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Contact the Egyptian embassy and call for the immediate release and passageof all the vehicles and the Viva Palestina US convoy to Gaza.
Call 202-966-6342or 202-895-5400;
fax 202-244-4319 or 202.244.5131

Viva Palestina: Navigating Egypt's Obstacle Coursehttp://www.vivapalestina-us.org/The Viva Palestina U.S. convoy has been facing barrier after barrier inrecent days despite having initially hoped to cross into the Gaza Strip thismorning. The Egyptian government, collaborator in Israel's severe blockadefor the past 2 years, has set up a course of administrative obstacles whichwill delay the group's entry into Gaza.George Galloway, the British Member of Parliament who organized this effortas well as the first Viva Palestina caravan which drove from London to Gazain March, sent a letter to President Mubarak of Egypt prior to the departureof the U.S. convoy.
This letter informed the president that over a milliondollars had been raised with the intention of purchasing vehicles, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid to bring to Gaza. Viva Palestina wasalso in contact with the Egyptian ambassadors in London, Washington, DC andTripoli, Libya, who, at their request, were provided with a list of thenames and passport numbers of all convoy participants.Yet when the first contingent attempted to cross the Mubarak Peace Bridge tothe Sinai peninsula Saturday evening, they were denied entry. That groupspent 12 hours at the checkpoint and entered into a stand-off withauthorities as they negotiated the length of their stay in successiveincrements. Members of the delegation demonstrated at the bridge,obstructing access to the vehicles, and also held keys and occupied driver'sseats in order that the 4 buses could not be moved.
Although Egyptian officials first stated that the convoy could not pass due to unrest in theregion and potential danger to the delegates, ultimately Viva Palestina wasinformed that each of its members required a Gaza affidavit signed andnotarized by an official at the U.S. Embassy in order to pass. That contingent decided to return to Cairo to obtain the affidavits and regroupwith other delegates, thereby strengthening their numbers for the nextcrossing.The Gaza affidavits are essentially indemnity agreements asserting that theindividual has signed away the inalienable right to the protection of theU.S. government. Previous delegations of U.S. citizens to Gaza have notbeen required to sign these, and these were not requested prior to reachingthe Mubarak Bridge checkpoint, despite Viva Palestina's well-publicizedplan. The Egyptian government refused to accept one group affidavit onbehalf of the entire convoy. Each individual affidavit will cost convoymembers $30 USD.Yesterday, Egyptian officials asked for a detailed inventory of all aiditems, which has now been compiled and will be submitted to border officialsat the Rafah crossing.
Late this afternoon, the Head of the Palestine Desk of the Egyptian Ministryof Foreign Affairs, who has been tasked by the Foreign Minister withlogistical planning, informed convoy leadership that only the 2 ambulances,of the 47 total vehicles which were purchased earlier in the day at a costof hundreds of thousands of dollars, would be allowed to enter Gaza. Thepeople of Gaza, with whom MP Galloway has been in frequent contact, haveindicated that new vehicles are sorely needed in Gaza for various publicservices.Viva Palestina organizers were also informed that convoy members would bepermitted to spend only 24 hours in Gaza. Individuals overstaying that timeperiod will not be permitted to leave until the next general opening of theRafah crossing, which has been continuously closed since June 2007.New York City Councilmember Charles Barron, who is traveling with theconvoy, believes the reason behind these new requirements and restrictionsis clear. "They don't want this to be successful because they don't wantany more convoys," Barron said. "They want to set an example with us.They were hoping that they would discourage. That's why the delays, that'swhy adding on stipulations. Because they want us to implode."Viva Palestina leadership has emphasized that these tactics will notdissuade the group from its avowed purpose of breaking the siege on Gaza,nor will future convoys be canceled. MP Galloway has announced that heintends to lead caravans this year from Venezuela and Moscow, as well as asecond U.S. convoy in December to commemorate the first anniversary ofIsrael's brutal attack.At a private meeting of the Viva Palestina delegation this evening, an agentof the Egyptian government was found to be present taking notes. His noteswere confiscated and he was escorted out of the room by MP Galloway.Convoy members Barron and Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Representative and2008 Green Party Presidential candidate, will be contacting President BarackObama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tomorrow to pressure theEgyptian government to allow additional vehicles through the border and alonger stay in Gaza for convoy members.
Additionally, Viva Palestina is calling for supporters to organize demonstrations at Egyptian consulates inthe U.S. and to call on the White House and the State Department to supportViva Palestina's effort in bringing medical supplies to what Obama called the "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza during his June 4 speech in Cairo.By Soozy Duncan