of Rafah gates with throngs of people around it made me sad because I was there myself and saw what was happening. Now it's even worse.
I am looking forward to your writings about life in Gaza.
Congratulations, I am so glad you finally made it through.
yay! finally! i hope everyone else can make it thru as well....
Very good Laila, but keep writing. I'm sure you will. I suppose Yousef gets what he wants, when he wants it.
salaams, alhamdulillah you and your family are home. be well.
So glad to hear that you are safe home. Your nightmare experience moved me. I am so glad you are well rid of all that (I guess until the next Occupation indignity happens!).
Welcome back and hope that you will enjoy the life in Gaza.
Waw . you are their finally
I am so happy for you keep the good work
my best regard for you
Happy to know you and Yousuf finally made it home
alhamdella 3ala al salama ..i am soooooooo happy ..i wish i can talk to u over the phone ...see you soon inshalla. Heba
Alhamdulillah 3la salameh.
It's great to see you finally made it safely. And I truly wish your husband could accompany you.
Laila, I would like to invite you and your fellow Palestinian bloggers to join the blog DailyKos and add your voices to this progressive political blog in the US. I recently used part of your blog, "what do I tell a two-year-old?", in one of a series of diaries I and others are doing on DKos to try to open the eyes of our fellow progressives to the truth about Israel and Palestine. You can read this diary at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/4/12158/5356?detail=f
We pride ourselves in being a reality-based community, yet we don't have any voices from on the ground in the occupied territories. We need some that can write eloquently and rebut myths with facts in a calm manner. We need people like you to continue our quest to make our government more even-handed in its policies on this issue.
Inshallah,
Bruce E aka bewert
Hey, glad you made it!
Congrats, honey!
Do let us know if the congestion thins out some. How is Yousuf taking it?
Congratulations
Time to update your location then.
:-)
ALF MABROOK Laila ... I"m so happy you finally made it back home!! I feel so bad for all the thousands still stranded ... what a nightmare!! WATCH YOURSELF!!
hi! did you know this?? you received an honorable mention in the brass crescent awards!
http://www.brasscrescent.org/2006.php
congratulations!
Infrequently open, few make it through the Rafah border
Palestine News Network 12/9/2006
The Rafah border crossing with Egypt is the only way out of the Gaza Strip. The European Union has been monitoring the crossing after the Israelis partially withdrew from the Strip last year. Israeli forces allow the crossing to be open about once a week at this point, making watching the media for updates a precondition for anyone who wants to travel. Palestinians are sleeping on both sides of the crossing. Babies have been born there and other people have died. This week in the southern Gaza Strip the wait was described to PNN as “painful and humiliating. ” Even Palestinian officials cannot get through at times. It is better than it was before the partial withdrawal by most accounts, but still the Palestinians and the Egyptians have limited control over their own borders.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1164
so glad you made it through ukti but what of the others? didn't you have some pictures to show us?
Am so happy for you!
oh cool-no I didn't (re the award). Do I get a cookie? :)
I know I"m horrible for not updating my blog, but if I Tell you I haven't even unpacked yet maybe you'll forgive me...:) promise something coming today...
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