Updated: EGYPT STALLS HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA

First Asian Caravan to Ghaza


NEW update January 6, 2011:

The Salam docks after the Caravan was forced to bribe the Egyptian authorities
by paksforpal on January 6, 2011...

We heard last night that the ship accompanying the Caravan, Salam, carrying humanitarian aid for the Gazan population, has finally been allowed to dock at the Egyptian port of Al Arish.

The Egyptian authorities have refused to unload the material sent by Iran, and have turned over the rest to the Israelis for inspection. According to Iran’s PressTV, the Caravan members have vowed to remain in Gaza until all the aid has indeed reached the people for whom it is intended.

We have also heard that the bribe paid to the Egyptian authorities to let the Salamdock came to $10,000! If this is indeed true, it brings to light the disgusting manner in which Egypt – and other collaborationist regimes like it – profit from the plight of the Palestinians.

Sources:

Egypt halts full aid delivery to Gaza
Asia2Gaza on twitter

-- http://paksforpal.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/the-salam-docks-after-the-caravan-was-forced-to-bribe-the-egyptian-authorities/

We appeal to members of this group with an interest in this issue and in the events surrounding the arrival of the Caravan in Gaza to send in information that may corroborate or correct the content of our blog post, pasted above.

Just In Jan 3-4?: Asian Aid Convoy Arrives in Gaza here



PRESS RELEASE Paks for Pal dot wordpress dot com

Evening of 3rd January, 2011, from Ghaza

The Ship 'Salam' carrying about 1m $ worth of humanitarian aid for Gaza accompanying the First Asia to Gaza Caravan is not being allowed to dock for reasons as yet unknown at the Al Arish port of Egypt. 8 members of the caravan, consisting of 4 Indians, Brigadier Sudhir Sawant, former Member of Parliament, Ajit Sahi, senior journalist, Sheheen Kattiparambil, young activist of Jamat-e-Islami, Aslam Khan, student leader of All India Students Association - Koichi Sakaguchi from Japan, Hakim Alizade from Azerbaijan, Muhammad Husein from Indonesia and Norazli Bin Musa from Malaysia, are aboard the ship which left Latakia, Syria, on the morning of 1st January, 2011. The ship has been anchoring about 1 km away from the Al Arish port for about a day now.

Meanwhile over hundred members of the caravan have already reached Gaza after a 4 hour held up at the Al Arish airport late evening on 2nd January. The Caravan was apprehensive of interception by Israel, whose two ships and a helicopter followed 'Salam' for almost the whole of daytime on 2nd January. But stalling by Egypt has come as an utmost surprise. This is the first time that aid for Gaza is being stalled by Egypt.

Contact numbers in Gaza: Feroze Mithiborwala, 0091 9820897517, Mustapa Mansor, 0097 595569914

Contact number on ship: Brigadier Sudhir Sawant, 0091 9869812408

See Planned Route for Salam here