LATEST UPDATE: Via Palestina convoy enters Gaza

For details, see Oui’s comment below. Thanks, Oui.

UPDATE to Egypt screwing the Gaza convoy, once again

Wednesday January 6, 2010


Sky News Online

Controversial MP George Galloway has been involved in scuffles with Egyptian police as a group of pro-Palestinian activists tried to get a relief convoy into the Gaza Strip.

According to medics 55 people were injured after the 520 activists broke down the gate at the port in El-Arish to protest against an Egyptian decision to ship some of the goods through Israel.

They blocked the two entrances to the Sinai port with vehicles and clashed with police who used water cannon to control the protests.

A statement by one of the convoy leaders, Kevin Ovenden, on the Viva Palestina website said that their situation was at “crisis point”, after rioting broke out in the port.

Mr Galloway said: “Together with myself and other leaders of the convoy we were in negotiations with the Egyptian authorities about their determination to remove more than 55 of our vehicles and send them to the Israeli checkpoint.

“We refused this because it is a breach of the agreement we reached in Akabar between the government of Egypt and the Turkish side and it completely unconsciounable that 25% of our convoy should go to Israel and never arrive in Gaza.

“Because nothing that ever goes to Israel, ever arrives in Gaza.”

The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139 vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, about 30 miles from El-Arish, but requiring a remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel.

Yesterday, Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Egypt screwing the Gaza convoy, once again

Egyptian authorities, not the Egyptian people, have been throwing monkey wrenches in the path of the Viva Palestinian convoy (as well as the Gaza Freedom March earlier, which fizzled in Cairo) at every turn. At present they are preventing the convoy from entering Gaza. It can only be hoped that these efforts have awakened more people around the world to the aftermath of Israel’s massacre of Gazan Palestinians a year ago. The Palestinians in Gaza, children and adults alike, continue to suffer from the illegal collective punishment caused by the siege.

We must also remember that Americans are in the forefront of this tightening the screws, the suffering, on the Palestinian people.

Ashamed to be an American today.

This email was received yesterday (January 5, 2010) from the Viva Palestina convoy.

To all friends of Palestine

Our situation is now at a crisis point! Riot has broken out in the port of Al- Arish.

This late afternoon we were negotiating with a senior official from Cairo who left negotiations some two hours ago and did not return. Our negotiations with the official was regarding taking our aid vehicles into Gaza.

He left two hours ago and did not come back. Egyptian authorities called over 2,000 riot police who then moved towards our camp at the port.

We have now blocked the entrance to the port and we are now faced with riot police and water cannons and are determined to defend our vehicles and aid.

The Egyptian authorities have by their stubbornness and hostility towards the convoy, brought us to a crisis point.

We are now calling upon all friends of palestine to mount protests in person where possible, but by any means available to Egyptian representatives, consulates and Embassy’s and demand that the convoy are allowed a safe passage into Gaza tomorrow!

Kevin Ovenden
Viva Palestina Convoy Leader

Forwarded by Alice Howard
Viva Palestina UK – Administration Manager
Tel: 07944 512 469
Email: alice@vivapalestina.org
Website: http://www.vivapalestina.org/

This video from Press TV indicated that there was not only no movement toward overcoming restrictions on the convoy with respect to the number of vehicles and the number of the accompanying 450 activists that will be allowed into Gaza, but that the Egyptian authorities have now called in the riot police and have blocked the convoy.

We can only hope that Mubarak comes to his senses and stops sucking up to Israel and the US.

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