Calling all kite flyers and those who have always wanted to be.
This Saturday, Sept. 12, and again on Sunday, Sept. 27, both from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., kites will be launched from the hilltop at Zwick’s Park east.
As they soar they’ll be carrying a message of peace and solidarity with children who can no longer enjoy this simple pleasure.
In late August, Israel declared any wayward kites drifting toward Israel from Gaza would be treated as a hostile military act. Since then, at least one child flying a kite – Muhammad Abdel Salam Taha, 4 years old – was killed in a targeted drone strike.
Gaza community and humanitarian groups have now banned all kite flying in the occupied territory as too risky. Kite flying was not only one of the only forms of play left for most children in Gaza, it has historically been a cherished tradition there.
The Sept. 12 family-friendly event is organized by Belleville for Justice and Peace and is part of a global Kites for Gaza campaign. For those unable to attend that day, or who again want to commune with sky and wind for Gaza’s children, the event will be repeated on Sept. 27.
Organizers say participants should bring their own kites – as is, or decorated in the red, green, black and white of the Palestinian flag and hope for the perfect wind.
