Israel

“I’m not sure what the guy’s problem is, but he’s pointing an AK-47 assault rifle at me, so I don’t make a fuss…”

What stands before me is a scene of utter desolation: the chalk remains of roads, buildings and farmland, bombed and bulldozed beyond any recognition… Read the rest of this article here.

Time there, folks, please! Change in the Middle East, have yiz no homes to go to?

“President Hosni Mubarak dashed the hopes of hundreds of thousands of Egyptians waiting for what they thought would be his resignation speech last night by defiantly announcing that he would not bow to domestic or foreign pressure to quit…” Read the rest of this article.

Document sets out the minimum calorie intake required by Gaza’s 1.5m population, according to their age and sex*

On Monday, the BBC published a full list of goods permitted into Gaza, under the Kafkaesque terms of the Israeli blockade. The contents of that list had long been the subject of exasperated conjecture for both humanitarian organisations and commercial importers. (Some of the proscribed items include jam, chocolate, wood, fruit juice, textiles, and plastic toys.)

Yesterday, I received this email from Eoin Murray of Trócaire (who kindly helped arrange my visit to the besieged city in the summer of 2008.) He wrote: Read the rest of this entry »

“I’M NOT SURE WHAT THIS GUY’S PROBLEM IS, BUT HE’S POINTING AN AK-47 ASSAULT RIFLE AT ME, SO I PREFER NOT TO MAKE A FUSS…”

What stands before me is a scene of utter desolation: the chalk remains of roads, buildings and farmland, bombed and bulldozed beyond any recognition… Read the rest of this article here.

Published: Irish Times, October 11th 2008.

24 HOURS IN GAZA

When I reach the end of the cool, dimly-lit corridor, I set my bags down on the ground and call out, quietly at first, but then at the top of my voice. “Hello… HELLO!?” The words echo around the spacious hangar. Eventually, a small trapdoor in the concrete opens, and a toothless man in a luminous vest beckons me through. I place my luggage on the trolley and we walk in silence down another winding gangway, until I emerge, blinking, into the dazzling sunlight.
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