"Welcome to Palestine" Activists Enter Gaza on Solidarity Mission

Local Editor

A delegation of pro-Palestinian activists, mainly French and Egyptian, crossed into Gaza from Egypt on Thursday to deliver aid.

According to organizers, the "Welcome to Palestine" delegation of about 90 people is to stay in the territory until January 1, in solidarity with the people of Gaza and in protest against the "Israeli" blockade in force since 2006.
Organized by French group EuroPalestine, the delegation includes 60 French members and 25 Egyptians, and entered Gaza through the Rafah border terminal, the only land crossing between the territory and the outside world not dependent on the Zionist entity, which also maintains an air and sea blockade.

"I am very excited, very very happy, because this is the first time we succeeded in entering," said the mission's head, Olivia Zemor of the French pro-Palestinian group, EuroPalestine.
The mission, which said had brought medicines, medical supplies, books, and sweets to Gaza for the holiday season, was prevented from entering the territory in 2009 by the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.

""Israel" of course never wanted us to come here because we are in solidarity with the Palestinians. We are active for Palestine; for Palestinian prisoners, for the boycott of Israeli goods and for the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine; Gaza the West Bank and Palestinian refugees," Zemor said.
The Welcome to Palestine mission plans to stay in the enclave until January 1.
The visitors brought drugs, surgical supplies and French textbooks, the organizers said.

In the past, several similar "Welcome to Palestine" initiatives failed when activists were refused entry by air to Tel Aviv and by land from Jordan into the "Israeli"-occupied West Bank.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org