A couple weeks ago the Times ran a good story about the Gaza blockade with the byline of Michael Slackman and Ethan Bronner; and you will see two very different bylines at the bottom of the story, Mona El-Naggar and Fares Akram.
The night after the story ran, Felice Gelman, who knows Akram, and knows him to be a fine reporter, spoke at a Manhattan fundraiser and said, "There is no reason in the world that the byline doesn't say Fares Akram from Gaza except that the New York Times wants to shape the narrative about Gaza."
An essential part of breaking the siege on Gaza, Gelman went on, is allowing Palestinians to tell us the Gaza story, and then she introduced a young Gazan named Fida Qishta, and her film about the attack on Gaza of 08-09 called "Where Should the Birds Fly."
The fundraiser was at a Greenwich Village apartment, and of course the issue is getting traction on the left, and so many people showed up to meet Fida Qishta that she had to show her trailer three times, and give a little speech three times too.
Qishta is charming. She told us that a couple of years ago she was asked by a friend to videotape weddings and she told him that she didn't know how to operate a camera and he said it was easy, she just had to hit this button to record. "Yes but how do I turn it off?" she said. Hit the same button. Qishta found that she preferred talking to people on camera rather than recording pomp and ceremony, and soon she was comfortable with the camera. When the Gaza conflict happened, she couldn't restrain herself, she ran out into the streets of Gaza City with her camera. Her brother tried to stop her once, and she went out the window.
"I felt protected by the camera," she said.
You can see the trailer for the film here, at Deep Dish. The two main characters of the piece are Qishta herself, and Mona, 11, a little girl who with incredible calm describes the destruction of her family. "They took the most precious beloved of my heart," she says in her even voice, at 3:40 or so, and you can see the drawings she makes of her entire family, including uncles and cousins. Purely wrenching.
"I lost my mother, my father, my freedom and the life I had.... I know that people don't appreciate the blessings they have until they lose them..." And now she wants to be a doctor. Again I am reminded of John Ging's statement to my group a year ago, The Palestinians are a deeply-civilized people. But so few Americans know this.
Deep Dish production company aims to make a feature film of Qishta's footage. But they need money. Here's the link to help out the production.
Someone asked Qishta how she had managed to get into the U.S. She told us a touching story about a consular official who obviously pitied her, and then she interrupted her own story.
"I was lucky.... But I must be honest as well."
Gaza And The Warsaw Ghetto
same place
different time
while the world stood by
genocide
live
At least with Warsaw the rest of the world could only find out after the fact. What’s the excuse, now that we can watch Israeli soldiers gun people down live on internet streams?
There is no comparison between Gaza and the Warsaw Ghetto.
There is so much poetry and prose written by those who would delight in a national tragedy upon the nation of Israel and the eradication of the Jewish people.
The comparison of Gaza to Warsaw is simply put
Shameful
Wagner and the Poets of the Palestine Lobby
Jew Haters Both
Same people
Different Time
Live
Gaza = slow motion Warsaw Ghetto
Again I repeat there is absolutely no comparison between Gaza and the Warsaw ghetto and any attempt to make one is shameful and morally wrong.
I would like to formally ask that my comments be not moderated as I have not violated the comments policy.
It seems the only reason I am moderated is because I am a zionist.
I believe this is wrong and violates the stated comments policy of this website.
Please explain what you mean instead of just making declarative statements with nothing to back them up.
There are plenty of comparisons. They don’t (thankfully) reach the extremes of the Warsaw Ghetto, as there was no UN, there was no instant communication system, available to the people confined to the Warsaw Ghetto.
The dignified little girl in the film, Mona, bears a striking resemblance to Natalie Portman. I’d like to see this film finished.
An excerpt from the poem State of Siege – by Mahmoud Darwish.
Here, on the slopes of these hills
Before the sunset and the gateway of time
Near the gardens devoid of shade
We do that which prisoners do, that which the jobless do
We nurture hope
[...]
Under the siege, life is time
Between remembering its beginning
And forgetting its end
Here, next to the smoke plumes at this doorstep
Time is eternal
We do as those who ascend to the lord
We cast away the pain
[...]
mona said steadfast steadfast
oh gaza you captured my heart..those eyes i saw with mine own and you were so real so alive
Heartbreaking.
No doubt there will be those that will accuse the 10 year old of being coached.
Meanwhile the EU, US and its client Egypt continue to support the illegally appointed Abbas who is slowly selling his people down the river, aided and abetted by the US. Meanwhile the despicable “peace envoy” Blair is talking about economic peace and collecting the big cheques from oil giants and big banks. Who says war doesn’t pay?
A loud and glaring message to Phil.
“Again I am reminded of John Ging’s statement to my group a year ago, The Palestinians are a deeply-civilized people. But so few Americans know this.”
Why isn’t this the resounding content of your blog? Rather than the angry?
So, Richard,
Mona is not civilized enough for you? How so?
Because Journalists don’t cover buildings that aren’t on fire.