WIN-

Summer 2011

NAKBA DAY 2011:

The return begins?
By Ziad Abbas, Associate Director
Every year on May 15, Nakba Day, Palestinians commemorate
the Nakba or “catastrophe” — the forced dispossession of their
homeland in 1947-48 with the establishment of the State of Is-
rael. This year tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees from the
Gaza Strip, the West Bank and from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and
Egypt marched toward Palestine--toward the homes and land
they had been uprooted from decades ago. At the same time, Pal-
estinians inside Israel demonstrated for equality and the rights
of the refugees. As usual, Israel responded with heavy force. At
least 15 demonstrators were killed, and hundreds were injured
by bullets and tear gas along the borders and inside Israel. This Nakba Day in Hebron,
article was written a few days earlier. West Bank. Her sign says
“Surely we will return, Palestine.” photo: Shy Halatzi
Nakba Day 2011... continued on page 2

“I get very afraid when I hear the sound of jets in the
sky. I’m afraid the Israelis will start bombing us and I
will see dead people in the street again.”
- Islam Mqat, 9, Gaza City
Islam spent weeks together with 150 family members, friends
and neighbors cowering in her family’s apartment building as it
was rocked and damaged by Israeli jets screaming overhead and
bombing the trapped civilians below. From her window Islam
saw people dying and wounded in the street.
out water, electricity, or heat. Afaq Jadeeda and MECA under-
stood the children’s invisible, psychological wounds must be ad-
dressed if they were going to have a chance to grow up healthy
and strong. Afaq Jadeeda launched a pilot project called “Let the
Children Play and Heal” with support from MECA. This year
we decided to renew support for this vital project that will help
more than 100,000 children cope with the psychological after-
math of the assaults and the ongoing occupation of Gaza.

In February 2009, just a few weeks after Israel’s devastating

three-week assault on Gaza, MECA received a request from
our Gaza partner Afaq Jadeeda to help chil-
dren cope with the psychological aftermath
of the attacks. Virtually every child in Gaza
had witnessed the violence and destruction.
Many saw parents, siblings or friends injured
or killed. They saw their homes and schools
destroyed. They had to hide for days—with-

Let the children... Continued on page 4

Nakba Day 2011 continued from page 1
After 63 years of relentless winter, the people of Palestine are
feeling a breeze of renewed hope, stirred by the strong winds of
what has come to be known as the “Arab Spring.”
Although in the coming days the Palestinian people, along with
their allies and supporters, will commemorate 63 years of con-
tinuous Nakba, translated as “catastrophe”, this year is different
from the 62 that have passed before. Every year on May 15, Na-
kba Day, Palestinians commemorate the uprooting of 750, 000
Palestinian people from their homeland as a result of the estab-
lishment of the State of Israel. Today, the seven million Palestin-
ians living across the globe, 4.7 million of whom are registered
refugees with UN, make up the largest refugee population in the
world. After 63 years, it had seemed that nothing would change,
that the Palestinian people would continue to be abandoned in
winter darkness, isolated from the world, from justice, from
hope.
However, this year, the preparations are different from previous
years. The recent revolutions in the Arab world have changed the
balance of political power in the region. At the same time, new
political forces have gained power and are playing a profound
role in creating a new Middle East. This force is people’s power,
and it is unstoppable.
While facing brutal repression in Egypt and Tunisia at the hands
of regimes supported and propped up by the US, the people have
been fighting first and foremost for their basic rights. However,
Palestine is always in the back of their minds and in their hearts.
The youth in the Arab world know how Israelis treat Palestin-
ians, and they know the history of the occupation. They see in-
justice and they are committed to changing this reality. They be-
lieve that their own political struggle can influence this change
and help end Palestinian suffering. For perhaps the first time, the
youth in the Arab world stand with each other across national
boundaries in true solidarity.
Without a doubt, these actions have raised the Palestinian peo-
ple’s hopes to end the Israeli
Occupation and are energizing
the aspirations of Palestinian
refugees to obtain their rights,
rights they have been denied
since the establishment of the
Israeli State 63 years ago.
The winds of the people’s
hope blow globally, stirring
everyone. Even though they
live in different places, they
share much in common – they
are united in their feelings and
thoughts. And now there is
Ziad Abbas at an Israeli National Park hiding the remains of
2 MECA NEWS what was his mother’s village of Jarash. photo: Pablo Pitcher
something else that they share – a new, empowered spirit.
In my conversations with friends and colleagues I can hear the
change in people’s spirits. The energy has ignited—people are
excited and are eager for a better future. It reminds me of the first
intifada that started in December 1987, an uprising of the people
that spread from a single spark to a wildfire that lit hope in peo-
ple’s hearts and inspired committed action. During this time we
were living under curfews in my refugee camp and experiencing
many forms of collective punishment. Despite this, we were very
organized and were actively challenging the Israeli Occupation -
we felt very proud of our struggle.
Since 1948, Israel has worked very hard to divide the Palestinian
community in order to try to dismantle the Palestinian national
identity and dissolve their political rights. The divisive tactics
have worked, making it easier for Israel to control the Palestin-
ian people. They hope that divisions will kill any opportunity for
Palestinians to unite in their struggle for their political rights.
The truth is clear however. There is no doubt in my mind that the
Arab Spring has affected and will continue to affect the Palestin-
ian people everywhere.
This united voice for justice is also raised inside Israel. There are
1.5 million Palestinians living inside Israel, second-class citizens
who face many racist laws. Recently, the Israeli government es-
calated political suppression and introduced new laws targeting
the Palestinians living inside of Israel in order to keep them si-
lent and not to struggle for their rights and freedom. The people
are suffering, but they are not remaining silent. Inspired, they are
changing their view of their future.
My friend Maysoon, age 33, living in Haifa told me about how
this is changing.
“I have new feelings I have never experienced before. I feel I am
not alone in this struggle any more - my suffering is in the minds
and hearts of Arab youth. It is mat-
ter of time [before things change]
because the new Arab generations
are not afraid anymore. [All over
the Arab world] the people have
broken down barriers of fear and
have built hope for people who
are living under oppression every-
where. These changes that are hap-
pening shape our dreams to end
oppression.”
As Maysoon speaks I can hear
pride in her voice. She says, “I
now walk with my head held high.
I am not scared to be Arab. I am not scared to be Pal-
estinian. I am proud of my identity. They are trying
to legitimize their racist policies with new laws that
try to silence the expression of the Nakba”. I hear
her sigh loudly. She continues, “It is clear that the
Israelis, with all the power they have, are escalat-
ing against the Palestinian people and it is clear for
us, we are not going to give up the struggle for our
rights. And no matter what type of laws or weapons
they have, they will never succeed to erase our rights
as indigenous people in this land.”
Maysoon says, “In the past I have felt isolated from
the other Arab people, even from Palestinians be-
cause I carry an Israeli ID and passport. And yet,
I also feel isolated from most Israelis because I am
not Jewish and am treated differently because I am
a Palestinian, an Arab. But recently, I feel very con- can breathe and feel free.”
nected to the rest of my people, both Palestinian and Arab. I
Other common themes have arisen in my conversations with
have connections with many youth from Egypt and Tunisia and I
people in Palestine and in the diaspora. In particular people talk
found out we our carrying the same vision toward the future, for
about how they are no longer afraid to express their feelings and
freedom, equity, and democracy. There is a movement building
to demand their basic rights. It’s clear that dictatorial regimes in
organically and spontaneously”.
the Arab world are trying to protect themselves. It’s clear, also,
that Arab youth know the tools they have – using their voices,
In the Gaza Strip 1.5 million Palestinians live on 139 sq miles of taking to the streets, marching, chanting, organizing strikes and
land. Many became refugees in Gaza after being expelled during other elements of civil disobedience- will help them change their
the Nakba. More than 50% of the population is under the age reality and get what they demand.
of 18. The people have endured a brutal siege, over 5 years of
blockade, and are controlled by land, water and air by the Israeli There are preparations underway to commemorate the Nakba
Occupation. MECA has recently focused our efforts to install taking place in all of Palestine, Gaza Strip, West Bank and in
water purification and desalination units in schools and kinder- the refugee camps in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and throughout the
gartens through our Maia Project. world. What’s making it unique this year is that people will try
to march towards Palestine. The same is happening in southern
I spoke with my friend Mohammad, age 23, about the recent Lebanon, in the north of Palestine. And of course, inside Pales-
changes in the Arab world. He seems optimistic, but the chal- tine including amongst Palestinians living in the boundaries of
lenges of his daily life have not changed yet. ’48. Through these actions, the new generation is sending a clear
message in support of the right of return. This kind of action
“There is hope in our minds and hearts all the time because we would not take place without the recent changes in other Arab
can’t accept to live under oppression and we can’t adjust to hu- countries, especially Egypt. The Arab people have regained their
miliation. It is the nature of the human being to struggle for basic confidence and have created the space for a new future for the
rights. This hope is not new, it has been created by the people’s Arab world. Whenever I hear Egyptians talk about their own “in-
resistance since 1948. But the hope now is taking a different tifada” I’m proud of the people of Palestine - I know in many
shape since the recent storm of revolutions in the Arab world. In ways that the history of Palestinian struggle and resilience have
this new stage I am really very hopeful to access my rights. It is inspired movements across the globe.
true that I am still living in Gaza under siege. I am still struggling
to get clean water every day for my family. I still feel scared
At MECA, we are also stirred and inspired by the winds of
when I hear the Israeli helicopters. [Yet now], inside me, I know
change. We will continue our work and mission supporting the
it is temporary.” At this point in our conversation he laughs. “I
rights of Palestinian children, including the most fundamental
am like other youth my age. I have Facebook and Twitter; I am right of Palestinian refugee children - to return to their homes.
in touch with people internationally both Arab and non-Arab. Of
course, I am in touch with them only occasionally because of
power outages. I feel I am not alone emotionally, but the moment
I walk outside my house I am still in Gaza. I am still under siege.
I am still a refugee. I am waiting for the moment when I really MECA NEWS 3
Continued from page 1
Maia Project News: in Hayward, California that is raising funds for its sister school
Deir El-Balah in Gaza.

Grassroots support Last fall the Palestine Action Group of Corvallis, Oregon held

keeps growing an amazing weekend “Celebration of Palestinian Culture” that

educated hundreds of people in the community and raised

Thank you to everyone who raised or donated $5 or $12,000 or

even more. In each newsletter we will highlight the efforts of a
few people or groups who are making this project such a huge
success and bringing clean, safe water to tens of thousands of
Afaq Jadeeda staff, trained volunteers and a child psychologist
Palestinian children.
engage children at schools and community centers throughout
the Gaza Strip. Some activities are simply for fun and enter-
More than a dozen community groups and hundreds of individu-
tainment like games, circus shows, sports, dancing and puppet
als have raised funds to install water desalination and purifica-
shows. Other activities like art, creative writing and drama will
tion units at UN schools and community kindergartens through-
give the children a chance to express their fears and recount their
out the Gaza Strip. Some groups have raised part of the cost
experiences. A psychologist observes these activities and can re-
of a unit and others have raised enough for two or even three
fer children for in-depth counseling and maintains ongoing con-
units. Several individuals have donated the entire cost of one
nections with the social worker at each school. A 30-hour train-
large ($11,500) or small unit ($4,000). In addition, members of
ing course on the symptoms of trauma and ways to help children
the Maia Leadership Circle have given $1,000 or more to sustain
is provided for mothers, kindergarten teachers and social work
and expand the project. Through these efforts, to date 27 units
students. Thousands of pamphlets about children’s psychologi-
have been installed and 13 are under way.
cal needs are being distributed in hundreds of Gaza communi-
ties.
MECA’s Gaza Projects Director Dr. Mona El-Farra often talks
about what the Maia Project means to the whole community. MECA supporters Brenda Cravens, Corrie Van Thiel, Sara
Israel’s 23-day assault on Gaza in 2008-09 Kershnar, and Development Director Deborah Agre partici-
Parents worry less about their children’s health and the financial
• 4,000 houses destroyed, 16,000 houses damaged pated in San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers and raised more
burden of purchasing water. And, since children are taking emp-
• 94.6% of children ages 6-17 heard the sound of sonic than $6,000 for the Maia Project.
ty bottles to school to bring the clean water home, this project
jetfighters
directly benefits the whole family. What’s more, the Maia Proj-
• 91.7% of them heard shelling by artillery $4,000 to install a Maia unit for the Ashbal Palestine kinder-
ect is building Palestine’s infrastructure and boosting the local
• 92% saw mutilated bodies on TV garten, in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. The cel-
economy. The water units were designed and are produced by
• 80% were deprived of water or electricity ebration included a Palestinian cooking workshop and tasting, a
a local company, 80% of the materials they use are from Gaza,
• 50.7% fled their homes to escape the attacks performance by local Palestinian hip-hop artist Khaki Mustafa,
and production and installation of units also provide employ-
• 75 % report one or more symptoms of post-traumatic the film “Rana’s Wedding,” folktales and songs from Palestine:
ment. Dr. El-Farra also emphasizes the important message that
stress syndrome storytime and music for children, show of traditional Palestinian
comes with the water: Every Maia unit that’s installed reminds
From Gaza Community Mental Health Programme dresses, “embroidery and oral history,” and more.
the isolated people of Gaza that hundreds of people in the US
Children’s participation in cultural activities is a care about their lives and their future.
The children’s art accompanying this article are from “A Child’s The Santa Fe, New Mexico Maia group began holding events
key part of this program. photo: Danny Muller
View of Gaza,” a traveling art exhibit of 25-30 drawings cre- and raising money for the Maia Project in January 2010. They’ve
In Chicago, The Arab-Jewish Partnership for Peace and
ated by children from six children’s centers in Gaza including raised nearly $35,000 to install units in three elementary schools,
Justice in the Middle East raised $18,000 in one well-attend-
Afaq Jadeeda’s “Let the Children Play & Heal” program. The including one in memory of Bill Christison, a long-time Santa
ed event featuring Palestinian-American professor and author
exhibit will be in Oakland in the fall. (See back page) To bring Fe resident, activist and author with his wife Kathleen of several
Rashid Kahlidi. $11,500 of their contribution will go to install
“A Child’s View of Gaza” to your community, send an email books about Palestine. The group, along with Another Jewish
a Maia unit at Jabalia Elementary Girls School. The Partnership
message to Susan Johnson at achildsview1@gmail.com. Voice Santa Fe and the Lannan Foundation held several events
suggested that the remaining $6,500 they raised be matched by
another group or individual to reach $11,500 needed for another with speakers like MECA Director Barbara Lubin and Associ-
large unit. This worked out perfectly when members of MECA’s ate Director Ziad Abbas, author and activist Ali Abunimah and
new Resource Development Committee decided to raise funds Gaza journalist Mohammed Omer. They’ve sold T-shirts and
by participating in San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers and getting water bottles, screened James Longley’s film “Gaza Strip;” and
pledges from friends and family. RDC members Brenda Cra- hosted presentations by people who had spent time in Palestine.
vens, Sara Kershnar and MECA development Director Debo-
rah Agre raised more than the $6,000 needed for the match. RDC
member Corrie Van Thiel also participated in Bay to Breakers
as part of her fundraising efforts with All Saints Catholic School
4 MECA NEWS MECA NEWS 5

“When a child’s first wish is for clean water, the condi-
tions under Israeli occupation become stunningly clear.
The Maia Project is a vehicle to respond to the inhu-
manity and injustice - a simple but concrete way to help
that transcends the endless contortions of Middle East
politics.”
- Eda Gordon, Santa Fe Maia Project
A student at Khan Younis Coed Elementary School—one of
three large units installed with funds raised by the Santa Fe,
New Mexico Maia group. photo: Mohammed El Majdalawi
6 MECA NEWS
The Corvallis, Oregon Palestine Action Group’s weekend “Cel-
ebration of Palestinian Culture” included a show of traditional
Palestinian dresses and raised $4,000 to install a Maia unit for
the Ashbal Palestine kindergarten, in the al-Zaitoun neighbor-
hood of Gaza City. photo: Mousa Diabat
Since February MECA Associate Director Ziad Abbas has been
traveling around the country giving presentations about how Pal-
estine’s water crisis effects children and the Maia Project. Ziad’s
been to dozens of cities and towns in New England, the Midwest
and the Northwest. He’s spoken to elementary school classes
and at senior centers. “People have many, many questions about
the “Arab Spring,” says Ziad. “Many are very enthusiastic about
the Maia Project. They made donations at the events and some
groups committed to raising funds for a whole unit. The best part
for me is always when I can speak with children. One 11-year–
old girl raised her hand and said that the way Palestinians are
treated sounds a lot like the way African-Americans were treated
in the South before the civil rights movement.”
The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project in Madison, Wiscon-
sin and the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
in Olympia, Washington each held events honoring Rachel
Corrie, the young activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer
in Gaza in 2003. Ziad was the keynote speaker at the Madison
event and, along with Alice Walker and Noura Erakat, was a fea-
tured speaker at the Corrie Foundation’s fifth PeaceWorks Con-
ference where panelists addressed the current situation in Israel/
Palestine, strategies for justice and peace, the growing interna-
tional campaigns for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
and cross-movement building. Ziad also offered a workshop on
International Solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza with a focus
on the Maia project and he participated in a workshop on joint
struggle - The Art of Resistance: Internal Exile and Indigenous
Perspectives - US, Mexico, Palestine and beyond. The evening
keynote presentation with Alice Walker was a fundraiser for the
Maia project and raised $4,000 for a kindergarten unit.
Many thanks to all those who hosted Ziad in their homes, schools
and communities!
Teach Palestine
Workshops
Many teachers are reluc-
tant to teach about Pal-
estine. They worry about
negative reactions from
administrators or par-
ents. And there is almost
no strong curriculum.
But just as it’s impor-
tant to teach the real his-
tory of Columbus in our
schools, it’s important
that students learn the
history and are able to think critically about Palestine and Israel.
Hoping to encourage K-12 teachers to take on this critical chal-
lenge, Ziad Abbas, from MECA, and Jody Sokolower, from
Rethinking Schools (www.rethinkingschools.org), facilitated a
Teach Palestine workshop at the San Francisco Teachers 4 So-
cial Justice conference last fall. The core of the workshop was
a slideshow relating the history of Palestinian occupation from
the perspective of Ziad’s village, and a model lesson, chosen be-
cause it connects Palestinian history to a topic that US students
study over and over again: Manifest Destiny.
A Life-Saving Gift for the Children
YES! I want to help MECA meet the basic needs of Palestinian children and give
them opportunities to learn, play and envision a better future.
[ ] $250 [ ] $100 [ ] $50 [ ] $25 [ ] $ ____________
[ ] My check payable to MECA is enclosed. [ ] Please charge my credit card in the amount indicated above.
Card #: _______________________________________ Exp: _____________________
Signature: _____________________________________________________________
Email: _________________________________________________________________
Name: ________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
City, ST, Zip: ____________________________________________________________
MECA is a 501(c)3 exempt organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution.
“What is Manifest Destiny?” Jody asked the participants. “What
does it mean? How was it used?” Using maps and poetry, the
group briefly explored the impact of Manifest Destiny on Native
Americans. Then Ziad led a comparison of the concept and im-
pact of Manifest Destiny in the United States to the concept and
impact of “Promised Land” on Palestine, once again using maps
and poetry.
The teachers, teacher educators, and activists who attended left
inspired and energized. The main complaint was that the work-
shop was too short. So Ziad and Jody teamed up with Pales-
tinian-American high school teacher Samia Shoman and Perry
Bellow-Handelman, middle-school teacher and member of the
International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, to offer a half-day
workshop several months later. The expanded workshop includ-
ed more history, more model lessons, and more opportunity for
discussion. There were breakout groups that brainstormed ways
to connect Palestine to current curriculum in specific subject ar-
eas and grade levels—examples included exploring the Palestin-
ian water crisis in earth science classes and comparing Israel’s
wall in the West Bank to the US wall at the Mexican border.
Next steps include an ongoing Palestine Educators Network and
plans to create a website that would make curriculum materials,
resources, speakers, and support broadly accessible.
www.mecaforpeace.org
MECA NEWS 7
 “A Child’s View of Gaza” coming to the Museum
of Children’s Art Oakland, Fall 2011
MECA is proud to collaborate with Museum of
Children’s Art (MOCHA) to present this exhibit at
MOCHA for two months in the fall
--more info to come.

MECA & the Arab Film Festival present

Bay Area filmmaker/activist Iara Lee with her new feature film:

A journey through five continents, exploring how art and activism

can turn our upside down world right side up--through work on
disarmament/ nuclear nonproliferation, universal jurisdiction, top
down/ground up diplomacy, or arts & culture to promote peace with
justice. The voices of socially engaged artists provide the narrative
thread to this rich mosaic film. Their personal stories, told in many
tongues, broaden our understanding of the geopolitical fault-lines
that lie behind most modern day conflicts.
Now showing to great acclaim around the globe from the US to
Portugal to China to Ethiopia and dozens of other places.

“We expect this event to sell out, so get your tickets soon!
Thursday June 30, 7pm
Berkeley City College Auditorium
2050 Center Street, Berkeley,
A benefit for MECA’s Maia Project
TIckets/info: www.mecaforpeace.org or 510-548-0542