Ireland To Gaza
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news report
Saturday January 02, 2010 18:34
by John Hurson - Ireland To Gaza
Latest report on the Irish Humanitarian Delegation travelling to Gaza with the "Viva Palestina Convoy"
Ireland To Gaza
Today, Saturday January 2nd, the 250 vehicles that make up the “Viva Palestina Convoy” were loaded onto a Turkish cargo ship in the port city of Latikia in Syria. The ship will set sail tonight for El Arish port in Egypt.
The crossing will take 26 hours, having had a futher 8 hours added to it's journey time by Israeli pressure. Tomorrow, over 500 members of the convoy will fly to El Arish and meet up with their vehicles.
A plane has been charted by Viva Palestina, the Turkish and Malaysian Governments, and it will make 3 trips in order to fly everyone to Egypt.
Having arrived in Aqaba, Jordan on December 24th, the convoy has faced numerous difficulties in the intervening time.
The humanitarian aid convoy could have crossed from Aqaba and reached the Rafah Border with Gaza in 5 hours. Now, 7 days and 600 miles later, they are still not over the line. The Egyptian Government has placed one obstacle after another on the convoy, however, as everyone is determined to deliver this aid to Gaza, they will do whatever it takes to reach their final destination.
The convoy has been on the road for 4 weeks now, having left London on December 6th. They have travelled through Europe, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and then back to Syria. Convoy members have travelled from 20 different countries, and from Ireland, 10 humanitarians in 3 vehicles form part of the large international delegation.
No one is sure how things will turn out once they reach Egypt, as the goalposts have been changing on a daily basis. It is essential that the Egyptian authorities allow for a safe and speedy passage, and that they get to deliver their humanitarian aid to Gaza without any futher delay.
They appeal to everyone to contact the Egyptian Embassy to ask for their help in delivering this aid without any futher delay.
Convoy Contact:
John Hurson: 0044 7875 396 335
Television footage and interviews can be sent via a Turkish TV Co. for free.
They have their own Press van on the convoy, with all the latest technology.
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Comments (1 of 1)
Jump To Comment: 1Philosophy Football has been a big supporter of Viva Palestina from the start providing T-shirts, material support, publicity and funds for the campaign and the convoys.
The company's co-founder, Hugh Tisdale, is currently with the convoy and reports on the £1000 donation they are making to give the Emergency Appeal is a magnificent start!
Tisdale says - " I've not been able to be on the whole convoy. But to join it in Jordan and see the convoy members wearing the Philosophy Football shirts that we have donated, make our shirts the uniform of the convoy, this is what we wanted to contribute and its amazing to see our shirts having such an impact!
Over here the issue is very clear. The Israeli government is blocking the humanitarian aid we are carrying from getting into Gaza. No ifs, no buts, thats what they are doing. But they will not stop us. I'm really proud that the generosity of our customers has helped to make this convoy possible.
In just seven days I've experienced blizzard of sights, an experience that I could never have imagined. Yet what has struck me most of all is the welcome, the hospitality and the generosity from some of the poorest communities in the region. Now it is our job to complete the final leg of a journey made more expensive and more difficult by the restrictions on access the Israelis have successfully imposed on us via pressure on the Egyptian authorities.
Philosophy Football is glad to donate an additional £1000 to the Emergency Appeal, and we encourage all who want to break the blockade in the next few days to do the same. However small or large our donation this is a real chance to make a difference."
The Philosophy Football Viva Palestina Convoy T-shirt is still available from here http://www.philosophyfootball.com/view_item.php?pid=561
You can also buy their best-selling 'They stole my Land' shirt from http://www.philosophyfootball.com/view_item.php?pid=457
All donations for the Viva Palestina Emergency Appeal can be made through here http://www.vivapalestina.org/donations.htm and through the Viva Palestina HSBC Bank Account Number: 41508458 Sort Code 40-04-24
Alice Howard
Viva Palestina UK - Administration Manager