Pre-Dated, Post-Written, Pre-Prologue

I'd like to elaborate a bit on just what I meant when I said "doing the Gaza volunteering thing" a few entries back.

Essentially, for the week of 25 May - 1 June I was a member of a student-organized delegation to the Gaza Strip called Students in Solidarity with Gaza. It was composed of 35 students (or student-ish people), as well as countless individuals who lent their support in time, money, contact-using, etc. so as to facilitate our envoy's success. Additionally, there were more than 100 other concerned citizens of the world who, as members of other associations, crossed [or attempted to cross] the border within about the same time frame. Each of these groups, for organizational and credence-lending purposes, fell under the umbrella of Code Pink, who also led a successful excursion in March of this year (where our organizers got the idea).

We did not rely solely on Code Pink to secure us access to the Gaza Strip. Invitations were obtained from the UN, NGOs, and other humanitarian institutions on the ground in Gaza, so that we could further prove to any parties interested in blocking our progress (of which there were a few) that our presence was requested. We brought with us medical supplies, sports equipment, and monetary donations, all of which were to be given as aid to hospitals or people in need once we'd gotten in. Our stated goals were simple: deliver our goods and engage in dialogue with individuals and organizations in the area in order to find out more about a region plagued by ongoing conflict.

Once we were in Gaza, we took part in an amazingly diverse itinerary that was put together by five Gazan girls who wished to share their and their country's stories with us. While we were there, we: stayed with host families, all of whose hospitality was beyond measure; met with NGOs and humanitarian organizations who work with and provide services to refugees and Gazans alike; visited areas that had been affected (read: destroyed) in the most recent incursion, Operation Cast Lead; talked about the issues at hand (and more mundane things as well) with Palestinians of a variety of backgrounds, from governmental representatives to the people on the street; and, basically, had a pretty amazing and unforgettable week.

What follows is a [relatively] short rundown of what we saw and did during our trip. I greatly encourage comments and questions of any kind regarding my experiences or about what exactly is going on in Gaza. Part of what I hope to accomplish by putting this on my blog is to instigate discussion about a topic that is too often ignored and misunderstood by the Western world, to the detriment of the peace process. If by spurring conversations about such a controvertial subject we promote voters to make more informed decisions on election days, perhaps this needless conflict doesn't need to be a permanent fixture of the Middle Eastern landscape.