A large land convoy began making its way on Saturday from around the world to the Gaza Strip.
Vehicles were loaded onto ships and are en-route to the el-Arish Port in Egypt where they hope to be allowed to unload and drive into Gaza. According to press reports, about 450 vehicles are expected to participate in the land convoy which is organized by former British lawmaker George Galloway.
RELATED:''Viva Palestina' Gaza flotilla to sail''Galloway misled public over sum raised for Gaza'Vehicles are coming from England, Kuwait, Algeria. Tunisia and Morocco. In January, the Egyptians banned Galloway from using their territory for Gaza-bound convoys and accused the former British lawmaker’s organization Viva Palestina of criminal activity.
Galloway, a former British MP and veteran anti-Israel activist, first
announced plans for the "Viva Palestina" flotilla in June, shortly
after attending the funerals of the Turkish activists killed aboard the
Mavi Marmara.
Galloway announced the September 18 launch of the flotilla in an August
opinion article he wrote in the British socialist daily the Morning
Star.
Galloway states in the article that now that the siege on Gaza is being
condemned by the EU, UN, many governments and every major international
aid agency, "we are at a moment when pressure can be brought to bear as
never before to frustrate Israel's moves to crush the Palestinians."
Galloway expressed encouragement at British Prime Minister David
Cameron's July speech in Turkey in which he equated Gaza to a prison
camp and condemned Israel for the raid on the
Mavi Marmara in which nine
pro-Palestinian activists were killed by IDF naval commandos.