Viva Palestina Aid Convoy Breaks Gaza Siege. شريان الحياة 5 تكسر حصار غزة.flv

Amidst scenes of jubilation from thousands of Palestinians there to greet the convoy,
Kevin Ovenden, the convoy director, expressed his joy at being in Gaza once again.

“We have driven more than 3,000 miles
to bring this essential aid and to break this illegal siege of Gaza.

We have been joined by supporters from Morocco and Algeria and from the Gulf States and Jordan,
to make this the biggest convoy ever to break the siege of Gaza.

We are absolutely overjoyed to be here and to bring with us the
soil from the graves of those who
were massacred on the Mavi Marmara
which will be used to plant trees as a memorial to their sacrifice.”

The convoy set out four weeks
and five days ago from London.

It travelled through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Syria.

Everywhere the reception was fantastic
and the generosity
of well-wishers unsurpassed.

Towards the end there was a frustrating delay in Syria whilst negotiations
at the highest levels were conducted
with the Egyptian authorities.

In the end it was all worth it as the Egyptian authorities decided to allow passage
of the whole convoy,
sadly excluding just 17 members
of the convoy including George Galloway.

The convoy will be handed over in
its entirety to the relevant bodies
tomorrow and the members of the convoy then expect to leave Gaza
and return home in the next 48 hours
after celebrations and formal thanks
are given.

The Viva Palestina convoy of almost 150 vehicles, 370 people
from 30 different countries
and $5 million of aid has entered Gaza.