Jewish and Arab sympathizers plan to send aid to Gaza

Jewish and Arab sympathizers plan to send aid to Gaza

STOCKHOLM, — The organization of “Jews for a Just Peace in the Middle East” in Europe and “Jews for Justice for Palestinians” in Britain have announced their intention to send a ship loaded with aid to the Gaza Strip in an effort to break the Israeli siege imposed on the enclave. The aid vessel is expected to set sail in the second half of July.

According to organizers, the ship will carry gifts from schoolchildren in Europe, in addition to medicine and medical equipment.  The ship will also be covered by television stations worldwide. Organizers said that the main objective of the ship is to “break the siege on Gaza.  This collective punishment on the civilian population is unlawful.”

Lutz Edith, one of the organizers of the ship, said, “Israel has shown the world its brutality and heinousness when it attacked the Freedom Flotilla.”

Another aid convoy from Algeria will set out on Wednesday towards Gaza, after the Guidance and Reform Society, which organized the convoy, obtained a license from the Egyptian embassy in Algeria, which also approved of granting visas to the delegation accompanying the convoy, after a wait of nearly one week.

The embassy delayed in granting the license requiring the organizers to provide correspondence from the Algerian Foreign Ministry.  Organizers made it clear to the embassy that their work is independent of official authorities, and after a long wait, the embassy finally approved. The delegation, which consists of 13 members, including journalists, businessmen and politicians, will travel tomorrow after following procedures for obtaining a license to cross to Gaza when it reaches Cairo.