55+ Injured in Viva Palestine Convoy

Just saw this, thanks Marwa for sharing!!

Al Jazeera reports

Clash in Egypt over Gaza aid effort

Egypt barred some of the vehicles in the aid convoy from passing through the Rafah crossing [Reuters] At least 55 people have been injured in clashes between Egyptian police and pro-Palestinian activists who were trying to deliver aid into the Gaza Strip, eyewitnesses say. Some 520 activists broke down the gate at the port in al-Arish late on Tuesday in protest against an Egyptian decision to ship some of the goods through Israel, medical workers and protesters said. The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139 vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, about 45km from the port in al-Arish, but requiring a remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel. Around 40 members of the convoy had minor injuries while over a dozen policemen were hurt in the clashes with protesters, who also blocked the two entrances to the Sinai port with vehicles, medical workers said. The Viva Palestina convoy, led by George Galloway, the British MP, had already been delayed by more than a week, after he and a delegation of Turkish MPs failed to persuade the Egyptians to change their mind. Disputed route The convoy of nearly 200 vehicles arrived in al-Arish on Monday after a dispute with Cairo on the route. But the arrival came after a bitter dispute between its organisers and the government, which banned the convoy from entering Egypt's Sinai from Jordan by ferry, forcing it to drive north to the Syrian port of Lattakia. The convoy with 210 lorries full of medicine and other supplies set out from the UK nearly a month ago. Israel and Egypt have severely restricted travel to and from the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized power there in June 2007, after winning Palestinian legislative elections in 2006. In depth 'Fighting to break Gaza siege' Egypt blocks US activists' march Viva Palestina's bumpy road Video: Gaza aid held up in Jordan The blockade currrently allows only very basic supplies into Gaza. The siege has severely restricted essential supplies and placed Gazans in a dire situation, made worse by Israel's military assault last winter that reduced much of the territory to ruins. Hamas has accused Egypt of reinforcing the siege imposed. Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for the group, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Egypt's moves to ban the Gaza aid convoy from reaching the enclave and to build an underground steel wall are deliberate policies that reinforce its participation in the siege. He said that such practices are unjustifiable and frustrating for Palestinian expectations from the Egyptian side. In other Gaza-related news, a Palestinian fighter was reportedly killed and four others wounded in an Israeli air attack on Tuesday in the city of Khan Younis, according to a security source. An Israeli military spokeswoman said Israel had launched the raid against fighters "planning to fire rockets at southern Israel". The armed wing of a group called the Popular Resistance Committee said its members had been targeted by the attack. - - DemocracyNow! Reports Dozens Wounded as Egypt Blocks Gaza Aid Convoy In Egypt, around fifty-five people were reportedly wounded Tuesday when Egyptian forces clashed with members of an international delegation trying to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Several protesters were hospitalized with injuries from rocks and tear gas. The Viva Palestina convoy of nearly 200 trucks departed Britain last month. Convoy leader and British lawmaker George Galloway said the group protested after Egypt tried to force dozens of trucks to pass through Israel. George Galloway: “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 percent of our convoy should go to Israel and never arrive in Gaza. Because nothing that ever goes to Israel, ever arrives in Gaza.” The Egyptian government has blocked hundreds of Palestinian solidarity activists from entering Gaza around the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-backed Israeli assault that killed over 1,300 Palestinians. - All of this stuff is so out of control. Wow.

Viva Palestina Convoy in Crisis

Just got this update on Facebook - anyone have more info or details?

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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

WTF is Going on in Egypt

A great article from The Palestine Chronicle breaks it down:

Here's the new official rationale for Egyptian policy - we're not participating in the siege of Gaza, we're not trying to prevent medicine, food and building supplies from reaching the survivors of last years devastating bombardment that snuffed out 1,600 civilians - we're only out to stop Palestinians from smuggling goods our way without paying duties. We're just protecting our borders against the Gazan hordes. We're not against allowing the aid convoys entering Gaza - we just want to make sure they enter Egypt from Al-Arish - not Nuweiba. Whatever you think about Egyptian policies, you have to tip your hat to Abu El Gheit for being so creative.

Of course, if you don't get your paycheck from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry or your annual bonus check isn't issued by Al-Ahram - you'd have a much easier job explaining Egypt's policy.

Under pressure from the Israeli Lobby, the Congress and the State Department have, in turn, pressed the Egyptian government to cooperate with Israel and tighten the siege of Gaza, close the tunnels and starve Hamas out of power. The government of Hosni Mubarak, after weighing its options and taken into consideration that Hamas is a natural extension of the Muslim Brotherhood, has adopted a rigid policy that complies with the American demands. This has been state policy for two years and Egypt did not waiver from implementing that policy even when Israeli soldiers were committing war crimes in Gaza. Moreover, the Egyptian government is not about to reverse its policies under pressure from the Viva Palestina convoys.

See, that took just one paragraph to explain. There's and even a shorter version - Gazans have no Friends in Egypt

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Don't Tell Me You Thought This Was Over -

Gaza Freedom March URGENT UPDATE

December 29, 2009

9:30 am - 12 noon: Embassy visits

11 am: Press Briefing including hunger striker Hedy Epstein

2 pm: Hunger Strikers Hold Candle Light Vigil


6 pm: Protest of Netanyahu's visit with Egyptian groups

This will be a demonstration against Netanyahu's visit to Cairo and Egypt's role in the siege on Gaza. Egyptian activists are calling for international solidarity, which is vital in showing those in power that we will not be deterred by their attempts to divide us and that we, Egyptians and internationals side by side with Palestinians, will stand fast in our opposition to the crippling Israeli siege on Gaza and Egypt's complicity in it.

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Here is a message of solidarity from Roger Waters of Pink Floyd:

A message of solidarity with THE GAZA FREEDOM MARCH

27 December 2009

My name is Roger Waters. I am an English musician living in the USA. I am
writing to express my great admiration for and solidarity with the 1360 men
and women from 42 different countries around the World who are gathering
in Egypt, preparing for The Gaza Freedom March. We all watched, aghast,
the vicious attack made a year ago on the people of Gaza by Israeli armed
forces and the ongoing illegal siege. The suffering wrought on the
population of Gaza by both the invasion and the siege is unimaginable to us
outside the walls. The aim of The Freedom March is to focus world attention
on the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza in the hope that the scales will
fall from the eyes of all, ordinary, decent people round the world, that they
may see the enormity of the crimes that have been committed, and demand
that their governments bring all possible pressure to bear on Israel to lift the
siege.

I use the word 'crimes' advisedly, as both the siege and the invasion have
been declared unlawful by United Nations bodies and leading human rights
organizations. If we do not all observe international law, if some
governments think themselves above it, it is but a few short, dark, steps to
barbarism and anarchy.

The Gaza Freedom March is a beacon to all those of us who believe that
under the skin, we are all brothers and sisters, who must stand shoulder to
shoulder, if we are to make a future where all have recourse to law and
universal human rights. Where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is
not just the preserve of the few. All the oil in The Middle East is not worth
one child's life. So to those of you who march, I tip my hat. It is a brave and
noble thing you do, and when you reach your goal please tell our Palestinian
brothers and sisters, that out here, beyond the Walls of their Prison, stand
hundreds of thousands of us in solidarity with them. Today, hundreds of
thousands, tomorrow, millions, soon, hundreds of millions. We Shall
Overcome.

Roger Waters

22nd Birthday in Cairo <3

If you haven't read already, I published a press release that was sent out earlier today notifying everyone that people affiliated with the Gaza Freedom March were put under house arrest temporarily in hotel in al-Arish and also several people who were trying to leave al-Arish were detained and were still in prison at least up until the afternoon.

The silent candle light vigil that was held today by the lawyers union ended in a really ugly way when the group of mostly local Egyptian nationals were not only surrounded by state security but then also beaten up for holding the memorial.

The 4:30 p.m. memorial that was supposed to take place in dozens of boats on the Nile also encountered many complications when we found out that we weren't allowed to rent or board any of the boats so that we could place the 1400 candles along the Nile. We ended up rallying in front of the Nile anyway, and of course tons of police came and within an hour we also saw these massive armored trucks starting to show up (kind of like the type the SWAT team in the U.S. use) and so pretty soon we dispersed because we clearly did not want to be rounded up and thrown into trucks and taken to jail.

At the 7:30 meeting at Al-Mogamma we also found out the news that the bus company who we had a reservation to take everyone in the March to al-Arish would not be able to any longer because the Egyptian government threatened to revoke their licenses and shut down their business entirely if they took us. So needless to say, we can no longer go. Also - this just might be my inner conspiracy theorist in me speaking - but I am convinced that this place has to be swarming with spies and the like. Its just too political to not be and some people have been super shady, too.

All of these things are so unreal to me right now. I knew that our political presence and demonstrating in Egypt were not really welcome, especially to a government that could care less about public opinion and freedom of speech, but seriously - beating people up? detaining them for hours? shutting down entire companies? Furthermore, we don't WANT to stay in Egypt any longer than we have to. Even though I have my issues with the Egyptian government, I did not come here this time for them and I'm sure as hell that neither did the rest of the 1300+ people. We came to stand with the Palestinians, deliver aid, and bring back their stories. Sigh.

It sounds like Egypt has taken a page out of Israel's book and is acting in an eerily familiar way when people that challenge the state and wish to exercise their "right" to free speech. Its so sad and outrageous at the same time.

As far as getting into Gaza is concerned, things aren't looking so well to be honest. The latest that I have heard is that Rafah will be opening on January 3rd, 4th, and 5th, for the Viva Palestina convoy and we're hoping that this generosity might be inclusive of all internationals as well. That is really the only hope that I really see remaining of us getting into Gaza because other than that everything is looking pretty bleak. I know that some of the other subdivisions within the March like the students group and the interfaith group might hold smaller solidarity actions in strategic locations in Egypt but I'm not really sure what those might be. I'm also uncertain to what the outcomes for those will be as well seeing as how some of the other, quite simple things, have taken such a bad turn.

So today it was my 22nd birthday :) I was honestly a bit homesick because its hard to celebrate when all your loved ones are away but it was still a good day, alhumdulilah.

So I slept in today and ended up missing the 11 a.m. vigil that was planned on the Nile Bridge. Turns out though, that police ended up breaking up the memorial anyway and removed what the people had put up there to commemorate those lives lost in the Gaza Massacre.

I later went to the 4:30 p.m. memorial on the Nile and luckily I ran into Matt and his mom, Patty, who are also from the DMV and so afterwards we grabbed a quick bite to eat before the 7:30 meeting at al-Mogamma.

After that I met up with Sherif and Rania, who are probably two of the nicest people in the world, and for my birthday we went to get some Koshary and mango juice from Farghali. I am so extremely stuffed right now even after eating like 4 hours ago. I love the food here :) I was also telling Efo, that Cairo really feels like a city where everyone is in love. You see couples all the time, sitting along the Nile, holding hands, "canoodling" lol, and just being super romantic - its really adorable.

I think Efo made a really good point though that people are this way because being in love or spending time with a significant other is really one of the few ways the people can escape briefly from a harsh reality of stark class structure/privilege and intense political oppression. It honestly makes a lot of sense too and in some ways its a beautiful surprise back to reality because even in countries or places, very much like Palestine, people still live and time goes on. So as strange as it might seem at first, even under occupation and repression, people fall in love, get married, give birth, and/or celebrate birthdays. At the end of the day, we all just to be normal and to be human, and love is one of the few things that survives amidst the most harshest of surroundings. So tonight, I'm sending lots of love your way. xox

Thinking of Gaza and Palestine, always.

-Sana J.

Viva Palestina Convoy Update

Peace everyone,

In case you don't know already, Viva Palestina is another delegation that is currently trying to get into Gaza, like the Gaza Freedom March, to deliver humanitarian aid and to shed light on what an occupation really entails and unfortunately they are also being given the run around by the Egyptian government.

Since they are travelling by boat, their situation is a little different but the message from Egypt is the same - that it will not cooperate whatsoever.

Here is the update.

-Sana

- -

Viva Palestina has traveled throughout Europe, Turkey, Syria and Jordan and have been welcomed with open arms. However, having arrived to Aqaba to sail into Nouba, a nearby Egyptian port, they have been denied access by the Egyptian Authority, who claim that the Rafah border is open to the convoy. But the reality is far fetched from this, being prohibited to sail into Nouba, entering Palestine would be an impossibility.


Egypt asserts that it has not hindered the convoy in any sense and that it has offered access to the convoy via El-Arish, but this would mean driving hundreds of miles back into the countries they have formerly crossed. Furthermore, Egypt has ordered the convoy to comply to its set of guidlines, which include coordinating with UNRWA, and thus surrendering all humanitarian aid carried. Adding fuel to the fire, the Egyptian authorities have outlined that the convoy leaders must negotiate with Israel to get into Gaza, despite it being a region universally accepted as Palestinian land.


The convoy members aim to go on a hunger strike as of 27th December 2009 in an attempt to appeal to the president of Egypt and show solidarity with the Palestinians as they mark the anniversary of the assault on Gaza at the Israeli hand. The duration of the hunger strike has not been revealed but it is clear that the convoy will not yield to the barriers before them.

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Spread this aforementioned news. Forward this to all of your friends! Create awareness, and help us make a change!

Gaza Freedom March Letter to President Mubarak

I'm not quite sure what the outcome of all of this will be with regards to us getting into Gaza or not. Honestly as the days go by, I feel like it is less and less of a possibility but I still have hope and I'm trying to be as optimistic as possible even when the Egyptian government is not cooperating with us at all.

Either way, I know there will be various actions and things done in Cairo in solidarity with the Palestinians but its sad to see that something as simple as a peaceful demonstration would be so over complicated. Ugh, Egypt...

-Sana

- - -

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUBARAK FROM THE GAZA FREEDOM MARCH

December 25, 2009

Dear President Mubarak;

We, representing 1,362 individuals from 43 countries arriving in Cairo to participate in the Gaza Freedom March, are pleading to the Egyptians and your reputation for hospitality.

We are peacemakers. We have not come to Egypt to create trouble or cause conflict. On the contrary. We have come because we believe that all people -- including the Palestinians of Gaza -- should have access to the resources they need to live in dignity. We have gathered in Egypt because we believed that you would welcome and support our noble goal and help us reach Gaza through your land.

As individuals who believe in justice and human rights, we have spent our hard-earned, and sometimes scarce, resources to buy plane tickets, book hotel rooms and secure transportation only to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza living under a crushing Israeli blockade.

We are doctors, lawyers, students, academics, poets and musicians. We are young and old. We are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and secular. We represent civil society groups in many countries who coordinated this large project with the civil society in Gaza.

We have raised tens of thousands of dollars for medical aid, school supplies and winter clothing for the children of Gaza. But we realize that in addition to material aid, the Palestinians of Gaza need moral support. We came to offer that support on the difficult anniversary of an invasion that brought them so much suffering.

The idea of the Gaza Freedom March—a nonviolent march to the Israeli Erez crossing-- emerged during one of our trips to Gaza in May, a trip that was kindly facilitated by the Egyptian government. Ever since the idea emerged, we have been talking to your government through your embassies overseas and directly with your Foreign Ministries. Your representatives have been kind and supportive. We were asked to furnish information about all the participants—passports, dates of birth, occupations—which we have done in good faith. We have answered every question, met every request. For months we have been working under the assumption that your government would facilitate our passage, as it has done on so many other occasions. We waited and waited for an answer.

Meanwhile, time was getting short and we had to start organizing. Travel over the Christmas season is not easy in the countries where many of us live. Tickets have to be purchased weeks, if not months, in advance. This is what all 1,362 individuals did. They spent their own funds or raised money from their communities to pay their way. Add to this the priceless time, effort and sacrifice by all these people to be away from their homes and loved ones during their festive season.

In Gaza, civil society groups—students, unions, women, farmers, refugee groups—have been working nonstop for months to organize the march. They have organized workshops, concerts, press conferences, endless meetings—all of this with their own scarce resources. They have been buoyed by the anticipated presence of so many global citizens coming to support their just cause.

If the Egyptian government decides to prevent the Gaza Freedom March, all this work and cost is lost.

And that's not all. It is practically impossible, this late in the game, to stop all these people from travelling to Egypt, even if we wanted to. Moreover, most have no plans in Egypt other than to arrive at a predetermined meeting point to head together to the Gaza border. If these plans are cancelled there will be a lot of unjustified suffering for the Palestinians of Gaza and over a thousand internationals who had nothing in mind but noble intentions.

We plead to you to let the Gaza Freedom March continue so that we can join the Palestinians of Gaza to march together on December 31, 2009.

We are truly hopeful that we will receive a positive response from you and thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely

Tighe Barry, Gaza Freedom March coordinator
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK, USA
Kawthar Guediri, Collectif National pour une Paix Juste et Durable entre Palestinens et Israeliens, France
Mark Johnson, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Alessandra Mecozzi, Action for Peace-Italy
Germano Monti, Forum Palestine, Italy
Ehab Lotayef, Gaza Freedom March, Canada
Ziyaad Lunat, Gaza Freedom March, Europe
Thomas Sommer, Focus on The Global South, India
David Torres, ABP, Belgium
Ann Wright, Gaza Freedom March coordinator
Olivia Zemor, Euro-Palestine, France

Try And Stop Us.

So I'm on my way to New York to catch my flight to Cairo and news comes, unsurprisingly, of the Egyptian government's refusal to allow the March to occur and how those who break the law will be dealt with. If anyone is familiar with this conflict already, I think it is needless to say that I don't really care or respect the Egyptian governments views very much, because of their inhumane and heartless treatment of the Palestinian people.

The Egyptians have often denied access to Palestinians fleeing the Gaza Strip from outright bombings and starvation, to the point of even shooting innocent people and killing them. So given that, and the fact that Egypt just released news that they are building a steel wall on the Gaza border, I am not really surprised by this "news" coming from Egypt.

What I think is more important though than Egypt's lack of sympathy and humanity for Palestinians and those who are taking a stand on their behalf, is the press release from the Gaza Freedom March and how we are responding (read: disregarding) this denial from Egypt.

It says the following:

December 21, 2009

We are determined to break the siege

We all will continue to do whatever we can to make it happen

Using the pretext of escalating tensions on the Gaza-Egypt border, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry informed us yesterday that the Rafah border will be closed over the coming weeks, into January. We responded that there is always tension at the border because of the siege, that we do not feel threatened, and that if there are any risks, they are risks we are willing to take. We also said that it was too late for over 1,300 delegates coming from over 42 countries to change their plans now. We both agreed to continue our exchanges.

Although we consider this as a setback, it is something we've encountered-and overcome--before. No delegation, large or small, that entered Gaza over the past 12 months has ever received a final OK before arriving at the Rafah border. Most delegations were discouraged from even heading out of Cairo to Rafah. Some had their buses stopped on the way. Some have been told outright that they could not go into Gaza. But after public and political pressure, the Egyptian government changed its position and let them pass.

Our efforts and plans will not be altered at this point. We have set out to break the siege of Gaza and march on December 31 against the Israeli blockade. We are continuing in the same direction.

Egyptian embassies and missions all over the world must hear from us and our supporters (by phone, fax and email)** over the coming crucial days, with a clear message: Let the international delegation enter Gaza and let the Gaza Freedom March proceed.

Contact your local consulate here:
http://www.mfa.gov.eg/MFA_Portal/en-GB/mfa_websits/

Contact the Palestine Division in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cairo

Ahmed Azzam, tel +202-25749682 Email: ahmed.azzam@mfa.gov.eg

In the U.S., contact the Egyptian Embassy, 202-895-5400 and ask for Omar Youssef or email omaryoussef@hotmail.com

We look forward to seeing you all in the coming week.

The GFM Steering Committee

If any of you have a spare moment to send an e-mail or a phone call, please do so to ensure that this March can happen and Egypt is pressured to do the right thing and let this peaceful demonstration for the sake of humanity occur.

Wish me safe travels!

-Sana