My Graduation Day

It is Saturday, January 19 2008: my graduation day from the University of Exeter in the UK as a doctor of philosophy in political science. It is a day that I have waited for, for so long, almost five years. Only few months ago, my heart used to dance when I used to think of that day while putting the last touch on my final chapters. Yet today things are completely different of what I’ve expected.


I have mixed feelings. I suppose to be happy, very happy in deed yet I don’t feel the happiness. I want to smile but I have a wound in my heart. My body is here but my mind is in Gaza with my people. How can I celebrate and my family and community do live the harshness of the siege imposed since almost two years. Moreover, such closure and siege have been fully tightened two days ago, namely on Thursday January 17, by the orders of the Israeli occupation defense minister Ehud Barak.


Everyone I talked with in Gaza during the past few days ago is reporting that situation is very serious and getting worse by time. There is no fuel and there is a shortage of food aid and supplies. Large parts of the Gaza Strip had no power, no lights and no heating. Bakeries are closed and hospitals began to rely on generators. Simply put, Gaza occupied civilian population live a collective punishment that paralyzes every aspect of life. The same reports concerning Gaza situation has been released by UNRWA, Red Cross, the European Commissioner for external relations and many other world and local humanitarian organizations. The urgent question is when those in charge of causing such desperate humanitarian crisis would have time to look at these reports and take an action? And till when would Gaza people ad children endure such increasingly misery?


I have to stop here and head towards the university to attend my graduation ceremony. My daughter, Ghaida is putting my gown and hood on and laughing and my husband, Nasser is taking pictures for her. She looks cool. She makes me smile.