A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine came over for tea. She mentioned a Palestinian activist named Rawand Masoud who has made it her life’s mission to bring the world’s attention to the plight of Palestinians as well as to find a cure for cancer.“That is Rawand Masoud’s dream,” smiled my friend. “The world should hear about her dream!”
In the West, we hear about Palestine in the news. However, the sort of imagery associated with a mere mention of the troubled nation is often painted heavily with carnage, bloodshed, and a deep sense of hopelessness.
Although there is more than an ounce of truth involved when it comes to this definition of the Middle East crisis, it would be a serious oversight to limit our exposure to a one-dimensional viewpoint alone. Life, after all, is complicated and people are every bit fascinating. That being said, it would be no exaggeration to state that every single one of us has a multi-dimensional story trapped inside of us and a great majority of these stories teem with purpose and inspiration. Masoud represents one such story and, I can assure you, it will genuinely move you.
“I was born in Gaza, Palestine,” wrote Masoud. “Originally, I am a refugee from Jaffa-occupied Palestine. My grandfather was forced to leave in 1948 (Nakba).”
The decision to move around certainly has been repeated several times since and has more or less become the fate of all Palestinians.
“Growing up under occupation is the worst experience anyone can go through,” she shared. “Palestinians encounter obstacles every step of the way, making life in Gaza pretty much unbearable.”
Masoud recalled the time when she was four years old and was gravely ill. “My parents tried to get me to the hospital for treatment but it was impossible because Israeli occupation forces had imposed a curfew preventing anyone from leaving their house.”
Many Palestinian children grow up in complete fear and battle feelings of uncertainty on a nearly daily basis.
“I used to wake up terrified because Israeli forces would often show up on our doorstep in the dead of the night demanding to inspect our house without a warrant… They were on a hunt for members of the Palestinian resistance. We never knew when one of them would decide to take away a member of my family for questioning. Often times people who are taken away never return.”
It is very difficult for Palestinian students to attend school. “My classmates often had to miss class because they were not allowed to cross Israeli check points in the Gaza Strip,” shared Masoud. “I remember the time we were in class when Israeli forces suddenly started bombarding Gaza. We were worried sick for our families.”
Despite the seemingly incessant hardships, students made every effort to attend school because they believed deep down that education was the only way they could hope to create a better future for themselves.
Rawand Masoud, like her classmates, remained dedicated to her studies. As she grew older, she realized that science was her life’s passion. “I was fascinated by how scientists design and test new drugs in a bid to find a cure for diseases,” she wrote.
She completed her undergraduate degree in Pharmacy in Gaza. The desire to learn continued to flicker within her. However, she understood that living in her hometown would set her back in terms of acquiring further education.
“We don’t have the necessary infrastructure, materials, and machines that support scientific research,” shared Masoud. “Israeli forces prevent materials and chemicals from entering Gaza. I decided it was time to leave my big prison and go elsewhere.”
Masoud applied for the French Government scholarship and competed against a thousand other Palestinian applicants. She was awarded the scholarship. However, when it came time to apply for her Israeli permission to leave Gaza, the government denied her application. She did not lose hope.
“I waited and reapplied for the scholarship the following year. The French government, once again, awarded me.”
Fully cognizant of the fact that the real battle was convincing the Israeli government to grant her permission to depart, she contacted various international associations including the French consulate to vouch for her. The strategy worked.
Masoud moved to Europe and sought education at various institutions in France, Italy, and Poland. She completed her master’s degree and moved to Paris immediately after to pursue her Ph.D. in Biochemistry.
Settling down in France did not come without it’s own set of challenges. Rawand Masoud and her young family are grateful for the opportunity to live in a peaceful environment where she can pursue her passions freely and safely but she misses home. Her parents and extended family are yet to meet her baby daughter.
“It’s been five years since we’ve visited Gaza,” she said softly. “My daughter does not have her Palestinian papers yet. I see friends who freely fly to their respective countries to spend holidays with their families. I wish we had that sort of freedom too.”
Not having a proper identity is another challenge few people understand unless they are in her position.
To clarify her point, Masoud explained: “I had to sign a contract with the university. One of the forms required that I declare my nationality in order to validate the contract. The trouble is that Palestine is not recognized as an independent state. I was told my country does not exist in the university’s database and was asked to choose a different nationality!”
The young lady insisted that they add Palestine to their database. “How can I be anything but a Palestinian?” she exclaimed.
Her persistence paid off once again. The university ultimately recognized her place of birth.
If someone reading this article has never given much thought to their nationality or takes their freedom for granted, they might want to consider the struggle that people like Rawand Masoud face on a daily basis.
The activist is currently working as a Post-doc researcher at the Cancer Research Center of Marseille and Aix-Marseille University. “I perform preclinical trials of new drugs that target energy metabolism in order to overcome resistance to chemotherapy.”
She is leading research efforts on identifying a cure for pancreatic cancer, which is considered a terminal disease. A patient diagnosed with pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of less than five percent. Masoud hopes that advanced research efforts will lead to a more favorable scenario in due time.
When she’s not in the laboratory, Rawand is busy helping accomplish the goals of PalMed – an organization that assembles Palestinian doctors across Europe.
“Our association, amongst other things, serves to connect European universities and hospitals with academic and health institutions in Palestine. Our mission is to improve the Palestinian healthcare system.”
At the heart of PalMed’s mission lies the effort to further medical innovation and training opportunities.
“I have led a collaboration project between Palestinian hospitals and one of the most recognized cancer hospitals in Marseille, France. We facilitate the training of Palestinian doctors so they can master advanced surgical procedures and remain abreast with the latest cancer treatment approaches.”
PalMed provides free consultations to refugees in France. Moreover, the association regularly sends medical professionals to Palestine where they perform complicated surgeries on patients who don’t have ready access to care.
In the relatively little time she’s lived in Europe, Masoud has made significant strides, which is undoubtedly a source of pride for her and her family.
“Once, our organization received a message from a Palestinian surgeon who returned to Jerusalem after receiving medical training in France,” she elaborated. “He wanted us to know that the techniques he learned here led him to successfully operate on patients in Palestine, saving countless lives!”
Masoud hopes to continue cancer research and promote awareness about the deadly disease. She believes that Palestinians should focus on finding a way around their obstacles and strongly invest in their children’s education because that is the only way they can lift each other out of misery.
“I want people to keep hope alive,” she stated. “Through PalMed, I want to welcome doctors from every corner of Palestine to Europe so they can attain sophisticated medical training. I also hope we can send French surgeons to Palestine where they will not only treat patients but also train doctors who are unable to vacate Gaza. My dream is to establish an international project so students in Palestinian universities can benefit from improved and innovative research methodologies.”
She also wants to concurrently raise her voice for Palestine so people the world over can understand the challenges faced by the people of Palestine.
“I have participated in many conferences in France where I strive to acquaint people with the sort of lifestyle Palestinians are leading under Israeli occupation,” she explained. “I have appeared at an event organized by the Human Rights Council where I spoke about Palestinian children experiencing detention in Israel. I’ve also had the opportunity to speak about Palestinian women’s rights at the United Nations conference in Geneva.”
I asked Rawand what fuels her determination and keeps her motivated. “Being a Palestinian is a source of motivation itself,” replied the stoic young lady. “When I see my people suffering under the occupation in Gaza, I feel that I should do something to help them. With every little achievement, my motivation is renewed.”
She wants others who are living in oppression to learn from her struggle and continue holding out hope.
“I was raised as a refugee in an occupied country where kids are arrested and killed daily without accountability. One can never understand the price of freedom unless it is snatched from them… But, I still think there is a way out. There are many peaceful ways to resist occupation, one of them being education. With access to proper education, children will be exposed to books and pencils, not pebbles and shrapnel. They will grow up with hopes and dreams. They will participate eagerly in developing their country. And I strongly believe that they will ultimately taste freedom!”
Keeping in mind the jarring incidents that pack our daily newsfeed to capacity, her words spell out an impossible dream… but Rawand remains hopeful.
“An average Palestinian dreams simple dreams,” she smiled. “Palestinian people dream of living in peace. They wish for access to health and education, or at the very least the ability to move about freely… I hope the world understands the urgent need to end the occupation so this prolonged episode of injustice can finally recede into the annals of history.”
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