Face of Gaza’s traumatised people
A documentary to be broadcast tonight tells the stories of the Palestinian people living under blockade and military occupation, writes
She is a young girl, no more than 10, in a blue sundress, her hair in a ponytail held with a white bobbin. She is calm, respectful, silent, as she helps hold up a wooden board on which are displayed five photos — photos of her relatives killed in Gaza in 2014 during the Israeli military offensive.
She is literally holding the memories of her dead and she features in This Is Palestine, a powerful documentary fronted by Riverdance director John McColgan in association with Trócaire, which airs tonight on TG4.
The documentary, produced and directed by McColgan with his brother Gerry, reveals the reality of life for millions of Palestinians living under occupation and blockade.
Filmed in Jerusalem, Hebron and Gaza, it features interviews with parents whose children were killed in the 2014 Gaza offensive, as well as people who have lost land and freedom of movement due to military occupation of the West Bank.
“I had done as much research as I could but nothing prepares you for what you see on the ground, what you see in relation to human rights abuse and the devastation of the Palestinian people,” says McColgan.
“Until you look into the faces of people who have been abused and who have been through so much — when Gaza was bombed 2,500 Palestinians were killed — when you sit with them and hear the horrors they have had to heal from, it touches you deeply and you can’t forget.”
What also touched him to the core was the people’s dignified portrayal of their devastating losses.
“I was struck by the dignity, integrity and stoicism of a lot of the Palestinian people, particularly in the women who hold society together. They tell their story in a very neutral way, eloquently, calmly, and you can see the deep sadness.”
McColgan is referring to people like Layla Al-Helou, who lost her daughter in the Gaza onslaught. Describing that night, she says:
“My daughter had been calling me all night to see how we were. I told her not to worry and that we were fine. She kept calling me until five minutes before three. Then the calls stopped. I kept calling her and her phone would ring but she didn’t answer. My son looked out the window and saw their house had become a pile of rubble.”
McColgan is also referring to women like Khaldea Al Selak El Shaja, who lost three children that night — two little boys and the youngest a girl, aged eight, five and three. The week after they were killed, Khaldea tried to go to Shifa Hospital to say goodbye to them. “I had lost my senses,” she says.
Afterwards, she and her husband received an apology — they had been targeted by “mistake”.
“When we tried to pursue it legally, they changed their story and said the young ones were firing rockets at them. Does it make sense that those kids would know how to fire rockets?” Khaldea asks.
And then there is Talal Mahmoud Al-Hebu, whose brother died, along with his children. The losses are so great, the grief so unspeakable that Talal pauses, takes some moments to contain this vast emotion before saying: “What can I say? This is our lot.”
This Is Palestine #FíorScéal Déardaoin ag 22.30 ar #TG4. pic.twitter.com/lQaKsI6JZ4
— Fíor Scéal (@Fior_Sceal) September 5, 2018
McColgan says he went there hoping to be fair and balanced.
“But when you see such blatant human rights abuse and disregard for international law, it’s impossible to be neutral.”
In the West Bank, he met a Bedouin leader whose home — a shack of corrugated tin — has been repeatedly demolished since the 1970s by Israeli forces.
Mohamed Salim Mousa Ka’abneeh describes how his home had been raided two years earlier, with soldiers kicking in the door, letting off shot grenades, pointing machine guns at the family, how his then 12-year-old son was so traumatised he lost the power of speech that night and has not talked since.
Wanting to “hear the other side”, McColgan interviewed the head of press at the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs.
“He was very plausible, very smooth. They have a fantastic level of PR spokespeople. He was well used to being asked any question. He had quite a strong, very eloquent point of view — that’s his job. Some of [his answers] were quite blatantly lies.” How did McColgan feel, faced with this sophisticated PR machine?
“I had a feeling of helplessness, of the absolute power of Netanyahu. Israeli people don’t know much about Palestine and don’t care.”
Amid all the tragedy, the documentary also features very brave Israeli activists who are working for peace. There’s a glimmer of hope in the voices of these activists, says McColgan. Among this brave vocal minority is Rabbi Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights.
Speaking about the land confiscations and demolition of Palestinian homes, he says:
“This is wrong. This is occupation. As a rabbi and from my Jewish tradition, I know this is an abuse of human rights and a violation of international law.”
Another powerful voice is that of Yehuda Shaul, co-founder of Breaking the Silence, an organisation of former Israeli soldiers who are campaigning against the occupation of Palestinian land.
In the documentary, Yehuda describes the orders he was expected to follow.
“The orders were to disrupt Palestinian lives in any way possible.
"You would choose a random house. The officer leading the patrol would bump [break] into the house, wake up the family, men on one side, women on the other, search the house, throw some shot grenades, knock on some other doors, make some noise, invade another family – that’s how you passed your 10pm-6am shift.”
The turning point for Yehuda came when, based outside Bethlehem, he was able to “see myself in the mirror”.
He says between 2004 and 2017, 1,100 soldiers broke their silence after seeing “themselves in the mirror”.
Speaking to Irish Examiner this week, McColgan says he has received news that two weeks ago Yehuda was beaten up on the street by Israeli settlers while Israeli soldiers watched.
What he and his brother encountered during their travels through the West Bank and Gaza left McColgan very despondent. “It’s hard to see hope in such a situation.”
Greetings all, “This Is Palestine” documentary will air on TG4 on Thursday September 6th at 22.30pm with a repeat on Thursday 11th September at 24.55am. Very proud of my brothers, John and Gerard, involvement in the making of this excellent documentary. Please spread the word
— Patricia McColgan (@Patricia086) August 29, 2018
In the documentary, Sligo nun Sr Bridget Tighe — who works with a partner of Trócaire for Gaza’s women — says people are traumatised. “The children are traumatised. Six-year-olds have been through three wars. What future have they?”
Having recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Donald Trump moved the US embassy there from Tel Aviv in May. More recently came news that the US is ending decades of funding for the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, a week after cutting bilateral US aid for projects in the West Bank and Gaza. The move cuts nearly $300m of planned support.
“The UN says within a month, Palestinian children won’t have enough funding to go to school,” says McColgan, adding that Trócaire will lobby the Irish Government to up their contribution of €6m a year to the area. “The German government has committed to increase their contribution, all in a bid to make up the shortfall.”
McColgan believes talk of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is gone now with Trump’s cutting of aid and the US embassy move. “Palestinians see Trump as doing Israeli bidding.” But you have to have hope, he says.
“In the middle of the Troubles, Northern Ireland would have seemed hopeless. I would like to imagine there will be some breakthrough in the coming years that will bring peace but I don’t see it happening under Trump.”
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