I guess it’s the time that I’ve always feared, but was sure would come.
On the second day of this month, at about 3:30 p.m., I received my acceptance letter to an MA program at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul. I was lucky enough to be offered a full scholarship. A mix of feelings was roiling behind my ribs — happiness, excitement, fear, gratitude, relief, and something close to freedom.
It took me some time to take in the words written in the acceptance letter. After an hour, I was ready to share the news with my family. The shock was all over their faces — they didn’t have a clue that I had applied for an MA degree in the first place. They remained speechless for a long while.
How will they let their unmarried daughter travel alone to such a very far country? I was OK with that, because I knew them well and I expected nothing less.
There wasn’t a clear “No” that came out of their lips, but I could see it written on their faces. I decided I would deal with the actual words they said, and leave the faces alone.
“OK. Go on with this. I’ve always encouraged you to pursue your education. Let’s hope for the best,” my father said, after letting the issue “cook” for a few days in his mind.
The second I read my acceptance letter, the light at the end of the tunnel that everyone talks about? I could see it. That acceptance letter meant to me more than just a place at a college at some university somewhere. It meant no more “wars” to witness on repeat, every time like déjà vu. It meant no more airstrikes, no more bombs, no more rockets to worry about hitting me. No more reliving moments of pain and despair.
I’m not a coward. I just would like to walk in the streets without the fear of a sudden Israeli attack. I would like to hear the sounds of birds clearly without struggling to isolate the sounds of drones hovering above my head in the sky. I would like to have a boat ride until I found myself in the middle of the sea without stopping after a couple of hundred meters because this is the farthest a boat can reach without being fired at by Israeli warships.
This acceptance letter meant that I finally can see an airport, and that I can see an actual plane that won’t bomb me. I will manage to meet other people than Gazans. For God’s sake, I will travel like a normal human being.
“Being a stranger in a foreign country isn’t something easy,” my mother says, trotting out the Parent in her. “You would be totally alone there. You don’t know anyone.”
It’s not like I’m not aware of all she’s saying, but there is a lot here at stake. Chances like these don’t come that often.
A chance to get out of jail I’ve been trapped in for the past 29 years of my life.
I made up my mind. I’m going through this thing until the end.
Even if it costs me all my savings — which are not that much — to complete the procedures and get to Cairo Airport and get my ticket to Istanbul, it will be worth it.
There’s a saying. “He that keeps his secrets gains his object.” That’s why only seven people knew about this. But now you know, too.
The dreadful things that Gazans face during their journey from the Rafah crossing to Cairo Airport? I’ll worry about those in time. The way Palestinians are treated at airports? I’ll deal with that when I’m at the airport. But I’ll have to worry about my visa application right now, because it’s taking a lot of time. It’s been thirteen days of waiting, and I’m afraid that I will run out of time. I have to be in Turkey before the end of this month to complete my registration.
I hope I can make it.
I’m very thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the people at Ibn Haldun University have given me. I’ll keep you updated. The dream is yet to be realized.
1 of 2 – just received:
RGB Media – Responsive Email Template (972mag.com)
972 The Landline, Sept. 25/25
A victory for truth on the eve of Jewish New Year by Oren Ziv
“Last Wednesday, after nine days in custody, an Israeli military judge ordered the release of Hafez Hureini, a Palestinian farmer from the occupied South Hebron Hills who had his arms broken by settlers as they attacked him on his land last week.
“The attack took place in Masafer Yatta, an area that is home to Palestinian villages facing expulsion after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled this year that the residents could be deported. Hureini is from the village A-Tuwani, which has been at the forefront of the nonviolent resistance to the occupation in the area, & thus has become a target for both the army & settlers.
“’I was staring death in the face,’ Hureini told the court this week. ‘[The settlers] were young, strong, masked. I am 52 years old, I do not believe in violence & I raised my children to be against violence.’
“Initially, the Israeli media bought the settlers’ narrative, which painted the event as a “lynching” of Israelis by dozens of Palestinians. Yet, following an investigation by +972’s Basil Adra and Yuval Abraham, a completely different picture began to emerge. A video of the entire incident revealed that armed & masked settlers approached & attacked Hureini, who was working his land alongside a few other Palestinian farmers. Adra & Abraham’s investigation found that even according to the army’s records, the confrontation took place on a plot of land that is privately owned by Hureini.
“The 23-minute video — which clearly shows settlers coming from the direction of the nearby Havat Ma’on outpost that is notorious for its violence, approaching Hureini, attacking him, & then fleeing — completely changed how both the military judge & the Israeli public perceived the incident.
“While Hureini was almost immediately arrested, not a single settler has been taken into custody. Among the attackers was a settler who took part in the pogrom on Mufagara last year, during which settlers rampaged through the hamlet, wounding a three-year-old Palestinian boy in the head. The settler was arrested & interrogated, but was never indicted. (cont’d)
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“After three hearings at Ofer Military Court last week, it became clear that the police had made almost no progress in the investigation, and even asked to keep Hureini in custody through the Jewish New Year, when Israeli investigators are off for the holiday.
“The decision to release him is undoubtedly an achievement, particularly in a military legal system in which hearings are held in Hebrew without Arabic translation, & in which the military prosecutor & the judge wear the same army uniform. But the decision, which was announced after three grueling hearings, carries a heavy price: Hureini was forced to pay $3,000 & will be banned from accessing the plot of land on which he was attacked — & which he owns — for a month.
“The affair proves the importance of real-time documentation, particularly when Israeli politicians & right-wing groups automatically accuse Palestinians and left-wing activists of ‘harassing soldiers’ when they film them. One can only imagine the fate of Hureini, who was initially accused of attempted murder, had the incident not been filmed by an international volunteer who happened to accompany the farmers.
“In this reality, in which settlers are blessed with the support of the occupation authorities, & in which Palestinians are automatically suspected of murder, the presence of both activists on the ground & independent journalism is more crucial than ever. As some of us gather to celebrate the Jewish New Year tonight, we wish that this victory for truth & justice will be one of many. May this new year be one of speaking truth to power, in which we can celebrate liberation & equality for all.” Shana tova to all those celebrating!
Someone around here suggested that Gaza isn’t occupied, it’s being blockaded! (Or maybe it’s under siege, another legal term). It turns out that there’s considerable disagreement in the legal community about all of this – if you hire the right lawyers you can come to any conclusion you want (see: U.S. Supreme Court). In my opinion, none of the legal stuff affects the basic issues – Americans still need to decide if they really want to support Israel’s blockade/occupation/siege. But here goes:
https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2977&context=ils
In this article, I argue that prolonged siege and blockade subjects the blockading party to a more broadly interpreted set of obligations owed to the local population that it cuts off from the world. These obligations are rooted in IHL, as well as in human rights law, and are not limited to those basic prohibitions examined by the Turkel Commission against starving the local population or denying it of its full water supply. A besieging party must also allow the passage of inhabitants into and out of the blockaded area, as well as into and out of its own territory, to secure various human rights. Specifically, it must avoid using its own territory to produce inhuman and degrading conditions even beyond its borders. And a siege and blockade imposed in-definitely produce just that: they ignore basic human needs and reduce human life to food and water consumption alone.