CAIRO, Egypt -- Yesterday we joined the people of Gaza,
the people of all of Palestine, and allies around the world in
remembering the anniversary of the inhuman and illegal Israeli
attacks that stole the lives of more than 1,400 mothers, fathers,
daughters, and sons last December and January. And, in a manner
far too appropriately suited to remembering an unfathomably vicious
massacre and the preposterous silence of the American and Egyptian
governments, we freedom marched in circles throughout the streets of
Cairo.
The Egyptian government has revoked the
contracts for the buses that would take us one step closer on our
journey to Gaza and has forbidden us from leaving Cairo.
Military police have torn down our small hand-written cards tied to
the Kasr al Nil Bridge, following the Israelis' lead in
trying to disappear the names and numbers of Gaza's martyrs.
Candles meant to float along the Nile in remembrance are still in
their boxes, their hundreds of distributors never permitted to board
the feluccas (river boats) waiting just beyond overwhelming security
forces. We regroup, circle again, and find another path to
remembering and reminding, another way through the many checkpoints
and the impossible border ahead.
The Egyptian government taunts us,
encouraging us to enjoy the tourist attractions Cairo offers during
our mandatory stay in the city. And some of us do. We even take
Gaza with us: Yesterday, Abdullah Anar, a Turkish Muslim, and Max
Geller, an American Jew, raced up the face of one of the pyramids to
unveil a 12 meter by 6 meter Palestinian flag. For about three
minutes one of the most resilient structures on earth proudly called
the name of one of the world's most unbreakable people. We smuggle
stories like this one through the tunnels connecting our hearts,
exposing them in whispered reminders of the beauty and truth in this
struggle, and the unending patience and flexibility we are slowly
learning from our friends in Gaza.
We are more than 1,300 representing
over 40 nations; we are scrappy, and we are undeterred. More
than 330 French delegates camp out at their embassy, demanding the
buses that never arrived there last night. They face an army of
twenty-five military trucks, and a wall of police three bodies deep
on all sides. 8 of us are held in Ismailia, a long
way from our border destination. 30 more are detained in
Al Arish, near the Rafah crossing. 2 keep a lonely vigil at a
checkpoint just outside of Al Arish, refusing to turn back. And
hundreds of us circle silently in the smoky haze of Cairo, evading
the informants that infest our hostels and meeting spaces, planning,
failing, and then planning again.
We do not forget that our frustrations
here in Cairo are the smallest fraction of what our friends in Gaza
suffer every day. We do not forget the passport privilege that has
so far kept us from physical harm. We do not forget the shelter
awarded by some of our embassies, and our friends and allies who make
endless appeals to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on our behalf.
Yesterday was not a day of forgetting. December 27th is a day
to remember.
We remember the more than 1,400 that
were murdered. We remember the hundreds more who have died as a
result of this horrific siege. We remember the tens of
thousands who are still homeless, one full year later.
And we remember our sisters and brothers on the other side of the
Rafah border who have breathed life into this historic march every
day for months, who have guided our feet to Cairo, and who light the
shadowy path to Gaza. Most of all we remember that they will
still be caged in Israel's massive open-air prison long after we've
safely returned home.
And so we freedom march in circles,
planning, dodging, regrouping, often failing, sometimes succeeding,
and then circling again. Joining our friends in Gaza for the
Freedom March on December 31st is possibly nothing more than a
dream now, but in these long days we take lessons from our
Palestinian mentors, who have walked far more treacherous circles
than ours. And we march with them in Cairo and in dozens of
cities across the globe as we demand that the Israeli, American, and
Egyptian governments listen to the people of the world and set Gaza
free.