A humanitarian convoy organized by American activists successfully reached the besieged Gaza Strip this week. The Viva Palestina U.S. convoy was the second such land convoy to successfully enter Gaza via the Egyptian border. Activists hope that such missions will break down the Israel-Egyptian embargo on Gaza, which has made the strip into a prison-like enclosure.

British Member of Parliament George Galloway is interviewed as his convoy successfully made it to Gaza through Egypt.

The convoy carried 200 activists in 50 vehicles. It delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of supplies for the people of Gaza. It finally was allowed to cross the Rafah border on Wednesday after receiving permission from Cairo.
The convoy was delayed by Egyptian bureaucracy by 10 days and was then given only 24 hours to remain in the war-torn territory.

For more than two years, Israel has enforced an embargo of Gaza as punishment for the Hamas takeover of Gaza following the effective annulment of its parliamentary electoral victory in 2005.

In late December and much of January, Israel’s military attacked and invaded the strip to seek the defeat of Hamas. It left 1500 Palestinians dead, and large swathes of the land in ruins. Hamas remains in power, but the Israeli grip on imports has denied Gazans the materials to rebuild.

Egypt has also played a role in maintaining the closure of the strip.

Egyptian diplomats had previously assured the convoy that they would expedite the delivery of trucks, medical and relief supplies and American human rights volunteers into Gaza. When the convoy arrived, the government imposed new restrictions, such as the 24 hour limit. Also, they only allowed half of the aid trucks in.

Gazans welcome the arrival of the second-ever humanitarian aid convoy to make it through the Egyptian border. Photos courtesy of VivaPalestina.org

This did not deter one of the convoy’s main faces.
“We are now on our way to complete our humanitarian mission, more determined than ever and stronger in heart than when we entered Egypt,” said George Galloway, British Member of Parliament. “We now look forward to seeing in a matter of hours the faces of the besieged people of Gaza.”

Galloway headed a similar convoy from the UK earlier this year. Another is being planned for October.

The parliamentarian joined the convoy for its last leg, along with former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who was also on-board the Spirit of Humanity, an aid ship that attempted to reach Gaza through the Mediterranean Sea the week before.

The convoy also included Charles Barron, a New York City Councilman.

Former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah welcomed the Viva Palestina to Gaza. He said he appreciated their solidarity and welcomed the Jewish rabbis who were with the group. He said Palestinians do not hate Jews, they oppose Israel’s Zionism.

Palestinian children stand at a gate to the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip during a protest against the Israeli blockade July 13, 2009. Israel, which pulled settlers out of Gaza in 2005, has long restricted entry of goods into the enclave and tightened its blockade when it was taken over by Hamas Islamists who defeated forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

The goal of the convoy is to bring an end to the closure of Gaza. It seeks to protect the rights of the 1.5 million Palestinians who live there. It is not organized to support one faction over another.
Critics of the convoy, however, argue these moves serve to bolster Hamas politically. It is clear the convoy’s organizers would not be persuaded by this objection. They are clearly rejecting collective punishment, in this case, the idea that all of Gaza can be punished for the goal of removing the party in power.