Kathy Kelly

Late last night, a text message notified us that the Israeli government was very close to declaring that they would stop attacking Gaza for one day. Shortly before midnight, we heard huge explosions, four in a row. Till now, that was the last attack. Israeli drones flew overhead all night long, but residents of Rafah … Continue reading “Respite in Gaza”

ARISH, Egypt – Yesterday, en route to the Rafah border crossing that leads into Gaza, our driver pointed to a long line of trucks laden with goods that are desperately needed in every area of Gaza. "You see," he said, "all of this is to help people." Generous people, around the world, want Gazans to … Continue reading “Cease Fire, Cease Siege”

Author’s note: Kathy Kelly, a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, is writing from Arish, a town near the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza. Bill Quigley, a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola New Orleans, and Audrey Stewart are also in Egypt and contributed to this article. As I write, we can … Continue reading “Tunnel Vision”

At 6:45 a.m. this morning, our friend, Joel Gulledge, called from At-Tuwani, a village in the West Bank where he and another Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) member were escorting Palestinian children to a local summer daycamp, protecting them from hostile Israeli settlers. A masked settler, carrying a slingshot, was threatening the children. While Jan Benvie, … Continue reading “Pictures From Summer Camp”

The city of Amman, Jordan, is awash with numerous colorful signs that proclaim independence, "Istiklal." The word is found on posters and placards in store windows. It names a major thoroughfare, a hospital, and a shopping center. Appreciation for independence is palpable, and this could be said for numerous cities and towns throughout the region, … Continue reading “When Is Independence Day?”

Traveling with as light a load as possible is something I long for during long stretches away from home. I routinely discard paperwork and periodicals, "recycle" gifts and give away clothing. But, here in Amman, Jordan, when a ten year-old Iraqi girl named Nauras gave me a camera, I quickly put it in the envelope … Continue reading “Traveling Light”

At a small, informal school in the basement of a church in Amman, many strings of colorful paper cranes bedeck walls and windows. The school serves children whose families have fled Iraq. Older children who come to the school understand the significance of the crane birds. Claudia Lefko, of Northampton, Mass., who helped initiate the … Continue reading “She Stands at Every Door”

Last week, Umm Daoud ("the mother of Daoud") met me and three friends at a bridge that crosses into her neighborhood. It was just after sundown; the streets were darkening as she guided us toward the narrow path that leads to her home. She and her five children live in a humble two-room apartment in … Continue reading “Watching Tom and Jerry in Amman”

This past Tuesday, in Fairbanks, Alaska, nine people entered the office of Senator Ted Stevens to deliver their “emphatic request” that the Senator vote against supplemental funding for the war and then began reading the names of Iraqis and U.S. people who had died because of this war. They separated the names of U.S. troops … Continue reading “Do Something Good”

In January of 2003, shortly before the US bombed and invaded Iraq, I asked a dear friend, Umm Heyder, to tell me how she was feeling. "It is very hard," she said, "when all you can do is to sit and to wait for your city to be bombed. And, you see," she continued, "we … Continue reading “‘We Have Tasted War’”