VP5 - THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

With only a month to go before the Viva Palestina Global Lifeline To Gaza sets off from London, individuals and teams from across the world are busy fundraising and preparing for their journey to the besieged region of Gaza.

They will depart London on September 18th and travel through Europe and the Middle East, arriving in Gaza in early October.

They will meet up with 2 other convoys that will depart from Doha and from Morocco, and together, will form the largest convoy to date to enter Gaza with aid.
 
Last Saturday night in Tipperary, Ireland, legendary singer Shane McGowan from the world famous group "The Pogues" turned up at a fundraiser and treated the packed audience to 8 songs. Shane had the crowd dancing non stop as he sang a few Pogues classics and a few Thin Lizzy covers. Shane was supporting the galant efforts of the "Tipp2Gaza" team who are joining the convoy. Speaking on the night, Shane said: "It is an honour to support not only Joe and Jim who are taking part, but to support the Palestinians at this critical time."
 
In New Zealand, a major fundraising effort is under way by the amazing "Kia Ora Gaza" group. Led by team captain Roger Fowler, a group of 6 people will travel to London and drive 3 vehicles loaded with aid to Gaza. Speaking to the press, Roger outlined their objectivies for taking part. "Kia Ora Gaza is on a peaceful humanitarian mission. We are fund-raising to deliver aid to people in Gaza. They are suffering under an Israeli siege which has been condemned by the United Nations, International Red Cross and most other world bodies."
 
As part of their fundraising efforts, KLARC, one of New Zealand's best graphic artists, who also sketched Kia Ora Gaza's famous truck logo, has signed his original print and has donated it to the team for auction. Already there has been considerable interest and bidding, and will no doubt reach a high price before the auction closes. For more information, check out their web site at www.kiaoragaza.net
 
Across the UK, there are many teams busy fundraising and collecting medical, educational, building and farming supplies. Many of these items are banned from entering Gaza, and it is vital that these get through to the stricken region. Travelling on his 3rd convoy to Gaza, Tom Baker, the team leader from the "Slough To Gaza" group said, "Having travelled on 2 previous Viva Palestina convoys, I have seen 1st hand the conditions that the Palestinians in Gaza have to live through on a daily basis. To me it is way beyond belief that the world has allowed the population in Gaza to remain locked up for nearly 4 years now. The time has now come to say enough is enough, and by going back to Gaza once more, I hope to play my part in not only breaking the siege, but ending the siege once and for all."
 
Viva Palestina is a registered charity founded by George Galloway following the attacks on Gaza 18 months ago. George has led 3 convoys of aid into Gaza, the most recent one in January of this year. To date, over 1,000  people in 450 vehicles loaded with aid have successfully broken the siege on Gaza, and delivered millions of pounds worth of aid.
 
There are still many ways in which people can help out on this convoy, by fundraising for aid, donating aid, contacting local and national media, distributing flyers, or helping out local volunteers from your area. For futher information, please visit our web site at www.vivapalestina.org or telephone 0044 7751 006 256.
 
Thanks for your continued support,
 
Viva Palestina

The terrible massacre aboard the Mavi Marmara on 31 May has brought a sea change in international opinion against the inhumane siege on the people of Gaza.

Far from deterring people from seeking to bring that siege to an end, the Israeli assault on the Freedom Flotilla is spurring on even more people to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to end the blockade. Viva Palestina has organised three massive land convoys to Gaza in the last 18 months - all of which have delivered their aid - and participated in the latest flotilla. Over the last few weeks we have been discussing with partner organisations how to coordinate relief efforts by land and sea so as to have the maximum impact.

As a result Viva Palestina is launching "Viva Palestina 5 - a global lifeline to Gaza", a gigantic land convoy leaving London on Saturday, 18th September in conjunction with convoys leaving from Casablanca and Doha and timed to coordinate with a larger and even more international flotilla aiming to reach Gaza by sea at the same time as the land convoys reach by land.

Viva Palestina will be leading the Land Convoy, a Global Lifeline To Gaza, working in partnership with the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza and organisations from Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Australasia, India, South Africa and more.

Saturday 18 September will certainly be the first clear Saturday after the month of Ramadan. We are aiming, with the two other legs of the land convoy, to take 500 vehicles with aid to Gaza carrying medical equipment, educational supplies and the wherewithal to rebuild a destroyed mosque, a school for orphans and to construct a maternity facility in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. We will be supporting the international flotilla that is scheduled for the same time.

Important institutions are now calling for the end to the siege - the European Union, the United Nations, and major charities such as Oxfam. We are appealing for the widest and strongest participation in this latest effort, which will be all the stronger as it takes place in partnership with others who have a proven track record.

You can support the convoy in many ways, as outlined below, by fundraising, promoting it, or taking part yourself. Spaces for participants by land and sea will be limited and we urge you to sign up quickly and begin fundraising now to ensure you can take part.

We have drawn on the experience of the previous Viva Palestina missions to strengthen the organisational capacity and methods of this next one. So even if you have taken part before and want to do so again, please do carefully read through the information below and follow the registration and fundraising procedures.

Please also register for our e-mail bulletin to keep up to date as further information is sent out.

We would like to thank all those who have supported the previous convoys and flotillas and who responded so magnificently when the last one was so brutally attacked.

Now is the time to answer that atrocity with a flood of humanity towards the suffering people of Gaza.

Flotilla

Viva Palestina is also planning to support a new flotilla of aid ships to Gaza. No date has yet been fixed, but the organisations that brought together the Freedom Flotilla in May plus others are hopeful that it will coincide with the land convoys arriving in October.

A flotilla which will be stronger even than the great achievement in May will require a massive fundraising effort. And, as then, space aboard will necessarily be very limited. We hope to make a significant contribution to this initiative while building up a wide, international coalition of support for the land convoys, which are now underway.

The message from the besieged people of Gaza is loud and clear: Come in massive numbers, in a co-ordinated and organized way, by land and sea to deliver vital aid and to highlight the injustice of the siege.

To that end we are supervising the aid that we are taking to ensure it is of the highest quality and meets the needs the people of Gaza have identified. The Israeli government seems to regard Gaza as a junkyard: supporters of the Palestinian people believe that Gaza deserves no less than what we often take for granted in Western countries, including the movement of goods and people with neighbouring countries that is vital to the reconstruction of the economy.

That's why this global convoy to the Rafah crossing, which the Egyptian government has said is "open", is so vital.

Please click here for details of how to apply for Viva Palestina 5 

 

 

 

VITAL SUPPLIES STILL DENIED

Despite the recent claims by Israel that they have "eased" the siege on Gaza, vital medical supplies and equipment are still prohibited from entering the besieged region. In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Israel blocked the delivery of essential medical equipment, including a CT scanner, defibrillators and monitors.

In addition, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Israel confiscated seven oxygen machines, donated by a Norwegian development agency, and refused to allow delivery of x-ray machines, claiming they could be used for military purposes.

As a result, there is a critical shortage of vital medicines and essential life saving equipment. Other supplies are expected to run out this summer, harming chronic disease sufferers the most.

In addition, only 30 percent of the medical aid, sent to Gaza after the last Israeli military offensive 19 months ago, was used at hospitals and medical aid centres. This was due to the fact that there was a surplus supply of certain medical supplies, and other medical supplies were out of date.

Another significant problem is an over-supply of bulky items like cotton wool which requires expensive storage, and the disposal of waste medical supplies in an area where rubbish disposal is a major issue.

In the light of this, Viva Palestina is working closely with the Ministery of Health in Gaza and independent medical organizations to accurately identify the kind and quantity of medical supplies that Gaza actually needs. We intend to bring a wide range of these vital medical supplies and equipment on board the upcoming convoy. These urgently required supplies will go a long way in helping to ease the suffering of so many in Gaza .

Viva Palestina are appealing for people to donate towards the cost of these medical equipment and supplies. People can donate via the web site at: http://www.vivapalestina.org/vp5/donate.html

Alternatively, if people have access to medical aid that they can donate, please contact us via email at: aid@vivapalestina.org. Please send a detailed list of this aid, and if it is on the required list, we will arrange collection.

We also need dedicated volunteers to join us on our next convoy to Gaza, leaving on September 18th 2010. If you can raise money to help the people of Gaza, we want to hear from you. Please visit the Viva Palestina 5 website