YORK TO GAZA - SUMMARY

Heather and Steve Stroud, Nick Hall and Mike Gwilliam have returned after driving the York-to-Gaza ambulance nearly 5000 miles. Ultimately the Viva Palestina convoy that left London on December 6th delivered 150 vehicles filled with medical aid- but not without incident.

Heather takes up the story – “ by Christmas we reached Aqaba, Jordan but Egypt refused to let us cross the Gulf of Aqaba saying that we could only enter at the port of El Arish. The Turkish prime minister sent his private secretary to shuttle between Aqaba and Cairo resulting in an agreement. This involved a back track of over 400 miles to Latakia, a port in Syria. When a Turkish ship was chartered, Israel extended its illegal exclusion zone around Gaza. But the captain ignored the declaration and sailed valiantly straight to El Arish. We flew to El Arish but immediately faced hostility. Our passports were confiscated and we were detained nine hours then placed under house arrest in nearby hotels. Eventually we were escorted to our vehicles at the port compound. Subsequent events demonstrated the power of Zionist Israel to manipulate other governments.”

“The Egyptians reneged on their written Aqaba agreement and demanded 59 vehicles be handed to the Israelis. The response to our peaceful demonstration was two thousand riot police, four water cannon and armed personnel carriers at the front gates and three naval ships in the harbour to our rear. We were then attacked with ‘liquid’ sand, rocks, pepper spray, water cannon and police truncheons. Fifty of our people were hurt, twenty went to hospital and several were arrested. After Turkish government intervention it was agreed that the 59 vehicles would go via Turkey to Palestinian camps in Syria and Lebanon. A sad effect of the attack was that because it was shown on TV, outraged Palestinians flocked to the Rafah crossing. This led to shooting at the border and four Palestinians and an Egyptian soldier were killed.”

“We were contained in the compound the following day and in late afternoon Egypt released those who had been arrested, so it was not until nightfall we were escorted to the Rafah crossing to an amazing welcome.”

“In Gaza we saw extreme poverty. We saw the rubble of bombed houses. We saw the traumatized faces of young children. We saw the results of deliberate acts of wanton destruction by the Israelis. Gaza can’t rebuild as the siege blocks building materials including cement. During the day we saw Israeli gunboats shooting at small fishing vessels. At night bombing just 5 kilometres away shook us. This goes largely unreported by the world’s media but is a daily event in Gaza. We drove to the border fences- not too close because the Israelis warned they would shoot anyone approaching within 300 metres. We saw the ‘barrage’ type surveillance balloons.”

“Gaza is a concentration camp. The people are deprived of things we take for granted including clean water, food, medical supplies, electricity, fuel and sewage facilities. Unemployment tops 85%. Israel has control of their lives. Travel both in and out of Gaza is at the whim of Israel or their Egyptian stooges. The only slight relief from the siege is goods smuggled through tunnels dug from Gaza to Egypt but an American company is helping construct a new wall – one that goes a minimum of 25 metres underground.”

“Yet the Gazans are a warm and welcoming people and surprisingly not vengeful. Their existence involves uncertainty and deadly threat but they make the most of what they have - for us this was a lesson in humanity. This could be a beautiful country with an attractive coastline and pleasant climate – in other circumstances you can easily imagine a desirable tourist destination.”

“We met children who had come to York four years ago as part of a cultural song and dance troupe. Now young adults their philosophy on life astounded me. I asked one seventeen year old why she appeared so joyful and she said “when you live through the horrors we have seen you learn to snatch the moments of happiness” I felt humbled by her wisdom.”

“The Egyptians cut short our promised forty-eight hours in Gaza. We rushed back to the border only to be kept waiting eight hours. Armed police escorted five coach loads of us to Cairo airport where we were forced to leave regardless of whether we had tickets for another day or airport. Our experience at the airport was threatening and uncomfortable. Some passports were held and only the solidarity of our Turkish friends led to the passports return after 6 hours.”

“We were criminalized by the Egyptians. Our crime is to deliver humanitarian aid, believe in justice and freedom for the Palestinian people and not to remain silent while genocide is taking place.”