Road to Hope: long wait outside Egypt

Continued from: http://palywely.blogspot.com/2010/10/hope-convoy-still-waits-at-egyptian.html

The Road to Hope humanitarian aid convoy now comprises 30 vehicles and over a hundred humanitarian aid workers. It has travelled four and a half thousand miles through Europe and across North Africa. However the entire convoy has now been stuck for several days on the Libyan - Egyptian border following a wrangle with the Egyptian authorities.

Egypt is insisting that all aid for Gaza must arrive at the port of Al-Arish near the Gaza crossing, either by sea or by air, and refuses all overland crossings of its territories. The Road to Hope convoy is now faced with two options. They will wait for the Libyan convoy “Al Quds 5” which is due to leave shortly and if there is sufficient international pressure on Egypt both convoys may be able to cross the border together. However, if Egypt remains intransigent the only other option is to take all the vehicles by ship from Libya to Al Arish, which may take several weeks to organize.

A spokesman for Road to Hope said: “Now we find ourselves in our third day at the Libyan / Egyptian border and we remain hopeful that the land route will be opened to us in the coming days”. The convoy departed from London with the understanding that the land crossing through Egypt had not been closed to it. One reason for our optimism that we will travel the land route is the fact that the Al Quds convoy, a Libyan convoy also delivering aid to Gaza, is set to travel the land route in the coming days. For several weeks we have hoped to join our convoys and travel together. However, the convoy is awaiting permission from the Egyptian authorities to pass through Egypt in this way.”

As of today, Sunday 31st, Egypt has withheld its permission for Road to Hope to join forces with Al Quds Convoy - although that hardly seems within the Egyptian authorities' remit.

“Although the outlook for an expeditious approval to proceed with our mission is likely, we have always been prepared for the ups and downs and challenges that have been commonplace when attempting to deliver aid to Gaza. If we were to move forward in the next day or two this would be one of the most trouble-free convoys yet.” – Convoy Leader Kieran Turner, 1st November

'Hope' convoy still waits at Egyptian border

Continued from: http://palywely.blogspot.com/2010/10/road-to-hope-convoy-libya-and-onwards.html

Bristol PSC member Sonette Aboud reports that all went pretty well with the Libyan leg of the journey.
They were accommodated in Gaddafi's son's luxury hotel near the border for one night. She cannot adequately express how generous and hospitable the Libyans have been.

They are presently at the Libyan-Egyptian border post.
She is not expecting any progress soon and they are camped in Bedouin tents in the car-park.
It seems it may take a couple of days to get clearance before they can continue.
It will then be about 1000 miles across Egypt to the Gaza border.

Some concerns are : Egyptian police preparing for "rioting".The peaceful nature of the convoy has been explained, but it appears they may be looking for an excuse to cause trouble.
Secondly there is a radical faction of some 30 young guys who are becoming disruptive and appear to have their own agenda. It's hoped that they will not precipitate a confrontation with the authorities.

This form of 'kettling' is probably designed to raise temperatures within the convoy and give the Egyptians an excuse to move in; the third road convoy was attacked in this way at al-Arish, but the first one was just attacked by mystery rock-throwers without warning or reason.

Interlude: boycott video du jour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WweHjdJj7iM

Flashmob Says Israel Is Buying HP So We're Not

Update 2.30GMT, 28.10.2010: Again, word from Sonette, via her husband Emile :- They are still waiting at the Libyan-Egyptian border post.They have been accommodated in rooms ( on the Libyan side ) so are at least no longer camped in the car park !

It may still be some time before they get clearance to proceed, but apparently this is just normal procedure - part of the bureaucracy.

A team of convoy members was playing a game of football against the Libyan border guards while I was speaking to her.

She and Dave ( the firefighter ) have "adopted" a local puppy while they are waiting.

Dave has been a stalwart and real asset, along with Judith.

A friendly Egyptian took them to see his hotel in his car, and they inadvertently crossed the border.

No problem - the Egyptians took it in good faith and merely asked them to return.

Food may become a bit of an issue.

They have only had a breadroll so far today, but again, this seems to be the norm.

Quite a mixed bag of characters in the convoy.

There is even a group of New Zealand Goths. Mainly young guys and easy going.

They found a camel skeleton in the desert and have mounted the skull on their truck !

The fundamentalists remain problematic.

They are largely opposed to women on the convoy and don't want any music played apart from that associated with their prayer sessions.

Sonette has become used to this and quite likes it.

The Goths prefer their own music, but play it discretely in their own vehicle. The main concern is that the radicals may antagonise the authorities and jeopardise the whole convoy.

Photo from http://l2g09.wordpress.com/

Update 29th October: Resident graffiti artist Shahid Iqbal decided to embellish all the trucks in the convoy with gold paint. This caused some resentment, and the Irish particularly were apparently not amused. There were even calls to send him home from some of the members; fortunately Sonette managed to prevent this by getting him to remove his handiwork.

Food remains a concern.

While there are some small stores nearby, nobody on the convoy has much Libyan currency left, as they all pooled their remaining resources to buy additional medical supplies for Gaza before leaving for the border.

They do have foreign money but this is difficult to exchange.

If nothing else, some lessons will have been learnt that may be useful to future convoys.

The convoy is still at the Libyan-Egyptian border and is likely to remain there for some time.

Apparently no advance arrangements have been made either for this crossing, or for entry into Gaza.

They are considering waiting until the 4th for the Libyan Al Quds 5 convoy, which does have clearance, to link up.

Convoy members have the option of returning this afternoon, and one or two have said they are considering this option, but the vast majority are planning to stay on.

A potential development of real concern is that Egypt may refuse passage to any future land convoys.

Photo by Tim King

Salem-News.com also reported, on the 29th October:

An update on the Road to Hope Convoy rolled onto the group's Facebook page at 10:00 p.m. BST Friday 29 Oct 2010.

Ellie Merton wrote, "The convoy is in the border area of Libya, near Tobruk, staying in temporary accommodation until our very kind hosts can get enough hotel rooms together in Tobruk..."

According to information released later in the day by Libyaalyom.com, the Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman, Hossam Zakithe, said authorities will facilitate the road convoy through the port of Al-Arish, through the air and sea, and confirmed its refusal to receive the convoy by road.

Arabnews24.net reports that the

organisers of the convoy intend

to board vessels today in the

port of Benghazi, heading to

the Gaza Strip.

Continued at:http://palywely.blogspot.com/2010/10/road-to-hope-long-wait-outside-egypt.html

Settlers flood Palestinian village with sewage

Palestine Monitor

24 October 2010

Beit Ummar is just one of hundreds of villages in Palestine under constant harassment from Israeli settlers. They have suffered the loss of their land, limited access to their own water supply, rocks smashing their windows, midnight arrests, tear gas, rubber bullets, and daily Israeli military aggression. The most recent insult: settlers’ faeces covering the vineyards of Beit Ummar.

Twelve vital acres of farmland lie underneath thousands of litres of raw sewage leaked from the nearby illegal settlement of Gush Etzion. The settlement stores its sewage in a reservoir, where it is filtered to extract non-potable “grey” water for agricultural purposes. The leftover, concentrated toxic sludge was released on October 18, downhill directly onto Palestinian farmland. The stench is overpowering, the grape harvests ruined, and the residents of Beit Ummar are tired.

“Even if the Israelis never dump sewage again,” said Beit Ummar Public Committee volunteer Raied Aboyyash, “the land would need to be cleaned with a chemical solvent and the top meter of polluted dirt removed, and then new dirt brought in.”

Grape vines dangle in sewage water, the plants and fouled soil (Photo Brynn Utela)

This is the fourth time this year the settlement has pumped sewage from their storage reservoir into Beit Ummar, destroying crops and effectively depriving the farmers of thousands of shekels in lost harvest. Following settler threats after the weekly Saturday demonstration against the annexation wall in the village, last Monday sewage again surged onto the farmland. The previous week eight peaceful protesters were arrested, held down and pepper-sprayed.

One of the arrested, a twenty-four-year old student named Eiad Alalame, was sentenced to six months in jail and fined 4,000 shekels, charged with demonstrating illegally. Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Forces raided eleven Beit Ummar Public Committee volunteers’ houses at 2 am, breaking furniture and threatening arrests if the peaceful protests continue. Israeli occupation forces continues to terrorize local volunteers and activists: early yesterday morning on October 23, two additional pre-dawn raids forced family members of Beit Ummar villagers into the streets.

The villagers of Beit Ummar rented a bulldozer on the afternoon of October 18 and dug a large reservoir to contain the sewage water and prevent the waste from spreading and causing further damage. The next morning, the settlers of Gush Etzion descended into the Palestinian farmland, and forced the rented bulldozer into the middle of the toxic pond. Villagers then rented a crane to extract the bulldozer from the sludge, and climbed into the toxic muck in order to salvage their costly equipment.

The villagers rented a bulldozer to create a containment reservoir for the toxic sludge, trying to prevent further damage (Photo Palestine Solidarity Project)

The sludge contains bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi that can cause serious illness and death. Microbes from raw sewage can enter the body through the nose, mouth, or open cuts. Even more daunting for Beit Ummar’s future is the likelihood of groundwater contamination - the area is already plagued by drought and suffering from Israeli control of precious water resources.

The farmers are left to clean the farmland themselves, with the assistance of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and volunteers. They must also buy new plants. The Palestinian farmers are not provided any reparations or financial assistance by the government for their lost crops, nor are they compensated for the loss of land stolen by the Israelis settlements or blocked behind the wall. Instead, the villagers of Beit Ummar must depend on the help of civil society organisations. The Palestinian Agricultural Committee will help the farmers by providing new plants, but this is pointless without necessary soil replacement and protection from the settlers.

The Israeli military told the Public Committee members of Beit Ummar that they would stop “making problems” for the village if the weekly demonstrations against the construction of the wall were to cease. However, the villagers feel that the continued construction of the wall, which will take away an additional 1,550 acres of land from the village, is a problem in itself. The people of Beit Ummar will continue to protest, facing arrest, fines, and harassment, trudging across their soiled fields.

Brynn Utela reported from Beit Ummar. Palestine Solidarity Project

Road to Hope Convoy: Tunisia and Libya

The Road to Hope Convoy passed into Libya on Thursday 21st.
The date has been changed for those flying in to meet the convoy in Libya from the 16th to Saturday the 23rd of October. This is because the convoy is taking the new longer route; it led to at least two potential travellers withdrawing from this particular journey, but those on the road are happily continuing. This entry will be extended as soon as more up-to-date information becomes available.

Three more for the Road

On Saturday 23rd, convoy veteran Sakir Yildirim, trade unionist Dave Chappell and leading young graffitist Shahid Iqbal flew out to join the Road to Hope Convoy. We should hear more from them soon.

Tunisia, get me out of here!!!

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Admin at http://l2g09.wordpress.com/

The hostility of the authorities was apparent when we attempted to stick to the route planned and enter Gabes for a break. They blocked off the turning that leads to Gabes with their vehicles so we stopped in the middle of the road and argued with them to allow us to roam freely into the city.

Tunisian/Libyan Border
After exchanging words with the police it had become more apparent what game they were playing. They were adamant not to let us into the city so we decided not to stay in the country any longer than needed and we told them 'we just want to leave your country; allow us to go'.

As we made our way to Ben Gardan which is the last town before the Libyan border, I looked at the map and noticed that the route they were taking us was not the direct, and main route. It seemed that they were taking us through the back routes that were really remote and it felt like that we were being taken around in circles. We kept stopping the police and asking where are they taking us - what they were telling us didn’t add up, yet we had no choice but to follow them.

As we got to a fork in the road we noticed that the turning to the border was blocked off and they weren’t permitting us to make our way there. They wanted us to stay the night in a scout’s camp. Personally I believe they wanted us to stay the night so they could exploit us and use us to publicise to the people of Tunisia that they support the Palestinian cause.

After negotiation and deciding that we would go to the border and leave Tunisia as soon as possible, the decision was changed and we then made our way to the accommodation. They hosted us and the mayor came down where he bought his banners and put on a little show for the cameras that they were treating us well. In my opinion we should have just left Tunisia, but the decision was made and although I voiced my opinion and dissatisfaction with the decision we stayed in Tunisia for another night.

Big reception in Libya

Tuesday 27th October: News has just come in that Sonette Aboud also flew out to join the Convoy, midnight from Heathrow, 23rd October to Tripoli. She reports that on arrival in the east Libyan city of Benghazi the reception - from the people and the local politicians - was overwhelming, including the presentation of a huge bouquet of flowers to her.

Judith Brown has managed to up date her own blog, from which this is an extract:

"We have had an interesting journey; the Bristol team has been bogged down with car troubles, especially the minibus which I am driving - . I think we seriously need to think of getting fewer, better quality cars for any future convoy.

We have a great team and a great commitment to the cause. We have had an amazing reception in Libya, with crowds lining the street to cheer us on.

They have also filled the vans with aid to take to Gaza. For example, one little girl bought a toy and a beautiful letter to give to a Gaza child, and she wants me to take a photo of the little girl I give it to.

We have seen some amazing places, fantastic scenery, I have had to practice my Arabic language, and my team in the minibus works well together, although as you can imagine we

have occasional arguments and differences but they have always been solved and

we have a good atmosphere and spirit in our vehicle - I sometimes wish I wasn't

the minibus leader tho! Not driving can be very boring so there is a

clamour to drive, which means that I am sometimes stressed out trying to keep

the peace and keep to fairness and justice inside the van - which in the end is

the hallmark which we should all be aiming for.

Thank you for all your support and good wishes, and your generous donations towards the trip. The political aim of breaking the siege is important, as the people in Gaza do

not deserve to be kept in isolation from the world. I am going to try to

meet a woman's group and Sonette and I are thinking we would like to organise

a future woman's convoy, with really good quality aid and good quality

vehicles, in which women in UK donate aid to women in Gaza. I think it

would be fantastic."

So far: the King of Morocco had asked the government to look after the convoyers; they were given Police escort through the country and hotels to stay in. The locals were very welcoming . In Algeria, the border, closed for 14 years, was opened to allow the convoy through. The Media made this a big story in Algeria and have given them the very best of receptions. In Libya, as well as being given accommodation and feasts, the groups have enjoyed bonding with the police and locals, who showed their support for the convoy.

The expectation now is that the convoy should be able to cross into Egypt by tonight.

It might take two days to travel up to Gaza from there; there is a good chance that everyone will be home in a few weeks.

For the next update: see http://palywely.blogspot.com/2010/10/hope-convoy-still-waits-at-egyptian.html

VIVA Palestina arriva!

At 8.45 GMT today, I received this message on my mobile phone:

Congratualtions Viva Palestina! convoy is IN GAZA!!! THEY MADE IT!!! TEAR THE WALLS, BREAK THAT SIEGE, FREE FREE PALESTINE!

Azura, one driver with Viva Palestina Malaysia, has been maintaining a blog on the viva palestina 5 website. Here is one of her most recent entries:

Salam and hi my dearest family and friends,

At 10pm, Malaysian time today, we, the Viva Palestina 5 Land Convoy is destined by the Al Mighty to be standing in the land of the Prophet, Palestine.

To be exact, Gaza....

I cannot express my feelings as we were nearing to the Border moments before.

When I saw the sign, 5 km to Rafah Gate... I was like.... someone pinch me....

I snapped 2 photos of the road signs and sent them to my super girls- Zab, Jem and Azian.

And as expected, all the 3 cry babies started crying....

Haiyo....

Guys, stopped crying ok... you are not helping me here..... I cannot go into Gaza crying.... not especially when I have Mr Malaysia Tough Man (who was selected among the 30 to be on the cargo vessel to El Arish Port) beside me- Dr Musa!

Then, suddenly..... I saw the infamous Rafah Border- the yellow brick shaped like an upside down half-U that if we get passed it, will bring us all to Palestine...

This is the same gate that I have been seeing all these while in the news, video clips and youtube videos...

My heart just beat so fast.

Then at 22.10, Malaysian time, I sent out a message to my 3 beloved darlings...

** Oct 21 Thu 22:10 **

Azura: We are standing in palestine !! Alhamdulillah

Seeing thousands of jubilant, welcoming Palestinians , Kevin Ovenden, the convoy director, expressed his joy at being in Gaza once again. "We have driven more than 3,000 miles to bring this essential aid and to break this illegal siege of Gaza. We have been joined by supporters from Morocco and Algeria and from the Gulf States and Jordan, to make this the biggest convoy ever to break the siege of Gaza. We are absolutely overjoyed to be here and to bring with us the soil from the graves of those who were massacred on the Mavi Marmara which will be used to plant trees as a memorial to their sacrifice."

The convoy set out four weeks and five days ago from London. It travelled through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Syria. Everywhere the convoy was welcomed and overwhelmed by the generosity of well-wishers. Towards the end there was a frustrating delay in Syria while negotiations "at the highest levels" were conducted with the Egyptian authorities. In the end it was all worth it as the Egyptian authorities decided to allow passage of the whole convoy; unfortunately excluding just 17 members of the convoy including George Galloway - although one of them, Lifeline 5's spokesman Zaher Birawi, managed to pass through .

The convoy - transport and contents - will be handed over in its entirety to the relevant bodies tomorrow and the members of the convoy then expect to leave Gaza and return home in the next 48 hours after celebrations and formal thanks are given.

Convoy leaders have been keen to correct inaccurate reports that had appeared in the New York Times and elsewhere. These claimed that the convoy had entered Gaza through Israel.

Meanwhile, the struggle for survival continues. Freedom Flotilla, in May, was famously carrying cement for rebuilding, a vital material denied, of course, to the Gazans by the Zionist regime. Recently, three Palestinians have been shot and injured by Israeli troops while collecting rubble near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. Young Palestinians regularly scour the area for anything that may be recycled for building material.

New propaganda turns truth upside down, and a look at Gaza

World-wide boycott and disinvestment activities have been making themselves felt in Israel, despite the refusal of our governments to get off the fence. As a result, a piece of “news” has been circulated to media contacts by the Israeli propaganda office, as an attempt to limit damage and muddy the water, and which is included here in full:

Successful Results of Boycott of Palestinian Goods and Services

Organizers of the new world-wide campaign to boycott imports of goods and services from so-called Palestine today expressed satisfaction with the spectacular results they have registered in this regard.

Newly-elected CEO Waleed Abu Ish of the Boycott of Palestinian Goods and Services Commission (BPGSC) said he is delighted that global distributors have been shifting their imports of agricultural and horticultural products from the Arab settlements in Gaza and the West Bank towards more deserving sources in the developing world.

"The reactionary Islamist neo-Nazi regime in Gaza and the corrupt gangster regime in Ramallah are enforcing apartheid rule against 120,000 Palestinian Christians and over 2 million women. This heinous religious and gender apartheid is illegal under international law and must stop at once," he said.

He noted that the multinational business community is sensitive to handling tainted products from Palestinian entities which Judge Goldstone identified as engaging in war crimes. Accordingly, there has been a dramatic decline in Palestinian shipments to Western markets, including the UK, of flowers, soap, olive oil, figs, dates, pita, Cremisan wine, strawberries, couscous and handicrafts.

Last year, two-thirds of this trade was lost due to cancelled orders in the amount of $48 million. For the first three quarters of 2010, $45.6 million in sales were forfeited. This included rejected Palestinian promotions of fair trade chocolate bars [chocolate?!] and many apparel categories. The forecast for the entire year for overseas Palestinian exports is an astonishing 52 per cent plunge.

Abu Ish also reported on successful discussions with the services industry in Canada, Australia, the United States,Ireland and the UK. "There is a growing realization that fostering business dealings and exchanges in the travel, educational, professional and medical sectors with these apartheid-based regimes is counter-productive." For example, reputable travel agencies no longer book tours to the Palestinian territories.

"We are also grateful to the British and Canadian authorities for acting on our requests to deny entry to incoming trade missions and fairs from 'Palestine,' Abu Ish stated. "This ensures that Palestinian commerce will never gain a foothold in Western markets to lubricate these odious regimes," he said.

The BPGS campaign is proud to be receiving the support of thousands of consumers in trade unions, churches, women's groups, and volunteer organizations. It is confident that just as South Africa, the apartheid paradigm, was brought to its knees by the boycotts led by international civil society, so too will the brutal Hamas and Fatah oligarchs of Gaza and the West Bank be defeated by NGOs like us world-wide.

For Editors: Waleed Abu Ish is a Palestinian Arab engineer from the town of Beit Hanoun in Gaza. His parents were thrown to their deaths from the 14th floor of an apartmentbuilding by the Hamas gang currently ruling Gaza. He converted to Christianity in 2003.

.........................

Now, back to real life: here is a brief look at how life is still being lived, day by day, in the huge prison of Gaza, as they hope for the arrival of the next Convoy:

Viva Convoy Finally sets sail for Gaza

On Tuesday 19th October, after a wait in Syria lasting sixteen days, the convoy of 150 vehicles and 370 people set sail from Latakia on the final leg of the epic journey to deliver aid to Gaza.

Spokesman for Viva Palestina, Zaher Al-Berawi, said that most of the participants would fly to Al-Arish airport after a dispute with the owner of the Greek ship, who tripled the transport costs. The last formalities were completed and the vehicles are now on board. Convoy members are jubilant that their objective of bringing medical aid to the besieged people of Gaza is finally in sight.

Some 30 of the human rights activists, including survivors of the Mavi Marmara attack, will make the voyage to Al Arish in Egypt, passing the area at which the Mavi Marmara and fellow ships were attacked in May.

The convoy will reach Al Arish on Wednesday evening. Most of the activists from Britain, Northern Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Qatar, Malaysia and more than a dozen other countries will be reunited with their vehicles there. This follows the same path that the Viva Palestina 3 Convoy took in January.

Convoy leaders now hope that the convoy will enter Gaza on Friday, although, according to a news release from PressTV, the Israeli forces are awaiting their arrival; a source with Israel's military says.