10/04/2009 / PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
A friend
of mine came up with the idea of a Gaza
trip. We're studying for our exams right now, and sometimes we get bored. So we
decided to rent a bus with other girls from university. There were 5O of us,
including three mothers. It was amazing,
we had a really good laugh.
A tourist outing in… Gaza
Nearly three months after the end of the Israeli assault on Gaza, a 20-year-old blogger has decided to film a "tourist visit" of the Strip on her mobile phone. A way for her to give a different view of Gaza, where life goes on.
The operation "Cast Lead" launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip last December flattened some 4,000 houses and left more than 900 civilians dead (figures published by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights).
Yet, despite the heavy toll, Lina Al-Sharif is persuaded the place where she lives, complete with leisure parc, equestrian centre and boat trips, is ready to become a tourist destination.
Contributors
From rubble to merry-go-round
"I’m trying to promote Gaza as a prime tourist destination for the coming summer"
Lina Al-Sharif lives in the city of Gaza. She runs the blog Live From Gaza.
A friend
of mine came up with the idea of a Gaza
trip. We're studying for our exams right now, and sometimes we get bored. So we
decided to rent a bus with other girls from university. There were 5O of us,
including three mothers. It was amazing,
we had a really good laugh.
I wanted to make a documentary on daily life in the Gaza Strip. So I filmed our visit on my mobile phone. I wanted to show that we can still have fun here, even in the humble recreation spaces that we have left. I'm trying to promote Gaza as a prime tourist destination for the coming summer. But we also had to show that wherever one goes, the scars of the war are visible.
Here, you can get an infinite number of stories of lives ruined by the war. But people fight to recover the routine they once knew. I wouldn't say people have much hope; but they definitely have faith. We don't expect the reconstruction to start tomorrow, nor do we think things will be much better next month; but we're certain that this is our land and our destiny. One day, all will be well and we'll finally have peace."Sign up via 
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George Washington in Israel
Submitted by Thomas Jackson (not verified) on Mon, 13/04/2009 - 03:20.“A passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification.” ~George Washington, ~page 269 of The 5000 Year Leap.
“The nation which indulges toward another habitual hatred or habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interests." ~ George Washington
"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none." ~ Thomas Jefferson
Unregistered user
Promoting Gaza as a tourist destination
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Sun, 12/04/2009 - 20:21.Promoting Gaza as a tourist destination is a great idea. Maybe then will the radicals stop firing rockets, which they evidently do 'til this day. Not too long ago, I also saw a documentary about an official in the West Bank urging the West Bank population to boycott Israeli products and to only buy Palestinian produced goods instead. I welcome this idea too, because I think it's about time that the Palestinian people focused their energies on construction and development instead of destruction and backwardness. I believe this will be the quickest way to peace and prosperity in the region.
Unregistered user
merci
Submitted by lilsam (not verified) on Sat, 11/04/2009 - 09:37.thank you lina for this video.you give us a view of gaza we never saw before.we can see they can destroy buildings but they can not destroy hope and dreams.
Unregistered user
Lina Al-Sharif Thank you for
Submitted by ronald (not verified) on Sat, 11/04/2009 - 09:24.Lina Al-Sharif
Thank you for sharing your images of Gaza post Isreali invasion. It was nice to view that people can still adapt to life after confronting terrible events.
Wish your society long term peace and prosperity.
Unregistered user
if this documentary so it is
Submitted by nesreen (not verified) on Fri, 10/04/2009 - 20:45.if this documentary so it is express how great the Palestinian are .
they can get the fun from the depth of death & i think it is a clear indicator about the strength of the relationship between the Palestinian & their land .
Finally it was really good job Lina ,the video was really amazing .
Regards
Nesreen
Unregistered user