Student travels through Gaza

By Katie Sullivan
Collegian Staff Writer

Before his trip to the Gaza Strip, Sean Healy formed his opinions of the Middle East from what he read in the newspaper and saw on TV. But in just seven days, the Penn State student fell in love with a region that has been engulfed in violence for years, changing his perception of world affairs and view of the Gaza Strip forever.

At the end of a study-abroad trip to Egypt last spring, Healy (junior-political science) took a weeklong excursion into the Gaza Strip, a region that borders Egypt and Israel and has been an ongoing source of conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Healy entered the region with the first student delegation to visit since the rise of Hamas. What he saw in the war-torn region surprised him.

"People were just so happy to see us," Healy said. "They just want their story to be heard. It's really beautiful, and it's really sad."

Instead of the violent Muslim radicals he expected, Healy was greeted with smiles. He went to restaurants with his friends and felt safe. But he recognized the area has seen its share of tough times.

"There are bullet holes everywhere," he said. "It looks like a movie -- mortar and bombed buildings."

During his seven-day stay in the Gaza Strip, Healy had a chance to hear United Nations speakers, travel to refugee camps and see the cost of war.

The most powerful thing he heard during the trip came from an Irish lawyer assisting in the refugee camp, he said. His message was clear: Choosing sides doesn't matter. Making sure people are made responsible for their actions do.

"The fact is, you need to install a rule of law," Healy said. "People need to be held accountable for their actions. How are we going to talk about a two-state solution when there's no system to hold people accountable?"

Healy also met Ahmad Hamad, a 22-year-old Palestinian man who's been surrounded by the Gaza conflict his whole life. The young Muslim man has seen his friends blown up and Israeli soldiers occupy his house.

Healy said Hamad didn't like to discuss the death of his loved ones but wondered why the United States didn't care more about the problems in Gaza.

Healy said it changed his view.

"I'm definitely not anti-Israel ... and I don't agree with everything that Hamas does," Healy said. "[The Palestinians] feel helpless in a lot of ways. The frustration was so hard to grasp. I want to know why we view someone as right or wrong when we don't even hear stories."

Healy said Hamad told him many Palestinians don't think of the turmoil as Muslim versus Jew -- they think of it as a battle for respect and human rights.

Before his trip, Healy admitted he was uneducated about what was going on in the Gaza region and took for granted what he had heard about it. But now, even after four months, Healy said he wants to share what he learned with others.

"I don't think everyone should be held responsible for the actions of their government," Healy said about the people living in the Gaza Strip. "The saddest thing is -- they're kids like us. What have they done wrong, and why do they have to pay for it?"

Source: