My name is Maha Abu Shatat. I live in Rafah’s football stadium with my husband and eight children. Our home was destroyed by the Israeli army. We lived near the Egyptian border and along with hundreds of others we are now homeless because our houses were considered a security risk by the Israelis.
This page is still under construction. (above image from this photo series at the BBC). ORSCP works in a number of education initiatives both in Olympia and in Rafah. We sponsor teleconferencing sessions between individuals and groups in our two communities, have brought speakers and films to Olympia and work to support the Rachel Corrie community center in Rafah, which provides numerous community and popular education services in Rafah. This page will contain more detailed information about our various initiatives in the near future, so please check back. In the meantime, to be true to our goal of educating the public about Rafah, here’s some useful information:
Life under occupation
Learn more about the conflict and the longstanding U.S.-funded occupation of Palestinian territories. Also, learn more about our sister city project partner, Rafah.
Gush Shalom
Learn about Israeli citizens who are working to bring a just end to the occupation of West Bank and Gaza.
Courage To Refuse
“We, reserve combat officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, who were raised upon the principles of Zionism, sacrifice and giving to the people of Israel and to the State of Israel, who have always served in the front lines, and who were the first to carry out any mission, light or heavy, in order to protect the State of Israel and strengthen it.”
Interactive history of Israel’s conflict in the region
The UK newspaper The Guardian’s online edition features this changing map of Israeli occupations over history. Also includes pre-Israeli history beginning with the Ottoman Empire.
Aljazeera
For the best in-depth coverage of the Middle East, including Israel, Palestine and beyond, more Americans are turning to Aljazeera. Top-notch and unflinching in its coverage on the U.S.’s war in Iraq, Aljazeera covers more than just conflicts. Read the news of the world from a modern, Arab perspective.
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
The Washington Report is published by the American Educational Trust (AET), a non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, DC by retired U.S. foreign service officers to provide the American public with balanced and accurate information concerning U.S. relations with Middle Eastern states.
Photo journal: Life in Rafah, Gaza
As part a BBC News Online series of photo essays, a family struggling to survive in Rafah, Gaza, whose home was destroyed by Israeli forces, tell their story. The Israelis see such operations as necessary to prevent arms smuggling across the border with Egypt.
