wwjd? he'd be on the gaza freedom march, duh

Christmas Day here in the states, and the Gaza Freedom Marchers and Viva Palestina folks are undeterred. Viva Palestina is still being blocked from entering Egypt, but negotiations are ongoing and Galloway has said they will not be moved. "We feel very sad that Egypt has turned us away on Christmas Day, but we hope they will reconsider," Galloway said in a statement on the VP website. "This is a very determined convoy and we're not going anywhere except to Gaza."

On the Gaza Freedom March front, delegates from around the world have begun arriving in Cairo, with many more on the way in the next several days. Judging from what the organizers have communicated to us, the mood is excited and defiant despite the Egyptian government's continued efforts to thwart us, the latest of which is canceling the permits we had secured for our large orientation meeting. (Under Egyptian law, any political gathering of more than 6 people is technically illegal.) The organizers have sent an open letter directly to Egyptian President Mubarak asking that we be allowed to proceed with the march, a nonviolent humanitarian action organized by global civil society.

We continue to receive messages of support from around the world, but the one that most inspired me comes from the West Bank village of Bil'in. The residents of Bil'in are perhaps the world's leading experts in creative, nonviolent resistance in the face of extremely violent repression. The fact that they are watching, supporting and encouraging us, and will be demonstrating "in solidarity with Gaza, and all those trying to enter," despite the fact that the conditions of oppression in their own village are themselves quite dire...well, that's the kind of thing that can only make one more determined, right?

We are still hoping to get into Gaza, but a variety of very exciting potential alternatives are now being planned if we do not get in. Regardless of what country I'm in, I am confident that I'll be ringing in 2010 exactly where I want to be--standing in solidarity with the Palestinians.