By Trent

I am suddenly jolted out of my sleep. The mosques start their call to prayer. Why am I awake? Was it something in my dream or in reality? My spouse is awake too. I realize I have to use the bathroom but I am confused about what has happened. My heart is beating heavy and fast. We are in Gaza City with the family of a friend. I don’t hear any of the three children or their parents awake in the next room. (more…)

By Trent
During our stay in Gaza we have made strong friendships that we will have for the rest of our lives. Palestinians, whether they are men or women, are not shy about showing their affection towards others. The following are just a few of the loving text messages we have recieved on our cell phone in the last few weeks:

A Star has 5 Ends
A Square has 4 Ends
A Triangle has 3 ends
A Line has 2 Ends
A Life has 1 End
But I hope our friendship
Will be a Circle
That has No End

Yesterday: I miss you
Today: I still miss you
Don’t worry about Tommorrow
I will Always miss you!
That is a PROMISE
-forever-
i.miss.u
i.love.u

1 + 1 = 2 My eyes looking at you
2 + 3 = 5 Sens missing you
3 + 4 = 7 Days thinking of you
4 + 7 = 12 Months dreaming about you but
99 + 1 = 100 Years I need a sweet friends like you
No word is as beautiful as friends
And no friends are as wonderful as you
Friends are sweet when its True
Its sweetest when its you

If you want to know how much I love you
Try to catch raindrops.
The one you catch is how much you love me
And the ones you miss is how much I love you

It’s a nice feeling when you know that
Some 1 loves you
Some 1 misses you
Some 1 needs you
But it feels much better when you know that
Some 1 never forgets you…
That’s me

By Serena

By now you may be aware that I am in Jerusalem with the four other delegates from the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project, and Cindy and Craig Corrie. We chose to leave Gaza Wednesday morning after two men came to our apartment late Tuesday night asking us to go with them under the false pretense that we would be safer staying in their home. Our host in Rafah recognized this as an attempt to kidnap us and cautiously navigated the situation resulting in the bizarre scenario of the men shaking each of our hands and leaving. Though this experience was nerve-wracking at no point did I feel I was in any physical danger.

Kidnapping of foreigners has become increasingly common throughout the past month as the upcoming legislative elections get closer. The past week and a half in Rafah. (more…)

From The Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2006

News reports stating that the parents of slain American human rights activist Rachel Corrie were the intended targets of an attempted kidnapping Wednesday in Gaza are incorrect. According to Craig and Cindy Corrie, contrary to news reports, the Corries were never threatened with kidnapping, nor did gunmen burst into the house where the Corries were staying. (more…)

By Rochelle and Serena

Hello family and friends,
We are in!!!!!! It went so smoothly, after all the hours of planning and worry it has paid off. Currently we are with the Nasrallah family, the family whose home Rachel died defending. (more…)

 By Ron
Today, I had the chance to communicate with two of our five delegation members, Trent and Serena. I just got off the phone with Serena and this morning I chatted with Trent on MSN messenger. From what I have gathered, the climate has shifted to a less stable state. There is a “no-go” zone in northern Gaza adjacent to the Erez checkpoint where residents have been warned by dropped flyers that anyone found walking there will risk being shot. Helicopters have been shooting missiles there as well as ground artillary and snipers. (more…)

By Siouxie
(and Trent even though he didn’t see any of it)
Since being in Rafah, I have attended two weddings and have been invited to many more. Weddings are pretty much an everyday occurrence here, but this is winter and it is the slow season. I’m told that in summer, there are usually several weddings a day. I wish I could show you pictures from these spectacular events, but photos are only allowed for the families. Like most things in Gaza, weddings are gender segregated. The only man allowed inside the wedding hall with the women is the groom. Men sit outside, drinking tea or coffee and chatting. All of the fun happens inside the wedding hall, where the women dance to loud Arabic pop music with the occasional American ballad for the newly weds. (more…)

Click on the images to see larger versions.

Photos and words by Trent

1: Keshta Neighborhood. Both homes are unlivable and abandoned.

2: House on the front line. Israeli snipers would shoot directly into these homes, causing the families to flea to safer areas, and leaving these large bullet holes.

3: El Brazil Neighborhood. These blotches are not from a paint style. They are hundreds of thousands of bullet holes throughout the entire home. This building, though unlivable, has been re-inhabited. (more…)

By Rochelle
Looking out over the Rafah skyline at dark from the roof of my apartment building most families are sleeping. The flicker of a few late night TVs can be seen through an occasional window. The street lights shine down on the sidewalks, highlighting mounds of sand and scattered trash. Laundry and the tattered edges of Palestinian flags blow gently in the wind. Things are peaceful, mostly quiet with the sporadic calls of roosters and donkeys. (more…)

By Trent

This graffiti is visible
from Trent and Siouxzie’s
back balcony in Rafah.

Our entry into the Gaza Strip began at the northernmost checkpoint; Erez Crossing. We had applied and received approval for a permit to enter the Gaza Strip from the Occupying Israeli forces. Since Israel still claims authority over this land, Gaza is still clearly under illegal occupation by a foreign military. Palestinians are trapped inside and anyone who would like to enter or leave (Palestinian or foreign) has to get permission to do so by Israel. Since we had followed all their rules and had even obtained the permit to enter, we thought our entry would be fairly easy. Not the case in Occupied Territory. (more…)