US activists arrive in Egypt

2009-07-06 09:50

Cairo - About 100 US activists arrived in Egypt on Sunday on their way to Gaza, hoping to deliver medical aid, trucks and support for lifting a 2-year old Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the territory.

The activists are part of a charity group called "Viva Palestina" that aims to send a convoy of at least 200 people - all Americans - to Gaza by July 13. If their convoy is allowed to proceed, it would mark one of the largest groups of US activists to reach the strip since the Islamic militant group Hamas wrestled control of the territory from its rival Fatah in 2007.

Following the takeover, Egypt and Israel sealed their borders with the seaside territory, allowing in only a trickle of commercial goods and humanitarian aid.

A myriad of international activists have brought aid to Gaza's 1.4 million residents in an attempt to highlight the crippling blockade, attempts that have only intensified following the three-week Israeli offensive earlier this year in Gaza designed to stop Hamas rocket fire into southern Israel.

Aid going through Egypt must first be cleared by the Egyptian government. It was unclear whether authorities would approve this convoy. Most convoys going over land have been allowed to pass but usually after delays and bureaucracy at the borders.

Foreign peace activists

The activists that arrived in Cairo on Sunday will wait in Cairo for the rest of their group and supplies to assemble before heading to the border. The group is organised by British lawmaker George Galloway, who led a convoy that entered Gaza in March.

At the Cairo airport on Sunday, the eclectic group of volunteers from different states, including rabbis and Christian activists, congregated in their blue T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Viva Palestina".

Organiser Mansour al-Barbari, from Boise, Idaho, said the group so far has raised more than $1m to pay for the shipment of trucks, small vans and medical and other supplies. He said the trip was designed to open up Americans' eyes to what is happening in Gaza.

"People there need everything ... the smallest thing," he said.

On Tuesday, the Israeli navy intercepted a ship carrying foreign peace activists, including former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, trying to break the blockade.

- SAPA