Viva Palestina - Gaza mission #3

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Egypt blamed for Gaza convoy delay

British politician George Galloway has criticised Egypt for denying a humanitarian aid convoy permission to enter the Gaza Strip. The Viva Palestina aid convoy, containing some 210 vehicles and 500 people, is currently stranded in Jordan with Cairo refusing to allow it passage to Gaza through the Red Sea port of Nuweiba. The lorries are laden with European, Turkish and Arab aid - both food and medical supplies.

"It's a strange Christmas for us. We are stuck ... hundreds of tonnes of aid which is desperately needed in Gaza," Galloway said in an interview with Press TV on Friday. "We are very sad not yet angry, but we will get angry if the days go by".

But Hossam Zaki, an Egyptian port official, insisted that there would be "no entry from Nuweiba", saying "entry can only be through El-Arish". El-Arish is a port on Egypt's Mediterreanean coast, while Nuweiba is on the Red Sea. The Egyptian decision means the convoy would have to travel hundreds of kilometres by ferry around the Sinai peninsula and through the Suez Canal.

In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said: "The Egyptian government welcomes the passage of the convoy into the Gaza Strip on December 27, on condition that it abides by the mechanisms in place for humanitarian aid convoys to the Palestinian people. This includes most importantly, the entry of convoys through the port of El-Arish".

Gaza has been under a stifling Israeli siege since a Hamas election victory and its decision to push Fatah armed forces from the territory in June 2007. The blockade 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.

According to the latest UN report on the situation in Gaza, the ongoing Israeli blockade has triggered a "protracted human dignity crisis" with negative humanitarian consequences. "At the heart of this crisis is the degradation in the living conditions of the population, caused by the erosion of livelihoods and the gradual decline in the state of infrastructure, and the quality of vital services in the areas of health, water and sanitation, and education,” adds the report.

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Bastard Egyptian government fuckers.

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The heart goes out to Gaza
By SHAHANAAZ HABIB

A year after the Israeli military offensive on Gaza, the people there are still in dire straits. It has been a year since the Dec 27 Israeli strike on Gaza. Just a day ago, Haifa, my Palestinian friend who lives in Gaza City, e-mailed me about the situation inside.

“GAZA! I don’t know where to start. People here are alive and not alive at the same time. The situation is really bad and getting worse every day. Nothing has changed since the war. People are still living in tents and the borders are still closed. We are still living under siege. Fatah and Hamas are still fighting. Is this enough or I should say more?

“The big ugly news these days is that the tunnels will be closed soon. Egypt is building a thick iron wall under the ground to close the tunnels and to prevent the Palestinians from building new tunnels. People are going crazy because of that. Prices are getting high and goods will run out soon,” wrote the 21-year-old. Though painful to read, it was hardly surprising.

Little seems to have changed even with a new president in office in the United States – one who came to Cairo in June making huge promises such as wanting to push the Israeli and Palestinian peace process forward and help Gaza re-build, among others. I hate to admit this, but back in January I cried for hours when I got out of Gaza. I was angry, disgusted and heart-sick to the core.

I couldn’t understand how governments in the West, which are always talking about human rights, could stand aside – not for one or two but 22 days (Dec 27 to Jan 18) and let Israel – which has one of the most well-equipped armies and weapons in the world - have its way with Gaza, an occupied territory that does not have even a single helicopter, plane, ship or tank. I was disgusted at Arab countries that couldn’t get their act together. They couldn’t even (perhaps deliberately) come to an agreement to condemn Israel’s attack on Gaza, a tiny territory at only 45km long and six to12km wide with a population of 1.5mil.

So imagine the damage 22 days of incessant bombing could do to this tiny place – not to mention the white phosphorous bombs shot into civilian areas that burnt and literally “ate” into the flesh of people who could not get away in time. And there were all those babies with direct bullet wounds to their heads, and children shot by Israeli soldiers at close range in front of their parents who were allowed to live; and women and men hit by “new weapons” where micro pellets penetrate their skin destroying organs like the brain, lungs and abdomen. The holes the micro pellets cause are so small that patients bleed all over and doctors can’t stop the bleeding because they can’t find the entry points.

Yes, militants in Gaza have fired rockets into southern Israel but do you punish an entire population for the act of a few?

And I couldn’t fathom how Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has no heart. It refused to open up its border during the 22-day attack to let those in the war zone out and let in those who wanted to help, like foreign doctors, nurses and humanitarian workers. Journalists, food and medical supplies too were kept out.

Ever since Hamas (which the US deems as a terrorist organisation), which won democratic elections, took control of Gaza in June 2007, the world (led by the US) has been punishing the people of Gaza for their vote by imposing a blockade on it. Israel and Egypt, the two countries sharing borders with Gaza, closed off their borders, which essentially means denying the people of Gaza access to basic goods like petrol, cooking gas, baby’s milk, medicine, and food. This is why these products, and also motorcycles, are smuggled in through underground tunnels near the Egyptian border at Rafah at premium prices.

People can’t get in or out as they like - not even for medical treatment. And those from outside can’t get in. Little wonder then that Gaza has been dubbed “The Largest Jail on Earth”.

I only got into Gaza two days before the war ended – when Egypt finally relented and let journalists and doctors in. By then the situation was already dire. So many houses and almost all factories, chicken farms, buildings and offices lay in ruins. Ambulances and fire rescue workers trying to reach victims came under fire. Hospitals too were targeted, and fire stations, universities and schools where families took shelter were not spared either. The water, power supply and sewage situation were nearing collapse.

Israel hit anything and everything, leaving a trail of destruction behind and 1,400 dead Palestinians. In comparison, on the Israeli side only 13 died, of whom three were civilians. A year on, because the borders have remained closed, Gaza has not been able to rebuild.

In its latest report, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) painted a damning picture. “There has been scarcely any improvement in the situation since the end of the war in Gaza mainly because of the tight closure, which is preventing reconstruction,” said Pierre Wettach, the ICRC’s chief representative in Israel and the occupied territories.

“Families are still living in tents or with relatives or some have moved back into their partly destroyed homes,” he noted. “Building materials remain unavailable or too expensive. Those that do reach Gaza are mostly smuggled in and sold at high prices. The price of cement is still unaffordable for many people. Steel and glass are simply not available,” he added.

As for power and water supply, that too is not back to normal. Wettach said the people here live under the constant threat of a collapse of water, sanitation and electricity services and there are daily blackouts that can last as long as eight hours. Israel, he said, is still not allowing the ICRC to bring in materials needed to maintain the water and sanitation infrastructure and it is even a struggle to make small repairs as they have to hunt for alternatives from the local market or use re-cycled items.

Despite the difficulties, said the ICRC, it has managed to carry on with the construction of waste water treatment plants in Khan Yunis and Rafah by using unusual materials such as the concrete segments of the old Rafah border wall that were abandoned after its partial demolition. The ICRC also drew a dismal picture of the situation at the hospital, saying that essential medicines are in “extreme short supply” or just not available at all.

As for repairs to ambulances, the ICRC said it has been such a long process, sometimes taking up to eight months, just to bring in spare parts! And it has been unsuccessful in trying to import radio equipment for ambulances, which is essential for such services.

The livelihood of fishermen and farmers too has been adversely affected. Before the war, the Gaza fishermen could fish up to six nautical miles off the coast but now, under the watchful eye of Israeli navy ships, this has been cut down to three nautical miles. Their catch has thus been reduced by 63%.

The military offensive too destroyed 17% of land and rendered 30% unusable. Farmers who own land close to Israel risk being shot at if they come within 1,200m of the border. Others have to be more than 350m away while some cannot reach their farms at all. “It’s really very sad that we are seeing no change for the better on the ground,” said the ICRC’s Javier Cordova.

Earlier this month, 16 human rights organisations including Oxfam and Amnesty International issued a hard-hitting statement saying that the world has betrayed civilians in the Gaza Strip by failing to end the Israeli blockade.“It is not only Israel that has failed the people of Gaza with a blockade that punishes everybody living there for the act of a few. World powers have also failed and even betrayed Gaza’s ordinary citizens. They have wrung their hands and issued statements but taken little meaningful action to attempt to change the damaging policy that prevents reconstruction,” said Oxfam international director Jeremy Hobbs.

The group said that since the war ended on Jan 18, only 41 truckloads of construction materials have been allowed into Gaza, which is simply pathetic considering the massive destruction it suffered. Indeed, the world has let Gaza down.

After the war, the UN carried out a fact-finding mission in Gaza led by respected South African judge Richard Goldstone. After a three-month investigation, the Goldstone Report concluded that Israel had indeed committed serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during its military operations, some of which amounted to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity.

It said that while Israel’s government has a duty to protect its citizens, that in no way justifies a policy of collective punishment of a people under occupation, destroying their means to live a dignified life and causing the kind of trauma on the people through the 22-day military operation. Since that report was released in September, there has still been no action - against Israel or to help Gaza get back on its feet.

The US (which is always known to be lop-sided in its policy to Israel) rejected the Goldstone report, calling it “irredeemably biased” and complained that it had singled Israel out from all nations for condemnation.

If this wasn’t bad enough, Egypt, with the help of US funds (US$32mil) and the US Army Corps of Engineers, has started constructing a massive bombproof steel wall along its border with Gaza. The wall is impenetrable and would be impossible to cut or melt and will penetrate 20m to 30m deep into the ground, thereby sealing off the majority of the tunnels that have served as Gaza’s life line. The reason: Israel complained that arms were being smuggled through these tunnels. Never mind that the tunnels are there because of the continued blockade on Gaza and that the people are forced to use them to bring in basic supplies.

In Cairo in June, President Obama spoke of peace, mutual respect and new beginnings with the Middle East. But looking at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza today, that has a hollow ring to it. I doubt people in Gaza think Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. He too has failed them miserably.

The only light at the end of the tunnel, if any, would come from civil society. Right now, a convoy of 220 vehicles calling itself Viva Palestina is trying to make its way to Gaza to deliver ambulances and hundreds of tonnes of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies. The convoy, the brainchild of George Galloway, started out from London two weeks ago. Made up of 450 volunteers from all over the word, it is in Jordan waiting to enter Egypt.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO), which donated three trucks and one ambulance, is part of the convoy. But the Egyptian side has been giving the convoy the run around. As of yesterday, the convoy was stuck in Aqaba, Jordan, as Egypt said it could not go through the Nuweiba Port and has to go through the El-Arish port instead.

Another group comprising some 1,400 people from over 40 countries are also in the process of making their way to Egypt for the Gaza Freedom March (GFM) planned for New Year’s Eve. The group plans to march to the Erez border-crossing between Israel and Gaza and demand an end to the siege and lifting of the blockade. But the Egyptian government has also given them the cold shoulder.

To their credit, these groups are still trying and some of the volunteers in the convoy have even said they won’t go home until they have delivered the aid to Gaza. As Amnesty International’s UK director, Kate Allen, so aptly remarked: “The wretched reality endured by 1.5 million people in Gaza should appal anybody with an ounce of humanity.” But it appears that some governments just don’t get it or simply lack even a shred of compassion. So how can we then not cry for Gaza?

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Hunger strike of activists in Egypt for Gaza, Palestine
BY John Hurson,
International Hunger Strike Press Release,
PTT

December 27th marks the anniversary of the attack on Gaza by Israel, which left over 1,400 people dead, and over 5,000 injured in 22 days. At 11 35 am, the time of the first attack, a group of humanitarians on the “Viva Palestina Convoy” will embark on an International Hunger Strike in the main square in Aqaba, Jordan.

The International Hunger Strike will aim to highlight the ongoing illegal siege imposed on Gaza, and to remember the victims of the attacks who died during the 22 day bombardment by Israel. This International Hunger Strike will also highlight the refusal by Egypt, under Israeli pressure, to allow the humanitarian aid to reach the people in Gaza.

The convoy has been stranded in the city for 3 days now, having been refused permission to enter Egypt on their way to Gaza. There are 500 people from no less than 20 different countries in 250 vehicles loaded with charitable humanitarian aid. The convoy is been led by leading international politician George Galloway, having left London on December 6th.

Embarking on the International Hunger Strike are 15 people from different continents across the world. Among those taking part are Fatima Mohammidi from the United States, John Hurson and Caoimhe Butterly from Ireland, Ahasan Shamruk from Palestine, Nidal Hajaj, Hanan Chehata and Mohammed Shakiel from England, plus Kamal Mashni from Australia among others.

Each day, 15 more people from the convoy will join in the International Hunger Strike, and they will go without food until the convoy is allowed to enter safely into Egypt, and through the Rafah border to Gaza.

Speaking from Aqaba, Ahasan Shamruk, said, “I am joining this Hunger Strike to draw attention to the fact that the siege is a form of collective, sustained, and devastating punishment of 1.5 million civilian people. As we commemorate the first year anniversary of the massacres, it is important to remember, that for my brothers and sisters living under siege in Gaza, the war has not ended.”

John Hurson, from Tyrone, who traveled on the first “Viva Palestina Convoy”, decided to join the International Hunger Strike to draw attention to the fact that nothing has changed in the past year following the attacks. John said, “from my time spent in Gaza, to think that in the year 2009, people are denied all the basic essentials in life, like water, electricity, medicine, blankets, books, and even footballs for the children, is just unbelievable and unacceptable. For Egypt to prevent this compassionate and charitable aid, donated by ordinary caring people from all over the world, unnecessarily adds to the hardships currently endured on a daily basis, by the besieged and distressed people in Gaza. I am hopeful that the leaders of the West will exert their influence, put pressure on Egypt, the United States, and Israel to end this inhuman blockade forced upon Gaza, and allow for the safe passage of this essential humanitarian aid. Enough is enough, this has to end now, for the sake of humanity.”

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Good luck to them

[Colston]

Got this in an email from Philosophy Football this morning...

The third Viva Palestina Convoy to Gaza that left London on Saturday 5 March was blocked by the Egyptian government from entering Gaza on 27 December to mark the anniversary of Israel's murderous air and land assault.

After days of negotiations however, entry to Gaza has been negotiated via a sea route. Philosophy Football co-founder Hugh Tisdale who is with the convoy has texted us this up-to-the-minute report . " Pulling out of Damascus within the hour. Heading to Mediterranean to board ships for Al Arish. This will complete a circuit of Israel forced on us Egyptian refusal to co-operate, a refusal demanded of them from the highest level by the Israeli government. They are terrified of our commitment to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and remind the world what Israel did to Gaza a year ago. The success of of our convoy will be thanks to generosity of donors, including the many hundreds who bought our Viva Palestina T-shirts. Your kindness provides those on the convoy with the determination to break the siege. The Israelis cannot dent our morale."

For more updates on the convoy visit http://www.vivapalestina.org/home.htm

To purchase the VivaPalestina3 T-shirt visit http://www.philosophyfootball.com/view_item.php?pid=561

For Palestine 'They Stole my Land' shirt visit http://www.philosophyfootball.com/view_item.php?pid=457

[Colston]

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I don't blame them for losing it with the bastard egyptian authorities. I'd have thrown anything I could at them by now, and hopefully caused some serious injury. they are deliberately blocking humanitarian aid, so they deserve to be treated as criminals.

[Colston]

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