http://edinburghunioccupation.wordpress.com/Tony Gorman of the Middle East department came to talk to the occupying students and passers-by about the history of Gaza preceding the recent conflict. At the same time we had a visit from Kathy Jenkins, another university lecturer, who participated in the UC Berkeley anti-Vietnam protests of the 1960s.
At the same time, non-university supporters of the sit-in gathered outside GST and began singing solidarity songs for Gaza. We then had various speakers, including a Palestinian recently arrived from Gaza and several occupation participants, who communicated the university’s latest statement to the crowd.
30 odd students then reconvened upstairs with Tony, to continue discussing Palestinian/Israeli issues and were joined by Maurice Naftalin, the head of Scottish Jews for Just Peace. With such a rich variety of perspectives, some very inciteful and thought-provoking statements were made and challenged. At that moment, this space came into its own. A dialogue was formed that so rarely has a platform to exist elsewhere but is so vital.
We’d like to collectively say a massive thank you to Tony, Kathy, Maurice, the Scottish PSC, the wonderful choir and everyone else who contributed to the day!
During the afternoon an email from Norman Finkelstein arrived, supporting our efforts and wishing us a positive conclusion.
Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of the novel coronavirus spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with some joking that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario. But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned. "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible
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