Huwaida Arraf

On Saturday, after 32 hours on the high seas, I sailed into the port of Gaza City with 45 other citizens from around the world in defiance of Israel’s blockade. We traveled from Cyprus with humanitarian provisions for Palestinians living under siege. My family in Michigan was worried sick. They are not naive. Huwaida Arraf comments.

Congressman Brian Baird’s office arranged a press conference for the Corrie Family on the morning of 19 March 2003 on Capitol Hill, in which the congressman participated and announced his plan to introduce a resolution in Congress later this week. ISM coordinator Huwaida Arraf reports on the development.

The curfew in Jenin was lifted mid-morning today. Two hours later, with no warning the army returned to the main city. The streets were still full of people trying to buy supplies before curfew was reimposed.

We succeeded to get foodstuffs and ‘international protection’ into the Church of the Nativity. If you haven’t yet seen the reports, please see below.

ISM volunteers Richard Johnson and Sofia Ahmed witnessed two young boys “blown up” in a small field in Jenin Camp yesterday. Sofia reports being only 40 meters away when something exploded. “Although we can’t be positive what it was that exploded, four days ago we saw Israeli soldiers on foot in the exact same place.”

Tonight, five members of the International Solidarity Movement are sleeping at a school in Jenin with 800 refugees from the Jenin Refugee Camp. Earlier in the day, nine internationals from the United States, Sweden and Italy entered the refugee camp and started to deliver food to the remaining residents of the camp - women, children and elderly men.

Al-Khadra Mosque, oldest mosque in Nablus, located at the southern entrance to the Old City was destroyed last night by Israeli forces in their continued military assault on Palestinian towns and cities. Bombardment by air and land continued throughout the night on the Old City of Nablus and on the Balata and Askr refugee camps.

Into the evening Israeli forces continue their offensive on the Palestinian people. After heavy shelling of the Presidential compound all day Israeli forces entered the compound with tanks and ground troops. The Palestinian police have reported that no one has been taken but there has been office to office break ins and searches and resistance from the compound.