Egypt Allows Humanitarian Viva Palestina Convoy to Enter Gaza

Government of Egypt changes policy to allow humanitarian group Viva Palestina to enter Gaza December 27, 2009.

Image courtesy: sabbah.biz

(CAIRO, Egypt) - Members of the Gaza Freedom March are congratulating the Government of Egypt on its change of policy to allow international missions into Gaza during December. The decision will allow the Viva Palestina convoy to go into Gaza on December 27, 2009.

Organizers of Gaza Freedom March were told on December 20, 2009 by Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials that no international missions would be allowed to enter Gaza during December, including the Gaza Freedom March, because of serious security conditions at the border.

Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson told Gaza Freedom March organizers Wednesday, December 23, that the decision had been made to alter its policy because of the “humanitarian assistance” nature of vivapalestina.org/.

Since the Gaza Freedom March is also bringing in humanitarian assistance items valued at tens of thousands of dollars and the border is now considered safe, the Gaza Freedom March made a formal request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, December 24, that the Government of Egypt reconsider the request of the Gaza Freedom March for entry of its 1,360 delegates from 42 countries into Gaza through the Rafah crossing on December 27.

Marchers and their friends have been flooding Egyptian embassies throughout the world with calls and emails.

Embassies throughout Europe, the United States and Canada said they have been flooded with telephone calls from persons asking that the Gaza Freedom March be allowed into Gaza.

Members of the Canadian, German, Swiss, French, Greek and Filipino Parliaments have written letters, as well as the Irish Minister of Defense, asking the Egyptian government to allow the march to proceed.

The Gaza Freedom March has families of three generations, doctors, lawyers, diplomats, 100 students, an interfaith group that includes rabbis, priests and imams, a women's delegation, a Jewish contingent, a veterans group and Palestinians born overseas who have never seen their families in Gaza.

The group stated, "We have large delegations from the U.S., France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Greece, Australia, South Africa, the Netherlands and Japan. We also have delegations from Sweden, Turkey, India, Ireland, Switzerland, Jordan, Morocco, Denmark, Lebanon, Austria, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Tunisia, Algeria, Philippines, South Korea, Bahrain, Bosnia, Israel, New Zealand, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, Mauritius, Romania and Serbia."

To learn more, visit: gazafreedommarch.org

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Source: Press release from: sabbah.biz