SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Dozens of people came to the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont Mesa East Monday night to hear from Yousef Aljamal.
Aljamal is a Palestinian author and journalist from Gaza who’s speaking about a book he contributed to called “Light in Gaza,” for which he’s currently on a book tour to promote.
The book is about the experiences he and other authors lived through during their time in Gaza.
“My contribution is about travel restrictions and how it impacts my family,” Aljamal said.
Aljamal said he wrote about how his mother waited over 12 years to see her family in Israel and how his sister, who needed a minor surgery, died because of the travel restrictions.
“The only way for her to get that surgery was to travel to the West Bank. And she was denied a permit and lost her life,” Aljamal said.
Aljamal said the hope is that people hearing their life stories can relate to their experiences.
“I hope that this book will bring about change in the perceptions of Palestinians, especially Palestinians from Gaza, in the United States,” Aljamal said.
Two weeks ago, this stop in San Diego was coordinated by the American Friends Service Committee and other local groups -- well before the U.S. and the rest of the world saw what happened during a Hamas attack in Israel and the Israeli response on Gaza following the attack.
Aljamal said it’s one thing to see the strikes in person, compared to watching it happen miles and miles away.
“You can tell this bomb is targeting this particular place. So, you have this psychological going through your mind and you fear for your family, for your friends, for your community,” Aljamal said.
When it comes to resolving this years’ long conflict, Aljamal said equal rights for Palestinians will do that. He said any loss of life is regrettable and no one should face death or fear.
“I hope that a miracle happens and ends this conflict before more Palestinians and, not just Palestinians but also Israelis, have to suffer because Palestinians are not given their full rights,” Aljamal said.
