Six Michigan residents who are members of Michigan Peace
Team are preparing to travel to Gaza and take part in the nonviolent,
international Gaza Freedom March. Over 1,000 participants from countries around
the world, and more than 50,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are expected to
join the December 31, 2009 march inside Gaza.
This march is a historic initiative to demand that the borders of Gaza are
opened, ending the siege that has imprisoned the 1.5 million people who live in
Gaza. It is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Great Salt March, Martin Luther King’s
civil rights actions in the United States, and the nonviolent efforts of
Palestinians over the years.
Dorothy Ritter, one of the members of the Michigan contingent says “I believe in
the power of non-violent resistance in the face of inhumanity. I stand in loving
solidarity with the people of Gaza and the international community to join the
demand for justice and human rights. This unified voice of the people is so
powerful no military might is able to silence it, because even after death, the
cries from the grave and songs of hope can be heard from the rubble.”
Another Michigan participant, Sheri Wander says, “I believe nonviolent people
power is the only thing strong enough to stop what I honestly believe amounts to
genocide in Gaza, With the leadership of Palestinians in Gaza and the solidarity
of ordinary citizens from around the world we can do what the governments
can/will not.”
In the Michigan Peace Team contingency are:
Yusif Barakat, 74, Psychotherapist/peace activist, born in Haifa,
Palestine. Was displaced from his homeland at the age of 12 (Aug. 1947).
Resident of Pinckney, MI
Kim Redigan, 52, a mother of four, theology teacher, and resident of
Dearborn Heights, has been to the West Bank twice with the Michigan Peace Team.
She is joining the Freedom March to walk with mothers from Gaza and around the
world who want a world of freedom, justice and peace for their children.
Dorothy Ritter, 54, grandmother of four, Registered Nurse,
resident of Fraser, MI. Dorothy has been a member of a peace team to Gaza the
summer of 2003.
Isabel Rowan, 44, single mother of two teenagers, just completed a
Master's Degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from Wayne State
University, resident of Lansing.
Liz Walters, 66, Catholic Sister-member of the Servants of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, retired school teacher and high school principal, presently a
staff member at Michigan Peace Team, has been a member of peace teams to Gaza
the summers of 2003, 2004, 2005 and at the gates of Gaza February – March 2009,
resident of Mason, MI.
Sheri Wander, 40, originally from Cleveland, now living in Ypsilanti, is
a nonviolence trainer, curriculum developer, and the president of Michigan Peace
Team.
Michigan Peace Team was founded in 1993. It provides trainings in active
nonviolence designed for the specific needs of the participants, and deploys
peace teams into places of conflict (both domestically and internationally) to
reduce violence. MPT convenes, supports, and participates with local peace
action groups and gatherings, and mentors individuals seeking experience with
international tams in places of conflict. It also educates the public to the
vision and practice of active nonviolence. MPT has deployed peace teams into
areas of potential violence around the world.
Michigan Peace Team has sent peace teams to the Gaza Strip the summer and fall
2003, summer 2004, summer 2005, and short term teams in 2006, 2007, 2008. Also,
in February – March 2009 a team was at the gates of Gaza. Michigan Peace Team’s
long term commitment to sending peace teams to Gaza can attest to the following:
The Israeli military controls Gaza’s six land crossings by means of gun towers,
electrified fences and blockade. It exercises complete control of Gaza’s
airspace and territorial waters. It controls Gazans through incursions, rocket
attacks, sonic booms, military operations and invasions. The result in Gaza is
malnutrition, collapse of the economy, massive unemployment, and lack of basic
human needs for living.
The Arab American News
Locals headed for Gaza; Dearborn vigil supports march
By Nick Meyer
Friday, 12.25.2009, 06:50am
Since Hamburg
Township resident Yusif Barakat left his Haifa, Palestine home with
his family in 1947 at age 12, he’s only had a chance to go back to
his homeland one time, in 1970.
Heavy
machinery is seen on the Egyptian side of the border with
the Gaza Strip December 22, 2009. Hamas and other militant
groups called on Egypt on Tuesday to stop building a steel
wall along the Gaza border that could block tunnels through
which goods and weapons are smuggled into the blockaded
Palestinian enclave. REUTERS/Ibraheem
Abu Mustafa
But if all goes according to plan, Barakat will be back in Palestine
— Gaza, to be exact — on Dec. 31 alongside about 1,300 fellow
activists from 42 different countries. The group hopes to
participate in the Gaza Freedom March, with the goal of turning the
world's eyes toward the debilitating effects of the Israeli blockade
on the territory.
Well-known figures including Pulitzer Prize
winning author Alice Walker, South African anti-apartheid leader
Ronnie Kasrils and French Senator Alima Boumediene–Thiery are
expected to attend, along with more than 50,000 expected
Palestinians from within Gaza.
The goal of the march is to "break the siege," call for an end to
the Israeli occupation, re-open Gaza’s borders and to distribute
much-needed supplies to the poor, beaten-down civilian population
ahead the winter months.
The historic plans for the march almost hit a major snag on
Sunday, Dec. 20, as the Michigan Peace Team, a supporting
organization of the march, was informed by the Egyptian Foreign
Ministry that the Rafah border crossing into Gaza would be closed
through January due to "escalating tensions" in the area. The
closing could have stopped the march, but an outpouring of support
through e-mails and phone calls from supporters along with letters
from Canadian, German, Swiss, French, Greek, and Filipino members of
Parliaments and the Irish Minister of Defense came in to Egyptian
embassies around the world, leading to a reversal of the decision.
The border crossing is now deemed safe and the humanitarian march
is expected to proceed as planned, according to a press release from
www.gazafreedommarch.org.
Michigan Peace Team coordinator Kim Redigan was thankful for the
immense outpouring of support in the days leading up to the march.
"It is heartening to see the goodness of the international
community as it stands in solidarity with the people of Gaza who are
marching for freedom and human rights and the kind of justice that
brings about peace," she said. "It is great to see people of
conscience joining the Gaza Freedom March by organizing in cities
around the globe, including Detroit."
Palestinian
refugee and activist Yusif Barakat speaks in Dearborn at a
Dec. 2 dinner for the Gaza Freedom March.
Barakat headed to Cairo for Gaza Freedom March
Meanwhile, Barakat expected to arrive in Cairo on Thursday, and
marchers are expected to hold an orientation there on Dec. 28.
Barakat, who is 74 years old, said life was difficult for him as
a "12-year old shepherd boy who couldn’t speak English" when he
landed on Ellis Island back in 1947.
But despite the challenge of having to pick up the pieces and
start a new life in America, he has thrived. Barakat served as
Oakland County Commissioner, ran for U.S. Congress and works as a
psychotherapist.
"The most frightening thing that hit me as I was looking up at
the Statue of Liberty and all those tall buildings was that I’m
going to spend the rest of my life fighting for justice and peace,"
Barakat said.
"But I’ve been holding the banner of peace ever since I’ve been
here."
Barakat had his passport mailed back to him in the late 60’s with
his hometown listed as "Haifa, Israel," but fought to have it
changed back to "Haifa, Palestine," which was eventually allowed.
The passport situation is just one example of what Barakat feels is
a concentrated effort to erase memories of the old country.
"They're trying to obliterate our history, like Palestine never
existed," he said. "I get so frustrated because Americans are so in
the dark about the occupation, but we're doing this march to raise
awareness and understanding."
Solidarity Rally in Dearborn
In concert with the Gaza Freedom March, Dearborn will be the site
of one of many solidarity rallies across the globe on Dec. 29. The
event will begin with a vigil at 5:30 p.m. on the steps of Dearborn
City Hall before moving inside of the Lebanese American Heritage
Club nearby. Also included on the evening are a performance by hip
hop artist Invincible, remarks from renowned pro-Palestinian
activists Adam Shapiro, Huwaida Arraf, and Barbara Harvey of the
Jewish Voice for Peace Organization. Breakout sessions begin at 7
p.m., in which attendees can learn from activists about implementing
boycott and divestment strategies regarding Israeli products, how to
effectively express their concerns to politicians and how to promote
awareness for the Palestinian cause.
The Gaza Freedom March is expected to be streamed live Dec. 31 at
Two Metro women fly to
Gaza for protest
ORALANDAR BRAND-WILLIAMS
The Detroit News
Fraser-- After
enjoying dinner with her family, Dorothy Ritter*
hopped on a plane Christmas Dayand
flew halfway around the world to take part in a political cause close to
her heart.
Ritter had hoped to travel to the Gaza Strip for a peaceful
demonstration against the blockade of the territory, home to 1.5 million
people. The blockade of people and goods, by Israel and Egypt, has been
in place since 2007.
There, Ritter, 54, and more than 1,000 others from around the world
were to join Palestinians in a march from northern Gaza to the Israeli
border Thursday.
Fellow peace activist Kim Redigen of Dearborn Heights also planned to
join Ritter.
But their good intentions were thwarted Sunday when Michigan peace
activists were denied entry to Gaza by the Egyptian government.
Negotiations with authorities continued.
"They've been held at bay," Joe Ritter, Dorothy's husband, said
Sunday. "It's sad because they hoped to have this cleared up already."
It is Dorothy Ritter's second trip to Gaza in six years. She has been
active in peaceful protests as part of the Michigan Peace Team.
Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade of Gaza since Hamas
gained control of the region from the Fatah political party in the 2006
elections.
International aid groups say the blockade has created a humanitarian
crisis because trucks containing essential supplies such as food and
medicine are delayed as much as three months.
Redigan said the issue is not about being "pro-Palestinian or
pro-Israeli."
"It's simply about being pro-justice," she said.
Richard Nodel, president of the Jewish Community Relations Council in
Bloomfield Hills, said his organization "is sympathetic to the plight
and suffering of the people that live in Gaza."
But Nodel blames the Hamas government for tensions that led to the
blockade. Israeli officials meet every day with a citizens committee
from Gaza to discuss how to meet the humanitarian needs of Gaza
residents.
Additional Facts
Supporting Gaza
On Tuesday, local groups will hold a vigil and rally called "Break
the Siege" to support Gazans from 5:30-8 p.m. outside the Dearborn
City Hall at Michigan Avenue and Schaefer.
*Dorothy Ritter and Kim Redigan are two of the
six-member MPT Team to Gaza. They are joined by Yusif Barrakat, Isabella
Rowan, Sheri Wander, and Elizabeth Walters.
Dec. 27 will mark the first anniversary of the
Israeli attack and invasion of the Gaza Strip. And although the Israeli tanks
have left, the
complete
closure of the borders continues. The Gaza Freedom March will show the residents
of Gaza that the international community of citizens has not forgotten them, and
will call worldwide attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Through this
effort and other activities, we hope to force the leaders of our governments to
tell Israel “enough is enough; open the borders!”
The
coalition is non-partisan and does not take any stand for or against any
political party or “solution” to the overall conflict between Israelis and
Palestinians. These issues are for the people of Palestine to decide.
Participants will meet in Cairo on Dec. 27, attempt to
cross into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing on Dec. 29, and march with the
residents of Gaza to the Israeli border on Jan. 1, 2010.
The
Michigan Peace Team contingency has tentative plans to leave for Cairo
on December 26, 2009 and return to the States on January 3, 2010.
Michigan
Residents to Participate
