February 22 - Upcoming Event Provides Witness to Palestinian Anguish, Resolve in Gaza

Event at JCCC on February 22 highlights devastation of Israeli attacks on Gaza from one year ago

“The trip was more of a struggle, thus more meaningful.”

A Johnson County Community College (JCCC) student and local Kansas Citians will share their eyewitness stories after a life-altering humanitarian aid convoy experience through Europe, the Mideast and into the war-torn Palestinian territory this past winter break.

• Sara Jawhari, JCCC student, along with local Kansas Citians will each speak of their first hand-experiences in the impoverished Gaza Strip, and the unexpected experiences they faced along the way.
• Members from 7thGIV, an independent group of students from Haskell Indian Nations University, will speak about their cultural exchange with youth in the West Bank last year.
• They will also share pictures and raw footage of the trip and will have a Q&A session after their presentations.

Please join us for this informative and interactive session to discuss the plight of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

• Location: Johnson Co Comm College, Craig Community Auditorium (GEB 233), 12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, Kansas
• When: Monday, February 22, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
• Event flyer: http://www.cjme.org/images/flyer-jcc-event.pdf
• Facebook Event Page

Four KC residents were participants in delivering medical aid to Palestinians in Gaza, defying a Israeli-imposed blockade. This aid convoy took place in December 2009 and was led by George Galloway, a member of British Parliament known for his anti-war views.

At a similar event held February 15 at UMKC several speakers addressed current conditions in Gaza, as well as provided an update on the situation in the West Bank. Mohamed El-Housiny referred to the difficulty of the aid convoy during attempts to enter Gaza through Egypt saying “the trip was more a struggle, thus more meaningful” for participants. Omar Bayazid added that “we did not save them; they saved me,” referring to his experience seeing Palestinian resilience to traumatic loss of life. [photo from Feb. 15 UMKC event: (from left) Mohamed El-Housiny, Omar Bayazid, Marei Spaola, Melissa Franklin, Jodi Voice, and Sara Jawhari]

Panelists will also answer questions regarding their travels.

REMINDER – February 23 at 7:00 pm – Watch the film "The Shape of the Future" showing at All Souls Unitarian Universalist church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, Missouri as part of their Original Documentary film series. The Shape of the Future is a documentary series produced by Common Ground Productions that explores what an eventual Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement might look like. It even-handedly examines the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians and demonstrates the possibility of a lasting, mutually satisfactory peace. [Film trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNNxNe-t1JA ]

Read “The Two-Sided Coin: An Analysis of the Economic Conditions in Gaza & Israel” by Mohamed El-Housiny, who traveled to Gaza last month. Excerpt: One question that comes immediately to mind is: who benefits from this devastating siege? What are the effects on the economies and governments involved? Are there benefactors or does everyone lose? There has to be a motive for the continued occupation, as well as for the siege that does not allow imports or exports to the Gaza Strip. This paper will analyze the siege from an economic and business perspective.  [ Full article - http://www.cjme.org/stories/report-on-economy-gaza ]