What were the politicians, the international community and the media waiting for after two years of siege to one of the most over populated areas in the world? And what was the Israeli government waiting for after cutting the electricity, fuel, cooking gas, medications and other basic necessities from a civilian population numbered around 1.5 million? Were they waiting for people to die of hunger in silence? Do they expect them to keep looking at their kids suffering from anaemia and malnutrition and take no action? Something ought to take place and must take place to save your life and the life of your family. This is a very natural thing and doesn’t need that many explanations. Around a third of the population of Gaza stormed across the Egyptian border to save their lives.
When I called my mother this morning asking her about their news she had many things to tell. First thing she talked about was the candles. She told me that they have enough candles for a month now. She was so happy that they have them now. She explained that all my nephews and nieces, aged 3, 5 and 7 usually get terrified at night because of the darkness. As a result of such fear of darkness, she and their parents barely get enough sleep.
From candles she moved on to talk about the food they got, to the kerosene for cooking, to the high blood pressure tablets our neighbour Um As’ad succeeded in obtaining, to the radio batteries and to tens of other things that she counted but there is no room to write them. I was listening and for the first time in months I was listening in comfort. Usually when I phone Gaza, the first thing they ask me about after myself is the news in Britain concerning our situation? What is there about us? Is there any solution or hope for a solution to end our siege and stop the daily killings and crimes? What does PM Brown say about us? What is the British people's reaction? These kinds of questions used to put me in a big dilemma. What to say and what to tell them? Shall I say the truth of what I hear here? Shall I say that you were not in the news today as well as yesterday or any of the days before? Or shall I say I missed the news today? Shall I say they are trying but the issue is so complicated? Or what to say?
Over these months my mother was not asking me about a political solution, our demand and right for over 6 decades now. She was not asking me to bring her the moon. She was asking me about some thing more basic and urgent than anything else. She was asking me about a solution to, or action on, their man-made humanitarian crisis. A man made crisis that was a result of the imposed inhumane closure and blockade by the so-called only democracy in the Middle East, in cooperation with the whole world: a world that chose to be deaf and dumb towards the shouts and tears of Gaza's children.
The call has ended and I feel a little bit relieved. My mother has the candles and Um As’ad got the tablets. I escaped the difficult questions my mother often raises. Above all I didn't struggle much to defend western values. Yet I know that such relief is just as temporary as today's solution in Gaza. The same issues will re-appear again and very soon.
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