“Gilad Shalit” is virtually a household name for anyone who follows Middle Eastern politics even somewhat cursorily. Shalit is an Israeli soldier of French nationality who was captured by members of the Palestinian Resistance Committees (various political factions, all resisting the Israe… Read full post »

 Once upon a time, this little strip of land (just 139 square miles, about twice the size of Washington DC) was a potentially booming resort and fishing capital, with 25 miles of beautiful coastline and beaches and a Mediterranean Sea Port teeming with sardines and shrimp.  

 … Read full post »

When I wrote last, I was still in Cairo, beginning to lose hope. However, shortly after, a friend at the UN Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) was miraculously able to get me into Gaza through Israel's Erez Crossing. In a shockingly quick two days,  I was in! Among my first activities… Read full post »

Dear President Obama:

I have been told since I was old enough to read that I am privileged – and should feel proud --  to be an American. Not only because I enjoy unparalleled freedom and opportunities, but also because I live in a superpower that is so beneficent it… Read full post »

As I write this, I am still in Cairo. The Gaza Freedom March is officially over…most delegates flew home Jan. 3-5. There are about 30 of us “die-hards” – individuals who have the flexibility to try to wait out the Egyptian government and the dedication/commitment to stay in f… Read full post »

The “heart” of democracy is freedom of speech, and one of the most forceful, “untamed” forms of expression is the political demonstration. In Egypt, political demonstrations are banned by the Mubarak dictatorship, but that was one “gift” we were able to leave behin… Read full post »

 Written one year to the day since the Israelis launched "Operation Cast Lead." At 11:20 a.m., 88 Israeli aircraft flew above the Gaza Strip and simultaneously struck 100 targets within a span of just 220 seconds. Thirty minutes later, a second wave of 60 jets and helicopters struck an addi… Read full post »

[Note that a shorter, less personal version of this post appeared today on Electronic Intifada:  http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10963.shtml. In tomorrow's post, I'll describe our evolving fight against Egypt, which has taken a stand against the march.]

On Dec. 29, I will attempt to cro… Read full post »

This blog post is dedicated to the “star throwers” who have joined me in making a difference, one individual at a time: Bill, Cary, Diane, Doris, Fran, Gael, Hossein, Joanne, Jean, Kathie, Laura, Lotte, Natalie, Penny, Ralph, Randy and – in particular  -- Sean.

Much has been ha… Read full post »

Over time, I’ve realized there is one fundamental difference that seems to explain most of the “gap” between true progressives and those who are not (conservatives, moderates, etc..). It's the “filter” through which they see any potential use of the nation’s resour… Read full post »

The last in a three-part-series. 

And now I come full circle....to the person who, indirectly, brought me, Moh, Mah -- and Luis -- together.  I call him Medo. Like Mah, he is gay. But he is still in Gaza. But unlike Mah (and Moh), I don't think there is anything anyone can do… Read full post »

In the first post in my “Star Thrower” series, my focus was Mahmoud (“Mah”), the young man from Gaza for whom Luis and I are seeking to arrange medical treatment and asylum. This post is for Mohammed (“Moh”). You will discover by the end of this series that all thr… Read full post »

This and the next two posts are dedicated to Mah, Moh and Medo -- three young men from Gaza who have touched my heart and my life.

* * *

Imagine that President Obama, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Israeli Prime Minister “Bibi” Netanyahu were strolling along… Read full post »

One of the advantages of being unemployed is that I have no set wake-up time. I can wake up when my body wills me to, then dawdle my way into the day by laying in bed a while, reading, chatting online or just allowing thoughts to have their way with me.… Read full post »

I’ve always known it is critical to read more than one source of news in order to understand – or at least try to understand -- what is really going on. As for truth? Soliciting multiple points of view quickly teaches that “truth” is a very relative thing. But never has/… Read full post »

One of my favorite books is Ian McEwan's "Saturday." It is the account of one 24-hour period -- yes, a Saturday -- and the intense activities that occurred within that compressed time. Activities that changed the participants' lives.This blog post is the equivalent for me. However, sin… Read full post »

In my previous post, I wrote about an action the CODEPINK delegation did in Tel Aviv -- the heart of Israel -- to protest Ahava, a beauty products manufacturer that has its primary plant in a West Bank settlement. Several members of our delegation stripped down to their underwear in one of… Read full post »

When you analyze just about any major sea change in the  status of a population's human rights, it's clear that it is people power that makes the lasting difference.  Without a broad, sustained, grassroots movement, American women wouldn't have the vote, blacks still would be slav… Read full post »

We've officially been denied entrance into Gaza from the Erez border crossing in Israel. I have been -- and continue to be -- very critical of Egypt for its role in Gazans' suffering, through its persistent refusal to open its own border with Gaza by more than a crack (and then only… Read full post »

Surreal is the only word I can think of to describe it. We are here at Adamama, a community dedicated to sustainable lifestyle, agriculture and recycling in the northern Negev -- just 20 minutes, if that, across the field from the Gaza Strip. We should be able to walk on over.… Read full post »

When I wrote this last night, I had just completed my seventh hour of detention at the Taba border crossing, from Egypt into Israel. (We left Gaza on Thursday, and are on our way to join other peace activists in Israel to put pressure on the Erez crossing into the Strip.)… Read full post »

Today we almost literally “sailed” into Gaza. I say “sailed” because it was incredibly easy this time. We seemed to have pushed all the right buttons…with the Egyptian Embassy, State Department and Congressmen back home, and the Egyptian Embassy and Intelligence Service… Read full post »

So…I took a bit of a hiatus from my blog these last two days…my bad. I have been seeing a bit of Cairo while we’re here…a luxury we can afford in part because we got good news pretty quickly: With the intervention of the crack CODEPINK “core” team (M… Read full post »

This is Day One of my second trip to Gaza (hopefully) through Egypt, and then on to Israel to put pressure on the crossing through Erez. It’s 10 p.m. local time, and still quite hot. The ceiling fan is twirling in the sitting room of the Pensione Roma and the sound… Read full post »