“In Gaza’s Hell”- Controversial meeting with Ewa Jasiewicz

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Saturday April 03, 2010 19:04 by Kasia Timofiejczuk kasia.timofiejczuk at gmail dot com

An Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) public meeting, in Polish, with journalist and human rights activist Ewa Jasiewicz took place on Saturday 20th March 2010 in Seomra Spraoi. Ewa was speaking about her experiences in Gaza as an emergency paramedic during the Israeli massacre in Winter 2008/09.

Ewa outside Seomra Spraoi

Despite unforeseen complications caused by the unexpected decision of the Polish co-organiser to pull out at the last moment, the meeting was successful. Even though the attendance was relatively small (due in no small part to the last minute change of venue), the media commotion created in the Dublin Polish press around the meeting initiated a very important discussion about the Middle East within the Polish community in Dublin. It seems that even outside their motherland many Poles can not take part in debate on subjects considered ‘controversial’, and also as in Poland, there is a large tendency to avoid any discussion related to Palestine-Israel issue.

During the public meeting Ms Jasiewicz evoked brutal memories from the time she spent in the Gaza Strip during the 22 days of the Israeli massacre. She was one of the very few representatives of the Western media in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli offensive “Operation Cast Lead”, in which more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed, thousands were injured and became homeless.

Ms Jasiewicz described in detail the situation of a total siege from the sea and land, under which Gaza still finds itself today. Ms Jasiewicz also described war crimes committed by the Israeli army, emphasising above all attacks on the Palestinian Red Cross ambulances and its personnel, with whom she worked closely.

The eye witnessed experience was interlaced with chosen scenes from Alberto Acre’s documentary ‘To Shoot an Elephant’ about the attack, and also amateur footage made by International Solidarity Movement activists, documenting the details of ongoing unlawful shootings and harassment of Palestinian fishermen and farmers by the Israeli military, who claim they no longer ‘occupy’ Gaza.

The discussion afterwards was very positive and informative, and we were happy to learn about recent creation in Poland of a new Solidarity campaign with Palestine http://www.kampania-palestyna.pl/ , which is an equivalent of the IPSC http://www.ipsc.ie/.

Finally, the IPSC would like to thank all who attended the meeting – the very first IPSC meeting in Polish - and are very grateful to the lovely people in Seomra Spraoi for allowing us to use the venue at the last minute.