sábado, 16 de outubro de 2010

New aid convoy departing Sunday for Gaza


Jerusalem (CNN) -- A Gaza humanitarian convoy that includes passengers who survived a previous fatal flotilla incident will set sail Sunday in an attempt to deliver aid for Palestinians, organizers said.
The Viva Palestina convoy, hailed by organizers as the largest convoy to break the Gaza embargo, has already traveled 4,828 kilometers (3,000 miles) by road from England. It is now waiting to depart from the Syrian port of Latakia to Al-Arish, Egypt.
It has been joined by convoys from Morocco, Algeria, Jordan and Persian Gulf nations, organizers said Saturday. Two of the ships are slated to pass through the point at which Israeli troops boarded the Mavi Marmara in May.
Israeli troops used force on the activists, leaving eight Turks and one U.S.-Turkish dual citizen dead. Israel says its troops were attacked by those on board, but passengers on the boat insisted they were fired on without provocation.
Among those on board the Viva Palestina convoy are 40 of the passengers on the Mavi Marmara. Viva Palestina organizers have planned a commemoration service at that location and will lay flowers on the water.
The main ship in the Viva Palestina convoy, carrying 380 activists from 42 countries, 147 vehicles and $5 million in medical aid, has been docked at the Syrian port for the last 12 days. It was given the green light to sail to Egypt after lengthy mediation with Egyptian and Syrian authorities.
CNN