Gaza Residents Discuss Daily Life

Three Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip spoke at Harvard yesterday about their experiences with the Israeli settlements, and called for peace in a violent region through academic exchange.

Hekmat K. Elsarraj, Mostafa B. Elkayali, and Adel N. Alghoul, all members of the Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (FFIPP), gave details about their daily lives and interactions across the Israel-Palestine border to an audience of over 50 students and local residents, kicking off the trio’s one-month tour to academic institutions across the U.S. and Europe.

The event was spearheaded by the Harvard Society of Arab Students (SAS), and co-sponsored by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, Harvard Law School (HLS) Justice for Palestine, and the Palestine Awareness Committee at the Kennedy School of Government.

“The event gave everyone a human face to put the Palestinian perspective to this conflict,” SAS President Rami R. Sarafa ’07 said.

“With the power of knowledge and education, just talking and carrying a message can vastly outweigh violence and can be more effective than politics,” he added.

The presentation opened with a documentary in Arabic which Elsarraj translated and narrated. The film graphically detailed the conditions of Palestinian refugee camps, depicting tanks driving through homes and violently disrupting civilian towns.

Elkayali started off his portion by rapping the lyrics, “You better listen well before you judge,” and describing the way in which the prejudices against Palestinian refugees had affected him.

Elkayali also spoke of his estrangement from his father, who he said was not allowed to return to his home in Gaza after leaving when Elkayali was a young boy.

Alghoul, through a translator, discussed the barriers he faced in obtaining education as a teenager, and his eight-year imprisonment.

“The enemy of the Palestinians is really occupation, and that is the enemy of the Israelis too,” Alghoul said.

The speakers also discussed the way in which their day-to-day lives were completely altered by living within occupation and conflict.

When Elsarraj’s cell phone rang during her presentation, she took it as an opportunity to explain the distinct significance it has for her.

“Palestinians need cell phones more than Americans because we need to always make sure if our relatives are alive, [to ask] are you past the border, are you past the checkpoint, are you still alive?” Elsarraj said.

The speakers’ presentation was followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session, in which the panelists addressed issues about inaccuracies in media portrayals and the proposed pullout in the Gaza Strip this summer.

Organizers of the event reiterated that it is crucial to get first-hand information about the heated conflict.

“No matter how much we debate the situation here, it is important to hear the narratives of those who lived the experience,” said Richard A. Johnson, president of HLS Justice for Palestine.

Eric R. Trager ’05, a member of Harvard Students for Israel who also attended the event, said it was refreshing to hear from Palestinians within academia looking for a peaceful future with Israel.

But he said he disagreed with aspects of the panelists’ presentations.

“Israel’s policies are designed for self-defense from terrorism and not for encumbering Palestinians, though that was the unfortunate result,” Trager said.

In addition to sharing their experiences, the visiting students sampled some of life at Harvard. The panel presentation capped off an entire day of events, including a welcoming lunch, guided tours, and an evening reception.

Continuing on the next leg of their tour, the trio will make a stop at Columbia University today.

—Staff writer Ying Wang can be reached at yingwang@fas.harvard.edu.