Manama-Gaza Solidarity

From Manama to Gaza: Solidarity Between Bahrain and Palestine
By: Yazan al-Saadi – 16 December, 2012 – Al Akhbar

As the Bahraini monarchy eagerly seeks to befriend Israel, the citizens of Bahrain have taken a different route, seeing parallels between theirs and Palestinians’ struggle against repression. A recent solidarity trip to Gaza by Bahraini medical officials is testament to the links that can’t be stymied by governments.

“Palestinians are in our heart since birth. It is in the heart of all Bahrainis. It is the central cause for all Arabs and Muslims – to the extent that [we are willing] to be a martyr for Palestine,” Dr. Nabeel Tammam tells Al-Akhbar.

It is the connection of these forces that clashes directly with the growing alliance between Israel and the Bahraini monarchy.
Tammam is one of Bahrain’s leading otolaryngologist, or ear, nose, and throat, consultants. Beyond his renowned medical expertise, he is also known for his political activism in opposition to the Bahraini monarchy, as a member of both the Bahrain Human Rights Society and the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad) – the largest leftist political party in the country.

His human rights and political work have come at great risk. Together with hundreds of other medical professionals in Bahrain, Tammam was detained, tortured, and convicted as part of an overall Bahraini government policy of retribution against those who dared to support the pro-democratic protests that erupted in February 2011.

Since receiving a three-month jail sentence, Tammam has spent most of his time between his medical practice and raising awareness of the repression faced by medics and Bahrainis in general. Despite pledges by authorities to implement recommendations for reform outlined by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), this repression is ongoing.

Of late, Tammam and a group of Bahraini doctors organized and participated in a three-day medical visit to the besieged Gaza Strip in a show of solidarity and support with the Palestinian people.

This trip in late November represents but one example of the rich history of solidarity and cooperation between Bahraini and Palestinian civilians, who share an understanding of life under repression. It is the connection of these forces that clashes directly with the growing alliance between Israel and the Bahraini monarchy.

The 2012 Medical Trip

Tammam has a long history of supporting the Palestinian cause. He is a board member of the Bahrain Society Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy and was one of the founders of the Bahraini medical trips to Gaza, initiated in 2009 after Israel’s brutal three-week assault on the densely-populated, encaged strip of land.

The 2009 trip concluded with the signing of a number of mutual cooperation agreements between the visiting Bahraini doctors and Palestinian medical organizations that included donations of equipment and medicine, as well as planning joint solidarity actions between the two parties.

This year, Tammam explained in an email correspondence with Al-Akhbar, the goal of the trip was to take “a humanitarian stand” in response to Israel’s latest massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.

“The whole trip was at our own expense (tickets, accommodation, and transport costs) and it was all a solidarity stand, as the day we reached Gaza started the declaration of ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israel,” he wrote.

The medical team spent three days in Gaza, during which they mainly visited medical buildings such as the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Al-Shifa Hospital, the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, and the Ministry of Health, among other institutions.

“The destruction and the devastation caused to buildings, construction, and facilities were very clear as a result of the Israeli bombardment. All the serious [medical] cases were transferred to Egypt for intensive medical care. Only the mild and moderate ones remained in the local hospitals for follow-up treatments,” Tammam noted to Al-Akhbar. …source