Khaled X is a 20 year old student from Nablus, West Bank who shall be keeping an online diary to provide readers with a personal view on the illegal occupation.
Tuesday 26th April 2011:
Gaza Will Not Forget You
A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.
He arrived to Gaza on 23ed of august 2009. On a boat of free Gaza Movement with around 40 activists from 17 different countries. They broke the siege lasting since 1967.
He said: "I remember that day as one of the happiest and most emotional of my life, thousands of Palestinians came to the port to welcome the first international boats since 1967.”
Later, with around 15 activists Italians, British, American, and Spanish they decided to restart the activities of the International Solidarity Movement. That was stopped in 2003 by the assassination of Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall by the Israeli army.
He said: "I proceed from a partisan family, my grandfather fought and died struggling against an occupation in Italy, it was the Nazi Fasist one. For this reason probably, there’s something in my blood that pushes me to struggle for freedom and for human rights.”
The message of solidarity that arrived from outside is well understood. It becomes clear not only to world but also the Palestinians, that there are people for them from outside. Despite the governments that are complacent and accomplices of the Zionist Israeli government. There are people ready to sacrifice their lives to come and hug their brothers in Gaza.
Parts of his life in Gaza:
He used to go out with the fishermen on their boats to stand with them when the Israeli boats come to stop them he got injured many times by doing this and once an Israeli arrested him in the sea and sent him back home. Despite this he returned to Gaza again because he felt there are people who needed help.
He also used to go to the check points around gaza when people go to protest there to stand with them and support them. He showed many pictures which show how bad is the Israeli soldiers who kill civilians. Many time he received warning from people because of the pictures that he show to the world.
For the weeping of one who weeps with an eye the tears of which flow endlessly is not enough to lament the loss of such a man as Vittorio…
In my own opinion and you the reader think of it do you think Palestinian will treat a person who came to his place to support him and stand with him in such away like this if you do so you will be completely wrong! Because Israeli announced just days ago before killing Arrigoni that they will stop the flottilla and internationals from coming here in any way which is possible so killing him will makes every international person who is thinking of coming here change his/her mind because they might be killed or kidnaped and there’s two danger the Israeli from a side and the Palestinian from another side.
But we as Palestinian telling you we will protect you from whatever and we reject what happened and we protested in many cities in the west bank and Gaza to show that we reject that and the people who do that they are not Palestinian and Islam reject that at all so that people who killed him they get paid to do that…
Saturday 2nd April 2011:
The 2002 Nablus Invasion
I am a Palestinian living in Nablus, I am 20 years old and my story starts before I was born and I came to face all these troubles for things that all the nations are responsible for.
They were the people who started it by the things that they have done in the past from attacking countries and making mistakes then correct the mistakes by other mistakes. So this is how I started I came to this life in occupied country by Israeli I lived my childhood till now in Palestine Nablus and im living with my parents. Palestine is a big prison where ever you go there’s checkpoints and it’s a closed place surrounded by a high wall to keep Israel safe coz the Palestinian people are terrorists. This is the general situation.
My story started when I was 9 years ago when I was 11 years old its already started since I was born but the personal experience started at 11 .
2002 Nablus invasion:
So it was the first time I saw the tanks bulldozers helicopter and jet planes. I used to see them on tv for the years passed before 11 but that time was the first time I see it in real it was strange for me to see all this at the beginning - it was scary I live so close to one of the government buildings that was the first target for the Israelis during the invasion in Nablus so they were focusing on it . My day started with the sounds of explosions bullets rockets jet planes helicopter and tanks front of my home it was scary to see it but I tried to hid that and to be calm coz I have two other younger siblings who will be scared if I show them im scared. During the invasion the curfews made so that no one was allowed to go out side or even to look from the window: many people were killed by trying to open the windows.
As a child I should have the right to go out to play, to be in a safe place, to meet friends, go to the parks: all this was forbidden so you had to stay at home or else you were killed. It was so bad for me coz I was not allowed to have the rights that is mine and all the time I'm at home no electricity no tv no computer some parts there was no water it was tragedy.
So all the family at home sitting in the safest room which is far from the things working out side waiting for the Israelis to get in the house and each time tanks pass by the home my I feel scared this was for the first 10 days then I get used to it so when the tanks pass I run to the window to see this was crazy but its what happened .
During that time there was no schools we started to have schools in some peoples home so student start go out to try to get to that places so I went there too it was hard to reach there some time in the way there was tanks or jeeps so u need to hid till they go or some time they catch u hit u torture u then leave u on the ground till someone dare to come to take u . all the childhood dreams disappeared at that time . after seeing all things going around you aren’t allowed to go out to play to go to school if u r ill no way to go to the hospital your house under attack u don’t feel safe and shooting everywhere soldiers in your home steal your things money and use all your stuffs and u cant say no u r in one room with all the people who live with you in the same building and in a close room theres no food no water to go to the bathroom u need to get a permission .facing all these make u jump from the period u r in to another one from being a child to be a man small one to be older than your age to try to handle with the place u live in with things surround you so all the childhood dreams are gone now all what u think of is to find away to help your family try to get food to find thing u do to earn money from it for your family but It wasn’t that easy to handle with it the first of it u face hard life but then u get used to it and it works .
