Tag: palestine

Students in solidarity with Gaza

Posted on By 3arabawy

I received the following press release:

Students in Solidarity with Gaza
Contact: Kat Sullivan
Mobile Cairo: 019.264.1283
On Monday May 25th, a group of students from Cairo attempted to enter the Gaza border to deliver aid. Thus far, all efforts to enter have been stopped by Egyptian authorities.
The student delegation from Cairo is planning to meet with numerous other delegations from around the globe. Each group has medical aid and supplies, sports equipment for children and monetary donations. The Egyptian authorities have been completely aware of everyone attending and everything that we are carrying. All members attending were told that they were given full clearance to enter Gaza. However, now at the border, they suddenly refuse. We are being either blocked from entering or even turned back at checkpoints before the border
itself.
Knowing that our efforts are supported worldwide, we are compelled to reach out to all media outlets within and without Cairo, Egypt.
For more information:
twitter.com/studentsforgaza

Aid convoy or flying circus?

Posted on By 3arabawy

Al-Youm Al-Sabe3’s website quotes Dr. Arafat Madi, of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, saying: “The security authorities in Port Said provided to the European convoy all the facilitation, working on directives from President Mubarak that stem out of his (Mubarak’s) belief in the Palestinian cause and his (yes, Mubarak’s) hard efforts to provide the aid to the people of Gaza.”

Dr. Arafat Madi, are you kidding me?! I strongly urge the European and Western activists to re-think this whole strategy of sending convoys via Egypt in such manner, especially after Galloway’s latest flying circus. The Egyptian regime is happy with this propaganda, handed over for free by the pro-Palestinian Europe-based activists, strengthening Mubarak, providing him with more political capital to continue the siege.

You are not helping this way, I’m sorry. You’ll please the Gazans for one day with your aid which will be brought into the strip amid a state run media extravaganza about “Mubarak’s love for the Palestinians,” but you are providing the political capital for Mubarak to starve them for the rest of the year and to crack down on his pro-Palestine critics domestically. I repeat:  You are hurting, if not sabotaging, the efforts of pro-Palestinian activists in Egypt.