Jaouad ’10 travels to Egypt for Gaza Freedom March

Jaouad, a freelance journalist who is also a triple citizen of Tunisia, the United States and Switzerland, originally heard about Gaza Freedom March from the Arab Society of Princeton, which offered her a grant to attend the demonstration. She had intended to document the struggles of Gazans, particularly women and children, from a journalistic perspective. Once she arrived in Cairo, however, she was swept up in the fervor of the movement, she said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.

“My original goals for the trip were self-interested,” Jaouad said. “I wanted to go to Gaza to report because very few people in the U.S. know about the situation. Once I arrived, I was so touched by the committed activists that it became more about solidarity.”

Despite warnings from the Egyptian government that protesters would not be allowed to march into Gaza from Egypt on Dec. 31, the delegation arrived in Cairo on Dec. 28. Jaouad said that, entering the city, she was unprepared for the scenes she witnessed.

“There was total chaos all over Cairo,” she explained. “The French delegation was blockaded in the French embassy by Egyptian riot police, with no access to food and water and only one bathroom. One Belgian activist even tried to commit suicide.”

On Dec. 29, the Egyptian government agreed to allow 100 activists to enter Gaza. The 100 chosen were selected because they were “good and sincere in standing in solidarity with Gaza,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Abu Al-Gheit said at a press conference. He described the other 1,200 protesters as being “from organizations that are only interested in subversion and acting against Egyptian interests, to sow havoc on the streets of Egypt.” Because of her triple citizenship, Jaouad was selected as the only member of the Swiss delegation.

“There was a huge divide between all the GFM [Gaza Freedom March] members as to whether to accept or reject the offer,” she said. “It was awful to see activists turning on activists. It was almost like a recreation of the whole conflict over the West Bank-Gaza division.”

On the morning of Dec. 30, Jaouad boarded the bus to Gaza amid a sea of protesting Gaza Freedom March activists. Within five minutes of boarding, GFM organizers told members that the group couldn’t support the 100-member delegation.

“The journalist in me was ready to cover the story,” she said. “The other part of me knew this was a wrong decision. I knew if I did this, I would be betraying myself, GFM and my ethics.”

Along with the other members of the delegation, the emotionally spent Jaouad eventually exited the bus.

On Dec. 31, Gaza Freedom March decided to stage the demonstration in Cairo. The protest devolved into street clashes with Egyptian police, leaving one activist dead and dozens injured. Despite her best attempts, Jaouad could not avoid the violence.

“The night before, our lawyers told us, ‘The police won’t touch you,’ ” she said. “I was up on a pole filming the police brutality when a security guard grabbed my camera and punched me in the face. It was unbelievable to see anyone being beaten so violently in a public space.”

After being attacked, Jaouad spent much of the day in shock, watching the violence from the top of a tree. “My arms and legs were shaking for a few hours afterward,” she said. “It was incredible to see the extremities of censorship.”

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In light of her experiences, Jaouad said she has decided to take this spring and next fall off from Princeton to spend several months in Gaza and the West Bank working as a freelance journalist with two colleagues.

“After what I saw, it wouldn’t feel right to simply return to Princeton,” she said. “I’ve only got a few months left in school, but this is an incredible calling. I’ve made so many contacts with journalists and press agencies here that I want to start my career.”

Jaouad said that, during her year off, she plans to cover stories focusing on human development and gender. In particular, she will examine the health and psychological impact on children living in constant military conflict.

Despite the dangers of living in a war zone, Jaouad was quick to play down the risk to her safety. “My parents are worried about my safety, and I know there are huge risks, but someone has to be there,” she said.

She said she is so concerned about gender conflict in Gaza and the West Bank — religiously conservative regions — that she is considering wearing a head scarf while there.

But being a woman may help her get the kinds of stories she wants to write, Jaouad added. “Women are seen as less threatening, as opposed to someone like a male journalist coming in from the outside,” she explained. “So I think my cultural and ethnic background will definitely be an advantage.”

Correction appended:

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Jaouad was a citizen of Egypt, instead of Tunisia.