This picture is dedicated for a Gaza in darkness. As Israel continues its blockade on the strip, humanitarian conditions dip lower and lower. And while the Middle East shivers under the exceptional weather conditions, Gazans find themselves without fuel for heat or electricity.
Here are some reactions from the Syrian blogsphere:
Ayman, from The Damascene Blog [1], simply posted a Nizar Kabbani [2] poem entitled “The Angry Ones” [3] [AR]:
يا تلاميذ غزة
نحن أهل الحساب والجمع والطرح
فخوضوا حروبكم واتركونا
نحن موتى لا يملكون ضريحاً
ويتامى لا يملكون عيونا
قد لزمنا جحورنا
وطلبنا منكم أن تقاتلوا التنّينا
قد صغرنا أمامكم ألف قرن
وكبرتم خلال شهر قروناOh, pupils of Gaza,
We are the people of calculus, addition, and subtraction,
Fight your wars and leave us,
We are dead, who have no caskets,
We are orphans, who have no eyes,
We stayed in our dug holes,
And asked you to fight the dragon,
In your eyes, we have become a thousand centuries smaller,
In, a month, you've grown centuries’ worth.
Rime, from Mosaic [4], echoes that sentiment of frustration [5] towards the response of the international community and international media:
You really do have to read other media or to watch other news to know that once again, Israel’s inhumane treatment of Palestinians will stop at nothing, and that after the systematic murder of dozens of Palestinians over the past few weeks, the barbaric siege of the world’s biggest, most desperate ghetto goes on.
Abu Fares [6], says in the comments section, reflecting an opinion shared by many Syrians:
Those babies who make it through this ordeal will one day come of age and face their oppressors, and possibly those who rewrite the truth according to their own twisted sense of morality.
They would be called “terrorists” by the Israelis and the prevalent media because:
1. They didn't die in their incubators when they were given the chance to prove that they are good babies.
2. Because they will stand by their rights and fight… again and again!
Annie, a Belgian who lived in Syria for years, and who blogs at Vivre en Syrie [7], publishes a joint statement [8] by 40 international, Israeli and Palestinian development and human rights agencies:
We, the undersigned international, Palestinian and Israeli development and human rights organisations urgently call for an end to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, an end to the international isolation, and dialogue and reconciliation between Palestinian parties. We also call for an end to 40 years of Israeli occupation in the interests of peace and justice for all.
‘We are living in fear of the devastation of our society. The siege of the Gaza Strip is a terrible crime. I want to tell the world: don't say that you didn't know.’
More on that from fellow GlobalVoices Authors…
Palestine: Gaza Under Seige [9]
Egypt: Gaza In the Headlines [10]
Pitch Black Gaza: Jordanian Bloggers React! [11]
Israel: Israeli Bloggers Respond to Crisis in Palestine [12]