Gaza Youth Break Out (GYBO): Gazan Youth’s Manifesto for Change
December 31st, 2010
Gaza Youth Break Out (GYBO) have issued a Manifesto for Change. Visit their Facebook page and support them. Also visit the Sharek Youth Forum web site and learn about the struggle for a life independent of Israel and of Hamas. Do not let Hamas destroy the last vestiges of independent civil society in Gaza.
Gazan Youth’s Manifesto for Change
By Gaza Youth Break Out (GYBO)
December 30, 2010
Fuck Hamas. Fuck Israel. Fuck Fatah. Fuck UN. Fuck UNWRA. Fuck USA! We, the youth in Gaza, are so fed up with Israel, Hamas, the occupation, the violations of human rights and the indifference of the international community! We want to scream and break this wall of silence, injustice and indifference like the Israeli F16’s breaking the wall of sound; scream with all the power in our souls in order to release this immense frustration that consumes us because of this fucking situation we live in; we are like lice between two nails living a nightmare inside a nightmare, no room for hope, no space for freedom. We are sick of being caught in this political struggle; sick of coal dark nights with airplanes circling above our homes; sick of innocent farmers getting shot in the buffer zone because they are taking care of their lands; sick of bearded guys walking around with their guns abusing their power, beating up or incarcerating young people demonstrating for what they believe in; sick of the wall of shame that separates us from the rest of our country and keeps us imprisoned in a stamp-sized piece of land; sick of being portrayed as terrorists, homemade fanatics with explosives in our pockets and evil in our eyes; sick of the indifference we meet from the international community, the so-called experts in expressing concerns and drafting resolutions but cowards in enforcing anything they agree on; we are sick and tired of living a shitty life, being kept in jail by Israel, beaten up by Hamas and completely ignored by the rest of the world.
There is a revolution growing inside of us, an immense dissatisfaction and frustration that will destroy us unless we find a way of canalizing this energy into something that can challenge the status quo and give us some kind of hope. The final drop that made our hearts tremble with frustration and hopelessness happened 30th November, when Hamas’ officers came to Sharek Youth Forum, a leading youth organization (www.sharek.ps) with their guns, lies and aggressiveness, throwing everybody outside, incarcerating some and prohibiting Sharek from working. A few days later, demonstrators in front of Sharek were beaten and some incarcerated. We are really living a nightmare inside a nightmare. It is difficult to find words for the pressure we are under. We barely survived the Operation Cast Lead, where Israel very effectively bombed the shit out of us, destroying thousands of homes and even more lives and dreams. They did not get rid of Hamas, as they intended, but they sure scared us forever and distributed post traumatic stress syndrome to everybody, as there was nowhere to run.
We are youth with heavy hearts. We carry in ourselves a heaviness so immense that it makes it difficult to us to enjoy the sunset. How to enjoy it when dark clouds paint the horizon and bleak memories run past our eyes every time we close them? We smile in order to hide the pain. We laugh in order to forget the war. We hope in order not to commit suicide here and now. During the war we got the unmistakable feeling that Israel wanted to erase us from the face of the earth. During the last years Hamas has been doing all they can to control our thoughts, behaviour and aspirations. We are a generation of young people used to face missiles, carrying what seems to be a impossible mission of living a normal and healthy life, and only barely tolerated by a massive organization that has spread in our society as a malicious cancer disease, causing mayhem and effectively killing all living cells, thoughts and dreams on its way as well as paralyzing people with its terror regime. Not to mention the prison we live in, a prison sustained by a so-called democratic country.
History is repeating itself in its most cruel way and nobody seems to care. We are scared. Here in Gaza we are scared of being incarcerated, interrogated, hit, tortured, bombed, killed. We are afraid of living, because every single step we take has to be considered and well-thought, there are limitations everywhere, we cannot move as we want, say what we want, do what we want, sometimes we even cant think what we want because the occupation has occupied our brains and hearts so terrible that it hurts and it makes us want to shed endless tears of frustration and rage!
We do not want to hate, we do not want to feel all of this feelings, we do not want to be victims anymore. ENOUGH! Enough pain, enough tears, enough suffering, enough control, limitations, unjust justifications, terror, torture, excuses, bombings, sleepless nights, dead civilians, black memories, bleak future, heart aching present, disturbed politics, fanatic politicians, religious bullshit, enough incarceration! WE SAY STOP! This is not the future we want!
We want three things. We want to be free. We want to be able to live a normal life. We want peace. Is that too much to ask? We are a peace movement consistent of young people in Gaza and supporters elsewhere that will not rest until the truth about Gaza is known by everybody in this whole world and in such a degree that no more silent consent or loud indifference will be accepted.
This is the Gazan youth’s manifesto for change!
We will start by destroying the occupation that surrounds ourselves, we will break free from this mental incarceration and regain our dignity and self respect. We will carry our heads high even though we will face resistance. We will work day and night in order to change these miserable conditions we are living under. We will build dreams where we meet walls.
We only hope that you – yes, you reading this statement right now! – can support us. In order to find out how, please write on our wall or contact us directly: freegazayouth@hotmail.com
We want to be free, we want to live, we want peace.
FREE GAZA YOUTH!
Entry Filed under: Middle East,Palestine
4 Comments
1. Stuart | January 1st, 2011 at 5:01 am
Hello gaza. Hello world. This world defies logic; it is simultaneously beautiful and disgusting.
It ironic that love will be our greatest weapon. The new world tyrants are convinced that they have engineered enough atrocities to sustain hatred between the different races, religions, and cultures of the world. However, like learning a magicians’ secret, the tyrants’ separation techniques will become ineffective.
Another disgusting irony is that Americans were falsely convinced that they were free in order to make them productive, in order to build a massive war machine used to enslave the world.
The mind can hear a thousand lies yet know the truth. The heart can absorb a thousand blows and still feel love. Good bye. Before we die, may we taste one breath of joy, free from the specter of destruction.
2. Ina | January 3rd, 2011 at 5:34 am
Although I don’t like the fuck words I respect your claim for a
normal life . And you can earn so much more respect doing it this
way than keeping the violance way alive.
People outside the Gaza are also fed up with the negative approach for a normal life. Please keep faith and love in your harts.
Your not ignored by the rest of the world, but be sure the change will come if not from the stupid leaders. You be the change and we will follow. This manifest is the seed. Thanks for it.
3. Niklas | January 3rd, 2011 at 2:10 pm
I like the text, good written. I too hope Palestine will be free soon. I wish the rest of the world will follow some of the countrys in south america and recognize your state.
Viva Palestine!
4. michael hall | January 7th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Youth of Gaza:
Your words, your pain, your nightmare is heard,felt and understood by more than you know. We care. We need to help. We will take your words worldwide and send your light into every darkness, into every court, into the knesset, into Jerusalem,to the White House, and this is my pledge, my word to you; the youth of Gaza. Your words of truth have cut through the bullshit like a knife through water and this seed of a manifesto you have planted will grow into the freedom you deserve, 2011
michael hall