October 3, 2002

The Gaza Strip

[Bethlehem, West Bank] I have to admit that I had a bit of anxiety about my first trip to Gaza. I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard a lot about it of course. And seen a lot on the TV news. (Never anything good about it on TV.) But friends around here told me that Gaza wasn't as bad as newspeople make it out to be. So I joined my good neighbor Ed and a group of 30 students from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and we went to Gaza.

Making the finest three-shekel falafels in Gaza.
The people turned out to be just as friendly and hospitable as the Palestinians in the West Bank.

The words on the Yasser Arafat billboard say something about Jerusalem being the capital of Palestine.

Donkey carts are very common in Gaza.

Although Gaza claims to be the most crowded place on earth, I never got that impression.
However, I did not spend any time outside the northern part of the territory.

The Israeli Army destroyed buildings belonging to family members of suicide bombers.
This was to discourage future bombings. (And it is also illegal by international law.
I'd hate to be held responsible for acts my brother committed!)

This is one of the original buildings from a refugee camp.

Samson's Tomb, near the gold market in Gaza City.

The EMU students enjoyed the sea at Gaza. The sea is open to residents in several areas.
And some fishing is allowed out to about one kilometer offshore.

While getting our passports stamped, -- yes, you get your Israeli visa slip stamped when you enter or exit Gaza -- we watched as several thousand men attempted to get back into the territory. One single line that extended a looong way. These are men who worked in Israel during the day, I think. Unfortunately, I was rude and captured a few men praying in the photo foreground.