Gaza: Legacy of Occupation: A Photographer's Journey

In 1993, photojournalist Doughty spent time photographing and interviewing Palestinians in refugee camps in Egypt and in the Israeli-held Gaza Strip, now under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Because of cultural barriers in the factionally split, closely monitored camps, and curfews that resulted from fighting between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers and settlers, Doughty wasn't able to get a full story. ``Much of what I saw and heard and felt could not be photographed,'' he writes. Still, through his friend and coauthor El Aydi, a Palestinian U.N. social worker, Doughty mingled with residents, including a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the group responsible for attacks on Israelis. While some interviewees used Doughty to propagate anti-Israeli, anti-Western views, others offered hopes for peace. Although the perspective is limited (no Israeli sources are used), Doughty compellingly relates human interest stories, including his own battle against fatigue, fear and depression, and the routines of women under curfew who try to feed their families--women who ``slip down the sides of the streets when the soldiers are out of sight, stepping into the nearest shop that keeps its door open just a tiny crack.'' Illustrations. (Aug.)