Gaza Freedom March

Δημοσιεύω σημερινό (26/12/2009) γράμμα του φίλου NP σχετικα με το Gaza Freedom March.

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"....Απο καιρό έχει προγραμματιστεί μια προσπάθεια να σπάσει (επι της ουσίας συμβολικά) ο αποκλεισμός της Γάζας και να γίνει εκεί μια πορεία την παραμονή της πρωτοχρονιάς.

Περίπου 1.400 άτομα απο όλον τον κόσμο είχαν την πρόθεση να πάρουν μέρος.

Απο αυτά 32 είναι απο την Ελλάδα. Θα πηγαίναμε στο Κάιρο, και θα προσπαθούσαμε να περάσουμε στη Γάζα απο τα σύνορα της Ράφας. Απο τους 32 Έλληνες, κάποιοι, λίγοι, ανήκουν σε κόμματα ή οργανώσεις, οι περισσότεροι, όπως εγώ, είμαστε κομματικά "άστεγοι".

Ξέραμε ότι δεν θα κάναμε περίπατο, αλλά οι εξελιξεις των τελευταίων 24ωρων ήταν ιδιαίτερα δυσμενείς. Η Αίγυπτος, αν και ήταν απο μήνες ενήμερη, απαγόρευσε την τελευταία στιγμή ακόμη και την προσέγγιση στα σύνορα. Απαγόρευσε επίσης οποιαδήποτε συγκέντρωση του Gaza Freedom March στο Κάιρο.

Απο την άλλη, οι 6 σημερινές δολοφονίες Παλαιστινίων απο Ισραηλινούς και το συνεχιζόμενο σήριαλ της απελευθέρωσης του Σαλίτ (του Ισραηλινού Λοχία) απο τη Χαμάς, έχουν δημιουργήσει μια νέα ένταση.

Δεν ξέρω πόσοι τελικά θα προσπαθήσουν να πάνε στην Αίγυπτο. Εμείς, οι Έλληνες, θα πετάξουμε αύριο για το Κάιρο, και είμαστε ανοιχτοί σε κάθε εξέλιξη: Απαγόρευση εισόδου, ή ο,τιδήποτε άλλο (διότι έχουμε ήδη δώσει τα ονόματά μας στις αρχές της Αιγύπτου και τον σκοπό του ταξιδιού μας).

Το Θέμα έχει "εξαφανιστεί" απο τα ΜΜΕ, αν και δόθηκε μια συνέντευξη τύπου.

Θα σας κάνω forward 3 ακόμη mails.

1) Την ανακοίνωση της Ελληνικής ομάδας

2) Ένα γράμμα των κεντρικών διοργανωτών του Gaza Freedom March στον Μουμπάρακ

3) Την τύχη του κονβόϊ Viva Palestina που επίσης μπλοκαρίστηκε.

Αν όλα πάνε καλά, θα γυρίσουμε στην Ελλάδα σε μια βδομάδα, την Κυριακή 03/01 και θα σας ενημερώσω πάλι για το τι έγινε...."

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Επίσης, δείτε

Egypt bans a protest march into Gaza (ρεπoρτάζ του BBC).

Galloway raps Egypt for stopping Gaza aid convoy (presstv.ir).

και ανοιχτή επιστολή στον Πρόεδρο Mubarak

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUBARAK FROM THE GAZA FREEDOM MARCH

December 26, 2009

Dear President Mubarak;

We, representing 1,362 individuals from 43 countries arriving in Cairo to participate in the Gaza Freedom March, are pleading to the Egyptians and your reputation for hospitality.

We are peacemakers. We have not come to Egypt to create trouble or cause conflict. On the contrary. We have come because we believe that all people -- including the Palestinians of Gaza -- should have access to the resources they need to live in dignity. We have gathered in Egypt because we believed that you would welcome and support our noble goal and help us reach Gaza through your land.

As individuals who believe in justice and human rights, we have spent our hard-earned, and sometimes scarce, resources to buy plane tickets, book hotel rooms and secure transportation only to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza living under a crushing Israeli blockade.

We are doctors, lawyers, students, academics, poets and musicians. We are young and old. We are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and secular. We represent civil society groups in many countries who came together and coordinated this large project with the civil society in Gaza.

We have raised tens of thousands of dollars for medical aid, school supplies and winter clothing for the children of Gaza. But we realize that in addition to material aid, the Palestinians of Gaza need moral support. We came to offer that support on the difficult anniversary of an invasion that brought them so much suffering.

The idea of the Gaza Freedom March—a nonviolent march to the Israeli Erez crossing-- emerged during one of our trips to Gaza in May, a trip that was kindly facilitated by the Egyptian government. Ever since the idea emerged, we have been talking to your government through your embassies overseas and directly with your Foreign Ministries. Your representatives have been kind and supportive. We were asked to furnish information about all the participants—passports, dates of birth, occupations—which we have done in good faith. We have answered every question, met every request. For months we have been working under the assumption that your government would facilitate our passage, as it has done on so many other occasions. We waited and waited for an answer.

Meanwhile, time was getting short and we had to start organizing. Travel over the Christmas season is not easy in the countries where many of us live. Tickets have to be purchased weeks, if not months, in advance. This is what all 1,362 individuals did. They spent their own funds or raised money from their communities to pay their way. Add to this the priceless time, effort and sacrifice by all these people to be away from their homes and loved ones during their festive season.

In Gaza, civil society groups—students, unions, women, farmers, refugee groups—have been working nonstop for months to organize the march. They have organized workshops, concerts, press conferences, endless meetings—all of this with their own scarce resources. They have been buoyed by the anticipated presence of so many global citizens coming to support their just cause.

If the Egyptian government decides to prevent the Gaza Freedom March, all this work and cost is lost.

And that's not all. It is practically impossible, this late in the game, to stop all these people from travelling to Egypt, even if we wanted to. Moreover, most have no plans in Egypt other than to arrive at a predetermined meeting point to head together to the Gaza border. If these plans are cancelled there will be a lot of unjustified suffering for the Palestinians of Gaza and over a thousand internationals who had nothing in mind but noble intentions.

We plead to you to let the Gaza Freedom March continue so that we can join the Palestinians of Gaza to march together on December 31, 2009.

We are truly hopeful that we will receive a positive response from you.

We thank you for your kind assistance and understanding.

Tighe Barry, Gaza Freedom March coordinator
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK, USA
Olivia Zemor, Euro-Palestine, France
David Torres, ECCP, Belgium
Germano Monti, Forum Palestine, Italy
Ziyaad Lunat, Gaza Freedom March, Europe
Ehab Lotayef, Gaza Freedom March, Canada
Alessandra Mecozzi, Action for Peace-Italy
Ann Wright, Gaza Freedom March coordinator
Kawthar Guediri, Collectif National pour une Paix Juste et Durable entre Palestinens et Israeliens, France
Mark Johnson, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Thomas Sommer, Focus on The Global South, India
Vangelis Pissias , Gaza Freedom March, Greek delegation