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Gaza Ruins

Video Info

01/25/2009
English

This work licensed under
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported

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Rushed Transcript:

As before the war the sheep are brought back to their pens for the night –

But the fields in which they grazed are no more -

The Israeli tanks and soldiers have scarred the earth – leaving behind scenes that echo of a great war nearly a century ago –

And as the SMOKE STILL STAINS THE SKY some here are left with little faith in the UNITY TALKS BETWEEN PALESTINIANS across the Gaza border in Cairo –

ABED ELMHAED FARJALLA: I’M VERY PESSIMISTIC. EVEN IF HAMAS AND FATAH DO AGREE ON UNITY… ISRAEL WILL NEVER WANT PEACE.

EVEN IF THE LEADERS DO MAKE A DEAL IT WILL NOT ACHIEVE ANYTHING.

But others like Khalad Abuasey see the reconciliation talks as critical to repairing the ruin – The olive trees his father planted three decades ago were uprooted in a matter of minutes, and if there is no agreement he says the suffering he and other Palestinians have endured was for nothing –

KHALAD ABUASEY: LET ME GIVE A MESSAGE TO ALL THE LEADERS IN CAIRO-THERE MUST BE UNITY. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FATAH AND HAMAS WHEN FACING ISRAEL. IF THERE IS NO UNITY NOW IT MEANS WE WILL BE THE LOSERS HERE. NOBODY WILL BE ABLE TO HELP US REBUILD OUR HOMES AND REPLANT OUR GARDENS AND OLIVES.

Sabh Farjalla returned home three days ago to discover the Israelis had left behind only charred bodies of her ten sheep and fifty chickens – her family of nine left with no livelihood.

The only animal she possesses left alive is the family cat.

SABH FARJALLA: IF GOD IS WILLING I WISH THEY WILL ACHIEVE SOMETHING IN CAIRO. AND THEN IT WILL DEPEND ON ALL THE LEADERS WHETHER THEY HAVE IT IN THEIR HEARTS TO HELP US.

A white dove is partially concealed by birds of different colour – perching next to a position occupied by Israeli snipers in recent days.

MIKE HANNA: JHOER EL DIKE: AMONGST THE RUNS THERE IS STILL THE STRONG HOPE THAT UNITY CAN BE ACHIEVED. BUT AMONG THOSE HERE AN UNANSWERED QUESTION.

REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS IN CAIRO IF THIS CAN BE DONE WITH IMPUNITY THEN WHAT IS TO STOP ISRAEL FROM DOING IT AGAIN.