I met Omar Shaban earlier this year in Gaza. It was a Wednesday morning in March, and our group had just arrived from Israel via Erez crossing. As Catholic Relief Services' field manager and head of office in Gaza, Omar was there to collect us at the checkpoint and coordinate the day's visits to CRS programs.
I looked forward to the trip. My colleagues in Baltimore and Jerusalem spoke highly of Omar's intellect, affability and the respect he earned from peers who affectionately dubbed him the "Mayor of Gaza."
In his tailored jacket and snappy sweater vest, the bespectacled 45-year-old looks the part of an economist with advanced degrees from Egypt and Scotland. Omar ran his own accounting consultancy firm in Gaza in the 1980s before working as a business development expert for the United Nations.
When he smiles, his eyes smile too. He is in that instant the devoted dad, passionate community organizer and easygoing friend known for hosting lively crab cookouts at his home.
Born in 1962 in a Palestinian refugee camp, Omar was 5 years old when Israel defeated its Arab neighbors in war and took control of the Gaza Strip. He and his family have lived under occupation ever since.
In our interview, Omar described his passion for life and belief in humanitarian work:
Why did you choose to work for CRS?
I joined CRS in 2001, just two years after the [second] intifada [Palestinian uprising] erupted and Palestinian society was suffering from violence, border closures, restrictions on access and travel, economic sanctions, poverty and so on.
My previous job [with the United Nations] had been focusing on long-term development, which was unrealistic and impossible to do at all in that current atmosphere.
I found CRS was better able to serve our community under the adverse conditions the Palestinian community was living in.
How do you think your work with CRS can help improve lives in Gaza?
Gaza is a community with very limited resources. People are modest and unspoiled by riches. Any assistance that CRS delivers is easily noticed, and Gazans are very appreciative of those who help them. CRS as a faith-based organization can play an important role in enhancing concepts of reconciliation, accepting others, human solidarity and in enriching the tendency toward global peace.
Many people in America know very little about Gaza, except for what they read in the newspapers. What do you want people to know and understand?
Gazans and Palestinians are similar to any other nation on earth. Palestinians dream of living in their own independent state, contributing to global peace and civilization, working with others and building partnership with all nations.
How long did you live in a refugee camp and what was it like living there?
I lived in a refugee camp from the time I was born until I reached the age of 18. At that time, my father was able to buy a very small piece of land and build a house of concrete. Before, we were living in a three-bedroom house built from clay.
Our family consisted of my parents, seven brothers and five sisters. Living in a refugee camp means that you have very limited options: no gardens, tiny streets, and poverty everywhere. But life is also full of energy and hope and enthusiasm and insistence on improving reality. All of my siblings are educated and have obtained university degrees.
How were you able to move away from the camp?
My father worked very hard to save enough money to buy land. Land in Gaza is very expensive to own because it's a very limited area – 139 square miles inhabited by 1.5 million people. To buy a 1000 square meter lot (about ¾ acre) in a village like my town costs $50,000.
Refugees dream of owning land to compensate for what they lost in historical Palestine. Seven years ago, my wife and I used all of our savings to buy a piece of land, and we built a very nice house three years ago. Now we have a nice house with a nice garden, and we love our home very much.
Your wife, Sohair, also works for an international relief agency, the Red Cross. How did you two meet?
We got to know each other in a nontraditional way. We met in 1992 at the YMCA in Gaza City. YMCA was one of the places where many social and cultural activities were run. So there was a good opportunity to see, and, maybe meet your spouse! Sohair was very active in social activities and volunteer work. Her family is also much more "open" than typical Gazan families. We met for the first time on the 28th of March, 1992, and we got married on the 12th of June, 1992.
How many children do you have?
We have two boys, Salam, 15, and Nour, 10. My mother is not happy with me, because she wants more kids like my brothers and sisters have.
What do you enjoy most about your children?
I enjoy friendship with my family. I spare significant time to be with them. The boys are crazy about watching movies, swimming and traveling. Every Friday, I take my whole family to the sea. I also took them to Egypt for vacation. Last month, they started learning to play music at home, and hopefully in a few months they will be skilled enough to form a small band. Nour suggested to his mother that she needs to have three more sons so they can form a musical band of five members.
Do you have any hobbies, and what do you enjoy about them?
I like reading, mainly about social, economic and political issues. I like debating politics and other public issues. I also like to interact with people. Occasionally, I organize … gathering[s] of friends at my home, host barbecues and invite … friend[s] who can play music. I think life is full of nice and good things. We should enjoy properly what we are given by God. I believe that we can better serve our people when we enjoy our lives. Gaza is still a place where life deserves to be respected.
How does your faith influence your work helping others?
I believe that a human being is the center of life. People are the most important element, and that is where we must allocate our utmost efforts, resources and science to help create a better life in our world.
What are the most important things in your life today?
I believe that all of these elements [God, family and life] are interrelated. I cannot imagine having a good family and life without believing in God and the real message of religion – which is making a better life.
What do you hope for the future of Palestine?
What is happening in Palestine – violence, occupation, roadblocks and denial of access to places of prayer – is against what Palestine as a holy place can deliver to the entire world.
There is only one country on earth that is the touchstone for all three religions [Islam, Judaism and Christianity]. Jerusalem should be a place where the entire population of the globe's 6 billion people can come, pray, play, talk, discuss, live, walk.
Months after my March visit to Gaza, the crisis is, sadly, even worse. Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah in a few bloody days in June, and Israel sealed Gaza's borders to all but humanitarian deliveries. International sanctions were lifted in the Fatah-controlled West Bank, but in Gaza, some 1.5 million residents – including families like Omar's – remain sequestered, physically and politically.