The Viva Palestina US convoy, traveling to Gaza with tens of thousands of dollars' worth of medical aid for Gaza and nearly 200 US activists, is currently being prevented from leaving by the Egyptian government.
About 100 of the convoy's participants on four buses were stopped at the Egyptian military checkpoint at the Mubarak Peace Bridge (yes, that really is the name) over the Suez Canal. They were initially told they would be forced to turn around and head back to Cairo, but after some quick strategizing and peaceful civil disobedience, the group was permitted to divert to the town of Ismailia, where they will wait for the rest of the convoy to join them and try to travel again tomorrow, Monday.
Negotiations are currently being conducted in Cairo by George Galloway and several others, including Cynthia McKinney, who joined the convoy fresh from her imprisonment by and deportation from Israel. (That woman does not give up! That's why I voted for her!)
The convoy hopes to get the all-clear to proceed to the border tomorrow. If they do not, they are calling for protests at local Egyptian embassies and consulates in the US and around the world.
The latest updates on the convoy can be found on the Viva Palestina website. Socialist Worker has a reporter on the convoy (although he was not among the people turned back) and is another frequently updated news source. My friend and comrade Khury was on the buses that got stopped, and his updates can be found here.
No comments:
Post a Comment