There are so many basic things most of us take for granted….like, electricity. But in Gaza — especially these days — it’s a precious commodity.

Power (of the electrical kind) has been rationed to some extent ever since I started visiting Gaza in 2009. As a freelance wr… Read full post »

As all eyes of the world are on the Egyptian protesters struggling to oust Hosni Mubarak from power, residents of the Gaza Strip are struggling to cope with the ripple effects. With the border between the two abandoned and sealed shut, fuel imports have been cut off, and hundreds of people… Read full post »

As news of the uprisings in a growing number of Arab countries spread like wildfire around the world, residents of other countries struggling under their own oppressive governments and soaring unemployment were celebrating on the streets, on Twitter and on Facebook. The occupied Gaza Strip was no exc… Read full post »

 In my last post I rather critically examined the motivations and impact of foreign visitors to Palestine. And I received several very good comments in return. (I hope more of you will comment via email, or on this site now that the comment function is turned on.)

I excerpt a few… Read full post »

Just as humans by their very nature tend to “gawk” when driving by traffic accidents, people seem to gravitate to places that have appeared in the news for all the wrong reasons. Thus, the term “disaster tourism” has been coined, describing the phenomenon of travellers visitin… Read full post »

No matter how many times I come to Gaza, each time I enter it is the same.With each step I am able to take in the game of chess it takes to get into the Strip, my heart beats a little faster. …until I finally pass every obstacle thrown in my way… Read full post »

This will be my fourth trip to Gaza over the last two years. Warned by my contacts at UNRWA (United Nations Relief & Works Agency) that Israel has cracked down on traffic through its Erez checkpoint since the Mavi Marmara murders, I decided to travel in through Egypt instead. It was… Read full post »

The last time I wrote I was still living in Gaza City, debating whether to stay or return to the States. Ultimately, I decided it was time to return to my “other home” – for my two daughters (the youngest of whom was graduating from high school), my health (the lack… Read full post »

 I have been away from "home" (I put that in quotation marks, since the concept has become a little fluid for me) since Dec. 27:  40 days in Cairo, trying to get into Gaza through Rafah, unsuccessfully. Then -- after friends at UNRWA intervened and got me in through Israel's Erez/… Read full post »

With the never-ending stream of news about Israeli incursions, crushing poverty, skyrocketing unemployment and scarce healthcare, success stories coming out of Gaza may seem an oxymoron. But they are there – you just have to look a little harder for them. A case in point is the four Jadallah br… Read full post »

Since I last wrote, my life has taken some crazy turns. I left Gaza to work for a new Council for European-Palestinian Relations in Brussels, but after two weeks of unremitting bad luck/karma, I returned to the comfort of  my friends in Gaza and am continuing my work from here. I… Read full post »

March 16  is the seventh anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteer who was run over by an Israeli army bulldozer while she was trying to stop the demolition of a home in the Gaza Strip. Her parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, a/… Read full post »

Trying to make a living as a farmer in Gaza these days is taking a toll on the family ties so integral to the Palestinian culture. Traditionally, occupations are passed from father to son for generations, and their tie to the land is particularly strong. Before Israel imposed a suffocating blockade… Read full post »

Racism must be stamped out wherever it occurs, but when it rears its ugly head in an institution as prestigious as Harvard University, an immediate, international response – including punishment of the offender – is required if we are to defend our status as an enlightened society.… Read full post »

This is an editorial I have written for the Palestine Telegraph, for which I am working now, and that I hope to place as an op-ed elsewhere. Btw, I encourage everyone to read the book, Kill Khalid, which documents the Mossad's earlier attempt on Mishaal's life. It is a fascinating read/… Read full post »

Below is an article I have written for the Inter Press Service on "growing up as a girl in Gaza." At the conclusion, I have added some personal thoughts that didn't make it into this word-limited article.

To talk to girls growing up in Gaza is to encounter a mass of… Read full post »

“Gilad Shalit” is virtually a household name for anyone who follows Middle Eastern politics even somewhat cursorily. Shalit is an Israeli soldier of French nationality who was captured by members of the Palestinian Resistance Committees (various political factions, all resisting the Israe… Read full post »

 Once upon a time, this little strip of land (just 139 square miles, about twice the size of Washington DC) was a potentially booming resort and fishing capital, with 25 miles of beautiful coastline and beaches and a Mediterranean Sea Port teeming with sardines and shrimp.  

 … Read full post »

When I wrote last, I was still in Cairo, beginning to lose hope. However, shortly after, a friend at the UN Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) was miraculously able to get me into Gaza through Israel's Erez Crossing. In a shockingly quick two days,  I was in! Among my first activities… Read full post »

Dear President Obama:

I have been told since I was old enough to read that I am privileged – and should feel proud --  to be an American. Not only because I enjoy unparalleled freedom and opportunities, but also because I live in a superpower that is so beneficent it… Read full post »

As I write this, I am still in Cairo. The Gaza Freedom March is officially over…most delegates flew home Jan. 3-5. There are about 30 of us “die-hards” – individuals who have the flexibility to try to wait out the Egyptian government and the dedication/commitment to stay in f… Read full post »

The “heart” of democracy is freedom of speech, and one of the most forceful, “untamed” forms of expression is the political demonstration. In Egypt, political demonstrations are banned by the Mubarak dictatorship, but that was one “gift” we were able to leave behin… Read full post »

 Written one year to the day since the Israelis launched "Operation Cast Lead." At 11:20 a.m., 88 Israeli aircraft flew above the Gaza Strip and simultaneously struck 100 targets within a span of just 220 seconds. Thirty minutes later, a second wave of 60 jets and helicopters struck an addi… Read full post »

[Note that a shorter, less personal version of this post appeared today on Electronic Intifada:  http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10963.shtml. In tomorrow's post, I'll describe our evolving fight against Egypt, which has taken a stand against the march.]

On Dec. 29, I will attempt to cro… Read full post »