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| Noor Ahmed Harazeen, 15-year old Mukhless El Massri of Gaza, and Ken O'Keefe. Video & Photography by Cormac O'Daly, Musheera Jamal & Ken O'Keefe. |
(GAZA) - Since March 2010, 97 people have been shot in Gaza for collecting stones. This is one of the few ways a person can actually make money here at all.
Beit Hanoun, Gaza is a dangerous place to spend time. 22 days before this report was filed, our party was shot at by Israeli soldiers in towers, here, in this same place.
Over the last three weeks the same number; 22, describes the number of people shot by Israeli military here in this part of Gaza for either farming their crops, or the simple act of collecting stones, which in turn bring a person twenty sheckles a barrel.
In the video you meet 15-year old Mukhless Jawad El Massri, who was shot twice by the Israeli soldiers in the leg. Today he is on crutches and unable to work.
Noor Ahmed Harazeen translated Mukhless El Massri's words for our English speaking viewers.
Ken O'Keefe: What do you want for Palestine?
Mukhless El Massri: "I want to get my land back and to have that land, and work it, for farming or whatever they want to do; to live like other people and to feel safe.
Ken O'Keefe: And what does he think about the Israelis?
Mukhless El Massri: "The only thing is to tell them that I am not a threat to them. I am only here to get money and food for my family and I want to be safe. And wants them to get out and leave them doing things that provide his family money. He is not a threat to them."
These are the stories about Gaza that you rarely if ever hear.
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Ken O'Keefe is a former U.S. Marine who served in the 1991 Gulf War and subsequently spoke out about the use of depleted uranium as a "crime against humanity" and the US military using soldiers as "human guinea pigs" with experimental drugs that were directly linked to Gulf War syndrome. He is also a social entrepreneur utilizing direct action marine conservation, he is more widely known for leading the human shield action to Iraq and as a survivor of the Israeli attack on the MV Mavi Marmara in which he participated in "defending the ship" and "disarming two Israeli Commandos". On January 7, 2004, O'Keefe burned his US passport in protest of "American Imperialism" and called for US troops to immediately withdrawal from Iraq. He replaced his US passport with a "World Passport", subsequently proclaiming himself a "Citizen of the World" with “ultimate allegiance to my entire human family and to planet Earth." Ken is also legal citizen of Ireland and Palestine citizenship. Read Ken O'Keefe's Biography, you can also visit Ken's Ken's Website alohapalestine.com
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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