The Global Voices blog has sent out an urgent message regarding the well-being of Palestinian 
blogger Laila El-Haddad who lives both in the U.S. and Palestine and her 2 American-born children, the youngest of whom is still in diapers. El-Haddad was trying to travel from the U.S. to Palestine to be with family and was stopped at the Cairo airport where she was detained for some 36 hours and was told she would be deported.
However in the meantime, her U.S. visa expired, so it is very unclear where she would be sent to. During much of the ordeal, El-Haddad sent out messages via her blog and also on Twitter under the screenname GazaMom. And then her tweets and posts stopped. There are grave concerns regarding her safety and that of her children.
That she twittered and blogged through as much of this as she has is an amazing act of bravery. Here are a few of her twitter posts (intentionally unedited) that speak for themselves:
i don’t think I have ever gone such a long stretch with no sleep. I am beginning to halluciate.
unfortunately could not film there; though could have tried to hide my flip. oh well.
i was placed in a detention room with 17 others for 3 hours then taken to a room and asked “if that’s what I wanted for the forseable future
thinking of going on a hunger strike
now sprialling into the world of the kafkaesque- no one has answers and I don’t know how to get them
waitng and waiting. this man has no answers and my file has been disappeared or cast aside for teh moment. running out of diapers.
will be shocked if Yousuf and Noor’s immune system survives this 24 jolt – eating and sleeping off roach ridden premises included
new information: apparently, I am a security and political threat
anyone have an inside connection w/ Egyptian amn il dawla?
The irony of this story taking place on Passover is hard to miss and raises a number of issues. First, if you doubt the value of Twitter, this may make you a believer. Secondly, when we think of the travel problems faced by Palestinians, we usually think of it in terms of restrictions placed on them by the Israelis. Clearly the problem goes beyond that. At this point there is the possibility that she is not sending messages because she is on a plane, but the question is to where because if her U.S. visa has expired, it is not at all clear that she will be allowed back into the U.S.
Most importantly, as the material posted and linked to on Global Voices makes all too clear, this isn’t an unusual situation save that she was able to contact the outside world via the internet. It is also important to note that variations of this story play out along borders between Israel and Palestine and closer to home, U.S./Mexican border and at borders throughout the world every day.
A mom, 2 small children, detained in horrific conditions, deported–this truly is the definition of inhumane and we join the chorus of voices demanding to know where Laila El_Haddad and her children Yousuf and Noor are and that they be immediately freed and granted the human right to be united with their family.
Ironic footnote via HuffPo–El Haddad was able to send out messages because the wi-fi at the Cairo airport, unlike El-Haddad, is free.
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