Over 1,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel and several dozen Jewish Israelis demonstrated this morning outside of the Erez Crossing, demanding an end to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Organised by the Arab High Monitoring Committee, the demonstration coincided with the one year anniversary of Israel’s military attacks on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in 1,400 deaths and thousands wounded.
“”The Israeli war against the Palestinians of Gaza continues one year later,” said Knesset Member Jamal Zahalka (Balad) at the protest. “We demand an immediate end to the Israeli siege, and that the Israeli criminal leaders who implement this dirty war be brought before international tribunals before they start another war,” he added.
A demonstration on the Gaza side of the border was conducted simultaneously, joined by over 80 delegates from Gaza Freedom March.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told activists on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides of the Gaza border that their presence strengthens the Palestinian people
The protest on the Israeli side was attended by grassroots Palestinian activists from throughout Israel, with particularly large delegations from the Naqab (Negev), Jaffa and the Galilee area. A busload of activists from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, which has suffered from Israeli ethnic cleansing activity attended the demonstration, in addition to three buses of international and Israeli activists from Jerusalem organized by the Alternative Information Center (AIC), also attended the demonstration.
“It was important for us to encourage and assist international and especially Israeli activists to support this initiative of the Arab High Monitoring Committee,” noted Michael Warschawski of the AIC. “While a mass mobilization against the Israeli siege on Gaza is planned for this coming Saturday night in Tel Aviv, it is important that Israelis stood in solidarity and partnership alongside Palestinians here beside the Gaza Strip.”
Residents of the Bethlehem area, West Bank, gather to commemorate those lost in last years Gaza War and stand in solidarity with those still living under seige.
Children from Bethlehem read the names of the children killed last year in Gaza during the massacre and hung their names from a tree. Children sang and danced with the Palestinian key of return. Approximately 100 people attended the demonstration in solidarity with Gaza today.
At 4:30 this afternoon residents of Bethlehem and the surrounding towns gathered to commemorate the 1,500 Palestinians that lost their lives this time last year, and stand in solidarity with the residents of Gaza, who continue to live under siege from the Israeli military; a situation that has continued since June 2006. The vigil was held in Manger Square, bordered with The Church of the Nativity.
After a brief introduction given by a young girl from the town, those in attendance received a call from Dr. Haidar Eid, from inside the Gaza Strip. Dr. Eid is an associate professor in the Department of English Literature, AL-Aqsa University, Gaza Strip and also works as a grass roots activist. Dr. Eid spoke of the necessity of the ending of the siege on Gaza, and thanked those in attendance, both local residents of the Bethlehem municipality and internationals alike.
Following Dr. Eid was Dr. Victor Batarseh, mayor of Bethlehem. Dr. Batarseh spoke in a similar vein, endorsing the support of the Gazans and reminding all to keep the plight of their plight in their thoughts.
Today was a day to commiserate the loss of vast numbers of children in Gaza, but also to celebrate the beauty of youth and be hopeful for their future. Children from Al-Ruwad Centre located in Aida refugee camp treated the crowd to a performance, and then followed by a speech by spokesman for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, Awad Abu Swai.
It was again the turn of the children to take centre stage. As a local boy, no more than 11 years old read the names of those children killed by the Israeli military during the Gaza War last December and January, more children were assisted in climbing the small trees in the square, decorated still will lights from the Christmas festivities, to hang BDS movement stickers bearing the names that were simultaneously read out.
Four of the children from the earlier performance piece sang songs, as others walked amongst the crowd handing out stickers and candles for the vigil.
Dr. Abdul Fattah Abu Saror, director of Al-Ruwad Centre, gave the final speech, once again thanking all in attendance and wishing everyone a happy new year. As the music started to play five young men spontaneously broke out in dabka dancing to mark the end of the vigil.
It was another eventful day here in Cairo at the inaugural Gaza Freedom March (GFM). On Tuesday night, organizers informed the 1,362-strong delegation that only 100 of them had been selected to travel to Gaza yesterday morning, Wednesday 30 December. After several hours of heated debate with organizers over whether this was an appropriate strategy, the meeting concluded without a consensus.
As of Tuesday night, only the South African, French, Canadian and Swedish delegations had decided to boycott the 100-person convoy. Although an incredibly tough decision to make, the groups adopted this principled stance because they felt that the offer was divisive and betrayed the very aim of the march — to break the siege imposed on Gaza.
These delegations refused to further legitimize and reinforce the Egyptian government’s policy of occasionally allowing small aid convoys into the besieged Gaza Strip. They view the Gaza Freedom March as a political, rather than humanitarian effort, designed to pressure the Egyptian government into opening the Rafah crossing permanently.
The groups saw the acceptance of this offer by organizers as a betrayal to the original mission statement, and a dangerous compromise with the Egyptian government, allowing it to only perpetuate its inhumane policy of closure at the Rafah border with Gaza.
There was also the fear that the Egyptian government would use this 100-person convoy as a public relations ploy, deflecting attention from the fact that the siege on Gaza is only tightening, as evidenced by recent reports of the construction of an underground steel wall, designed to block Gaza’s only lifeline to the outside world — its underground system of tunnels.
As the 100 delegates boarded their busses in downtown Cairo yesterday morning, 85-year-old Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor and participant in the march, arrived and made an unexpected announcement. Echoing the sentiments of the dissenting delegations, she also publicly rejected an offer to join the convoy. “This is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made in my life. But 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the massacre in Gaza last year, and all 1,400 of us need to go” she said.
Shortly thereafter, local march organizers in the Gaza Strip also reversed their initial support for the convoy. In a letter addressed to the Gaza Freedom March steering committee and participants, Dr. Haider Eid and Omar Barghouti — two of the main organizers — called on supporters to “boycott the deal reached with the Egyptian government.”
“We are unambiguous in perceiving this compromise as too heavy, too divisive and too destructive to our future work and networking with various solidarity movements around the world,” they said.
After news of these two crucial statements spread, some of the 100 delegates got off the busses and decided against going to Gaza. Those present at the bus depot reported that Egyptian police began reloading these individuals’ luggage and attempting to force them back onto the busses.
Rumors circulated throughout the day that only 40 people ended up departing Cairo for Gaza. Late on Wednesday evening however, CODEPINK, one of the main organizers, reported that 87 persons had reached the Rafah crossing and were waiting to be processed.
Following these events, the Gaza Freedom March international steering committee also issued a press release on Wednesday officially rejecting Egypt’s proposal. “We flatly reject Egypt’s offer of a token gesture. We refuse to whitewash the siege of Gaza. Our group will continue working to get all 1,362 marchers into Gaza as one step towards the ultimate goal for the complete end of the siege and the liberation of Palestine” said Ziyaad Lunat, a member of the march’s steering committee.
However, there remained the awkward situation where the organizers had sent 87 delegates to Gaza, while hours later “rejecting” Egypt’s offer.
Separately on Wednesday, the South African delegation spearheaded a joint international effort to hammer out the beginnings of a universal anti-apartheid declaration aimed at reinvigorating the global Palestine solidarity movement.
The document, which is still under construction, aims to identify practical steps, including the endorsement of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS), which global civil society can utilize to pressure Israel to abide by international law and respect Palestinian human rights.
The document is undergoing tweaks, and once endorsed by Palestinian civil society, will be issued as a joint declaration by the various nations who were represented at the Gaza Freedom March.
Thursday, 31 December
This morning, Thursday 31 December, hundreds of Gaza Freedom March participants left their various protest sites across Cairo and converged outside the Egyptian Museum of National History, one of the city’s most visible and central landmarks.
To avoid the detention and harassment experienced at the hands of Egyptian security forces over the last few days, delegates travelled clandestinely to the venue in small groups and pretended to be tourists. Despite these efforts, a hotel housing a large contingent of the march participants was barricaded early this morning by Egyptian police. Nobody was allowed to leave for several hours, causing many to miss the protest.
Outside the Egyptian National Museum, the hundreds of small groups waited for a secret signal and instantly swarmed together, forming one large group, and began marching down the road. This tactic had to be adopted because any large gathering of people before the march would have been broken up by police.
After marching for approximately 20 meters, hundreds of Egyptian riot police rushed toward the crowd and encircled them. In an effort to peacefully hold their ground, marchers sat on the ground. In what was a surprisingly heavy-handed response to foreigners, the police began pulling, beating and kicking protestors to get them out of the road.
While rows of riot police shoved the group from behind, police at the front and sides pushed back, causing panic and hundreds of individuals to fall to the ground. Several women were punched, kicked and dragged out of the road, while many elderly persons were pinned beneath others who had fallen on top of them. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries beyond a few bloody noses and people who had sustained cuts and bruises.
After approximately 15 minutes of this, police managed to corral the entire group into an area just off the road, where the protest continued peacefully for the rest of the day. Although unable to march, the group held a loud and emotional protest in support of those besieged in the Gaza Strip.
The crowd sang, chanted, hung flags and banners from trees and called on the Egyptian government to end its complicity in the siege imposed on the people of Gaza. Representatives of each of the dozens of countries present gave short but moving speeches, demonstrating the truly international show of solidarity for the people of Gaza in this march.
Haroon Wadee, an organizer of the South African delegation, highlighted the similarities between the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the current struggle of the Palestinian people for their freedom and liberation. He recalled the famous quote of former South African President Nelson Mandela who said that “South Africa is not free until Palestine is free.”
While it was deeply disappointing for the nearly 1,400 delegates who came from 43 countries that they could not physically be in Gaza today, this was a momentous and historic gathering of justice-loving people from every corner of the globe, united by their common desire to see Gaza free. On the eve of a new year, the crowd vowed to do everything in their power to make 2010 the year that the siege of Gaza is finally and forever broken.
Sayed Dhansay is a South African human rights activist and independent freelance writer. He volunteered for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2006 and is an organizer of the South African delegation for the Gaza Freedom March. He blogs at http://sayeddhansay.wordpress.com.
Residents of Bil’in gathered today after the noon prayers to demonstrate against the Israeli occupation and the Apartheid Wall on to commemorate the first anniversary of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza. In addition, they celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Fatah.
The demonstration, organized by the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was joined by dozens of international and Israeli activists as well as members of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Front.
Commemorating the first anniversary of the Israeli assault on Gaza, demonstrators marched through the village towards the site of the Apartheid Wall and chanted slogans expressing their solidarity with Palestinian residents of Gaza and demanding the end of the crippling siege imposed by Israel. Protesters raised Palestinian flags and banners condemning the Israeli policy of settlement expansion and ethnic cleansing, namely the recent settler takeovers and plans to build new settlements in Jerusalem. They also called for the release of all Palestinian political prisoners.
A photographer is seen inside a tear gas cloud, shot by Israeli soldiers, during a march against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in, on January 1, 2010. An activist speaks to Israeli soldiers (not seen) during a march against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in, on January 1, 2010.A Palestinian man kicks a tear gas grenade, shot by Israeli soldiers, during a march against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in, on January 1, 2010.
When the march reached the gate of the Apartheid Wall the Israeli military stationed on the other side of the wall immediately responded by throwing tear-gas at the demonstrators and shooting sound grenades. Despite the violence from the army, the demonstrators managed to open the gate in the wall in an attempt to reach their land, stolen by Israel for the construction of the Wall and settlement blocks behind it. Dozens suffered tear-gas inhalation.
The residents of the village also called for the release of all Bil’in prisoners today, including Abdallah Abu Rahmah, coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. After his court was postponed this Tuesday, 29 December, the military prosecution requested to extend Abdallah’s detention by a further 101 days. This decision was taken in the absence of Abdallah’s lawyer, Gabi Lasky, who said she was planning to appeal to the military court. The Israeli occupation forces arrested Abdallah in the middle of the night on 10 December after raiding his house in al-Tira neighbourhood of Ramallah. His charges include incitement, stone throwing and arms possession, which has been brought against him merely for collecting and displaying spent tear-gas canisters, used against the Bil’in demonstrators by the Israeli army.
The Italian delegation of Action for Peace at the Gaza Freedom March walked today in the streets of Cairo with all other delegations in solidarity with the Palestinian people, to call for an end of the siege on Gaza, the end of the Israeli occupation, the respect of international law and human rights. Even though the march was immediately stopped and some activists were injured by the Egyptian police, we succeeded in organizing a sit-in for about 8 hours in the square of the Egyptian Museum, that became today the Gaza Freedom Square. At midnight we gathered again in Tahrir Square to write our solidarity to Gaza with candels on the ground.
We came to Egypt with the goal of entering Gaza and breaking the siege through a nonviolent demonstration but we were prevented even from reaching the border. The government allowed a delegation of 100 people to enter Gaza in order to bring humanitarian aid, certainly a positive act, but we are here for much more. The people of Gaza do not ask for simple humanitarian assistance but for political action against the siege, which is the cause of the humanitarian crisis in the strip. Border control can be exercised by Israel and Egypt without harming the basic needs and the freedom of movement of the people of Gaza.
We urge the international community to take action after the Goldstone report released by the UN HRs Committee on the war crimes of Israel in the Cast Lead military attack on Gaza one year ago. Impunity cannot be tolerated. We denounce the attempt of the Egyptian government to differentiate between the “good activists” who accepted to bring humanitarian aid and the “bad ones” who insist on the political message of the march against the bockade. We are not devided, we all stand together for the end of the siege, the freedom and unity of the Palestinian people, a just peace in Middle East.
The Gaza Freedom March continued in the streets of Cairo today, while about 1000 people marched in Israel and 500 in Gaza on the two sides of the Eretz border check-point. Other hundreds participated in demonstrations in Ramallah, Bethlehem and other towns in the West Bank, besides the protests organized in many Eropean and American cities. We succeeded in concentrating attention of the international media on Gaza in the anniversary of the tragic militay attack on the strip. The people of Gaza know that they are not alone. May 2010 bring the end of the blockade and justice and pece for the people of Palestine!
