FREE GAZA DEMO-London-26/01/08-In support of relief convoy.

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duffer2205
January 27, 2008

"GAZA: LIFT THE BLOCKADE" - The Relief Convoy on its way The initiative for the large action that took place today (26.1.08) started when the well-know psychiatrist, Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj, the human-...

"GAZA: LIFT THE BLOCKADE" - The Relief Convoy on its way

The initiative for the large action that took place today (26.1.08) started when the well-know psychiatrist, Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj, the human-rights activist from Gaza, met in the Gush Shalom office with a small group of Israeli peace activists, in order to tell them about the desperate situation in the strip. It was decided on the spot to organize in Israel a relief convoy for the Gaza Strip people, and to fight by all political and juridical means for the right to get it in. It was agreed that two parallel protest rallies would be held simultaneously on the two sides of the wall.

26 Israeli peace groups joined the initiative, under the single slogan: "Gaza: Lift the siege!" Many activists from different organizations worked day and night. Gush Shalom prepared a special poster and started a fund-raising campaign among its sympathizers. Hundreds of checks came pouring in from Israel and a dozen other countries, enabling the Gush to carry alone the full costs of the supplies. Many added words of thanks for the opportunity given them to express their opinion this way and join the struggle.

Warm thanks to all of them!

In consultation with Dr. al-Sarraj it was decided to buy not only five tons of essential foodstuffs - flour, sugar, rice, oil, salt, beans and lentils - but also water distillers. "The water in the Gaza Strip is undrinkable," al-Sarraj reported, "therefore there is an urgent need for distillers."

The weather forecasts promised rain and thunderstorms all over the country. In spite of this, old and young peace activists came to the starting points in six towns. As requested by the organizers, hundreds of families came in their private cars. Together with the people who came by bus, their number reached about two thousand.

"In the night we were woken up by strong thunderbolts. It started to rain cats and dogs, and we were very worried: who is going to get up early on Shabbat morning in such stormy weather in order to participate in an open-air protest rally and carry sacks of food?" recounted one of the organizers.

Ya'akov Manor had the idea to ask the demonstrators to bring private relief parcels and to add personal letters "from family to family". The response was beyond all expectations. Families brought not only food and mineral water, but also blankets, warm clothing and many other useful articles, even electrical stoves. The parcels were fastened to the tops of the cars or put in the baggage holds of the buses. They added up to two tons.

When the demonstrators assembled in the towns - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Nazareth and others - a slight rain was falling. But all who hoped for a brightening up were soon disappointed: during the drive to the Erez border crossing, a very heavy rain started to pour down, making it almost impossible to see the road, and slowed down the huge convoy towards the Gaza strip extremely difficult.

About half of the protesters were Jewish, the other half Arab. The rally was conducted the same way: Side by side with the Jewish speakers - Uri Avnery, Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Professor Jeff Halper and former minister Shulamit Aloni (who was ill and sent a written speech, read by Teddy Katz), speeches were made by advocate Fatmeh al-Ijou, and MKs Izzam Mahul and Jamal Zahalke.

At the height of the rally, the moderator, Huloud al-Badawi, called Dr. Sarraj by cellular phone. He was participating at the parallel rally in Gaza and his words were conveyed by loudspeaker. They amounted to a stirring call to the Israeli peace camp to support the Palestinians in their struggle against the blockade.

A sensation was caused by a young woman from Sderot, Shir Shusdig, who called out: "For seven years I am suffering from the Qassams in Kibbutz Zikim and Sderot. I know that the people on the other side are also suffering very much. That's why I am here!"

Jeff Halper mentioned that demonstrations of solidarity with the people of Gaza were taking place in dozens of cities around the world. Advocate al-Ijou pointed out that the Attorney General had asserted in a Supreme Court hearing that the blockade on Gaza was similar to the boycott against the former apartheid regime in South Africa. "This is absurd when it comes from a government which is building apartheid roads all over the West Bank!"

Miraculously, the rain stopped just before the rally, and started again a few minutes after it was finished.

Since the Israeli army has not allowed the relief supplies into the Gaza strip, they were stored in a neighboring kibbutz. If the military will not permit their transfer to Gaza in the next two days, we shall apply to the High Court of Justice and start a legal fight until we succeed.
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/index_en....
http://www.icahd.org/eng/
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/

Category: Nonprofits & Activism

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xxxnaorxxx (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

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YOU NEED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL..

5UMY786 (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

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i dont need 2 go bk 2 skwl u probly do. u bstrtd dnt strt wiv me

xxxnaorxxx (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

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i cant tell if youre being sarcastic or not.. but if youre not , its pretty sad

tim0090 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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im not israeli or palasinian or muslim or jewish but i think that the zionist's should be punished for what they are doing!!! (not all jew's
ZIONIST'S ARE THE NEW NAZI'S!!!!

mlamry01 (3 months ago) Show Hide

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Free Palestine

YehudaMizrahi (3 months ago) Show Hide

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Fuck Hamas. Palestinians will be punished and they are already punishing each other by killing each other like a bunch of morons.

shaheen2winX (3 months ago) Show Hide

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FREE GAZA FUCK ZIONISTS..... can i just say zionist and jews r different zionist wants all muslims dead including children but i dnt think jews wanna do dat..ZIONIST R FUCKING RACIST .. THEY WIKLL BE PUNISHED.

revahp001 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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To be anti-zionist is to be anti-jewish in and of itself. All jews are zionist.... The Jewish torah (5 books of moses) inextricably ties the jewish people to the land of Israel, as the land of Israel is mentioned in the jewish holy books over 800 times. So to say destroy Zionism is to destroy Judaism, and is thus another form of anti-semitism. By the way, there was never a state or nation called Palestine after the creation of the state of Israel

Tobsy1981 (4 months ago) Show Hide

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What a bunch of morons.

regvarney (5 months ago) Show Hide

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I"m English you twat.And get your social worker to help you with your spelling.

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FREE GAZA DEMO-London-26/01/08-In support of relief convoy.

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