Gaza's avant garde beauty revealed

Revealing Gaza's avant garde beauty

When you remember Gaza or hear of it the first few things that come to your mind are: siege, suffering, power cuts, water-fuel-supplies shortages, war, martyrs, injuries, horrible living conditions, challenges, desperation, biggest open-air prison and similar stuff.

But what you don’t know is that Gaza is much more than this, Gaza holds beauty. Unfortunately Gaza’s beauty is covered and deformed by Israel’s constant barbaric attacks on Gaza that leaves no choice or time for anyone to stop and think about such unique beauty. I think it will do Gazans, Palestinians and pro-Palestinians good to read and watch something good and happy and beautiful about Gaza for a change, therefore I decided to dedicate this post to Gaza’s beauty by revealing Gaza’s avant garde beauty in a number of pictures below.

Pictures shedding a light on Gaza’s natural beauty taken by the amazing and talented Gazan Phtographer, Mohammed Asad:

Photos taken by the artistic Wasseem Sarraj:

Miscellaneous:

P.S. It was very hard to find photos of happy children in Gaza so I tried to collect a few. If you dont believe me, google "Gaza children" and see that all the pictures are of devastated Gazan children. Since this post is supposed to be happy and beautiful I will end it by saying I hope you enjoyed it.

Gazan wins first ever marathon in Gaza

UN holds first marathon in Gaza, local runner wins

Gaza, May 5, United Nations Relief and Works Agency –UNRWA- announced that Gaza’s first marathon will be held on the 5th of April 2011 in order to raise funds for its "Summer Games", which benefit the quarter of a million Palestinian children. UNRWA said in a statement that the race will be held on a distance of 42 km on the entire Gaza Strip, where the children will race in stages with the Gazan professional athletic coaches for the Olympic Games in London next year, in addition to the UNRWA staff and local and international participants.


Gemma Connell, Gaza-based Australian UNRWA staff, is one of the first planners of this the marathon idea she even trained hard to be to participate in it ten hours per week during the past five months. Gemmasaid ," We want people to participate and support the marathon if they are in Gaza or the establishment of a similar event for those who can’t come to Gaza, or sponsor one of the Gazan contestants.

She added, "We hope to collect a million dollars and the proceeds will go to the Summer Games in 2011”. These games will give Gazan children entertainment and a sense of accomplishment in these difficult and unusual circumstances and continued, "When you make a donation, you can grant the Gazan child the best two weeks of his life".

1,300 schoolchildren joined the marathoners for the last kilometre of the run and 150 ran an eight-km course. While seven Palestinians and two foreigners living in the Gaza Strip took part in the full marathon.

Naidal Al Masri, local runner, won the race after running 26 miles (42.2km) in 2 hours and 47minutes. Nader’s passion has been running and training for a long time, he ran past Gaza’s long shore, through demolished buildings after Israel’s assault on Gaza in 2008-2009, through piles of sand and on broken roads. Nidal expressed his wish to be a part of London’s marathon in 2012.

Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), confirmed that the Marathon succeeded in in its goal by raising 1 million dollars which will endorse children’s summer camps and summer games in Gaza.

Chris also said that holding such a successful marathon in Gaza just shows that Gaza is a normal place like any other place in the world and can hold marathons just like those places.

Youtube Link of a video by AFP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AearN6Ow41s 
 
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Palestinian Reconciliation between supporters & opposers

Unity celebrations across Palestine

Gaza, May 5, Just like the initial signing on the Palestinian reconciliation paper in Cairo and the secretive meeting between Hamas and Fatah came as a surprise, on April 3rd came a new surprise when the Palestinian factions did the official final signing on the Egyptian paper of the Palestinian reconciliation. The signing came one day earlier than the day reported before.


As appointed before, the celebration ceremony came one day after the signing but again it didn’t happen as planned. It was postponed for a few hours and wasn’t aired live, but a conference was held with the presence of Hamas, Fatah, Mahmud Abbas, Palestinian president, Khaled Mashaal, chief of Hamas political Bureau, representatives of all Palestinian factions, independent Palestinian figures and media figures, Egyptian officials and prominent Arab and International figures.

Sources said that the reason behind not airing the celebration ceremony live came because Hamas and Fatah had a little argument about Mashaal sitting on the stage near Abass and making a speech representing all Palestinian factions. So they preferred not to air it live.

Unity celebrations took place across Palestine in both Gaza and the West Bank. People where chanting slogans of unity, cheering, honking their cars, waving Palestinian flags and flags representing all Palestinian factions and the Egyptian flag, wearing their Kuffeyeh and overwhelmed with the awaited happy feeling of unity.

Palestinians made sure they show Egypt their appreciation by holding Egyptian flags and waving them everywhere, they also chanted slogans thanking Egypt for their efforts and huge role in bringing the Palestinian division to an end.

This day was historical for many reasons, for example many things happened and will happen that never happened since four years ago like:

1- Raising the yellow flag of Fatah in Gaza.

2- Raising the green flag of Hamas in the West Bank.

3- News papers will be finally allowed in Gaza, Hamas newspapers will be allowed in the West Bank.

4- Al Aqsa TV (Hamas oriented) will air from the West Bank.

5- Palestine TV (Fatah oriented) will air live from Gaza.

6- Palestinians felt united.

Hamas issued statements saying “division” is history now while Mahmud Abass, Palestinian president, said that Hamas in a part of us and a part of Palestine and the division has ended.

Three things will be immediately done now after the reconciliation:

A- Releasing political prisoners from both Hamas and Fatah prisoners in Gaza and the West Bank.

B- Forming a technocratic transitional government.

C- Preparing for presidential and legislative elections which will happen one year from now.

Arabs showed their support of this Palestinian unity and asked all factions to make sure this unity lasts and be effective enough to end the Palestinian division for ever.

However, Israel continued issuing statements opposing the Palestinian unity issuing new reasons every time. The latest Israel reaction came when the Israeli ministers demanded Israel to permanently cut water and electric power on Gaza as a collective punishment for celebrating the Palestinian unity. Those Israeli ministers also asked Israel to keep halting the tax funds to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority to cancel the reconciliation.

Israel also said they have no intentions –whatsoever- in working with a new Palestinian government that includes Hamas in it unless Hamas makes essential changes ( by that they mean Hamas should recognize Israel).

Palestinian officials responded with one short response: “We choose unity and reconciliation”.

Youtube Videos showing Palestinians celebrating unity:

1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1gU6qVoKLQ&feature=player_embedded

2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEyYk9b1Y9I&feature=player_embedded

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