<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Humanitarian Aid Sails on Final Leg of its Journey to Gaza,&nbsp;Palestine]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><img class="leadimage" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.milligazette.com/system/uploads/web_news/292/medium_gaza-india-syria-1.jpg" alt="Medium_gaza-india-syria-1" /></p>
<div id="intro">It is interesting that the role of India which is  appreciated by leaders of especially the third world countries is from  the days of Gandhi and Nehru. People like to avoid mentioning the  changing foreign policy of India under the recent regimes, abandoning  the cause of non-alignment and trying to jump on the bandwagon of  developed nations and military powers.</div>
<h6 class="byline">By Dr Sandeep Pandey,                  The Milli Gazette Online</h6>
<h6 class="dateline">Published Online: Jan 01, 2011</h6>
<div id="bodytext">
<p style="text-align:justify;">Latakia (Syria, 1 January 2011): The Asia to Gaza caravan arrived to a  grand welcome by the Governor of Latakia, Dr. Khalyl Mashhaddya, a  cardio-thoracic surgeon, on 25th December, 2010, in the port city of  Syria, with school children playing their band and raising pro-Palestine  and pro-Syria placards on the street. Next day at a meeting the Baath  Party office bearer and former Ambassador to India, Dr. Mohsen Alkhyyr,  spoke fondly of the vision of Gandhi and role of Nehru in giving shape  to the Non-Aligned Movement along with Nasser, Tito and Sukarno. It is  interesting that the role of India which is appreciated by leaders of  especially the third world countries is from the days of Gandhi and  Nehru. People like to avoid mentioning the changing foreign policy of  India under the recent regimes, abandoning the cause of non-alignment  and trying to jump on the bandwagon of developed nations and military  powers.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<img style="width:575px;height:431px;" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.milligazette.com/system/assets/pictures/77/content_gaza-india-syria-4.jpg" alt="Free Gaza India Asia People's Movement against Israeli Occuption" /><br />
<strong>Feroze Mithiborwala (left) organiser of the Indian contingent in the caravan</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">
While awaiting the clerance from Egyptian authorities for entering  Gaza, the caravan members were invited by a host of organizations &#8211; of  students, farmers, workers and engineers. The caravan members also  visited the Al-aa-Deen camp of Palestinian refugees, some of whom came  as far back as in 1948. This camp is also host to Syrian refugees from  Golan Heights and some Palestinian refugees from Iraq. Except for the  citizenship right the earlier refugees enjoy all the benefits entitled  to Syrian citizens. But the Palestinian refugees admit quite  unambiguously that they are the guests of Syrian government. The day the  situation will become normal they&#8217;ll return to their homeland after  handing over their property to the Syrian government. The Syrian  government also considers the Palestinian people as their own. The  banner to welcome to caravan on behalf of Governor of Latakia read: &#8216;The  masses of the Governorate of Latakia Salute the Free Men of Convoy Asia  (1) to Break the Siege of Our People in Gaza.&#8217; The caravan members have  been received warmly in the Arab world as they are seen as supporting  an Arab cause.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<img style="width:575px;height:431px;" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.milligazette.com/system/assets/pictures/78/content_gaza-india-syria-5.jpg" alt="Free Gaza India Asia People's Movement against Israeli Occuption" /><br />
<strong>Ajit Sahi (right), senior journalist from India on the caravan</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">
The Egyptian government gave permission to 120 people to enter Gaza as  opposed to the promise of an earlier figure of 100 but was quite clear  that they would not allow any Iranian citizens, including 7 members of  parliament &#8211; Mahmoud Ahmadi Biqash, Avaz Heidarpour, Parvi Sarvari, Ali  Motahhari, Ali Asqar Zarei, Hassan Qafourifard and Shabib Jooyjari. They  also denied permission to 6 Jordanian activists, who have taken strong  positions earlier not palatable to the Egypt, Israel or US. This was not  totally unexpected. Egypt and Iran have strained ties for the last 30  years. Since the days when Egypt gave asylum to Shah of Iran, Mohammad  Reza Pahlavi, the Camp David Accord after the Egyptian recognition to  Israel, support to Iraq in Iran-Iraq war and in response Iran deciding  to name a street after Khaled Islambouli, the assasin of Egyptian  president Anwar Sadat, there have been no diplomatic relations between  Egypt and Iran. Lately, Iran&#8217;s support to Hizbullah and Hamas is also a  source of concern for Egypt. The First Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan  faced a dilemma. How could some friends be left behind because of the  whims of Egyptian government? But in the end the Iranian members  prevailed over the group and convinced everybody that even they would be  most happy only if the caravan reaches Gaza. Nothing is more serious  that the pain and suffering of people of Gaza, who were looking forward  to the arrival of First Asia to Gaza Solidarity caravan. They could not  be disappointed. Hence a decision was taken by consensus for the caravan  to move ahead.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<img style="width:575px;height:431px;" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.milligazette.com/system/assets/pictures/75/content_gaza-india-syria-2.jpg" alt="Free Gaza India Asia People's Movement against Israeli Occuption" /></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">
On 30th December the caravan members cheered the staff of Latakia Port  as they loaded humanitarian aid &#8211; food, medicines, stationery for  children and four ambulances &#8211; on the ship appropriately named &#8216;Salam&#8217;  or peace by raising pro-Palestine slogans. Eight members of the caravan,  Brigadier Sudhir Sawant, former MP, Ajit Sahi, senior journalist,  Sheheen Kattiparambil, young activist of Jamat-e-Islami, Aslam Khan,  student leader of AISA, all from India, Koichi Sakaguchi from Japan,  Hakim Alizade from Azerbaijan, Muhammad Husein from Indonesia and  Norazli Bin Musa from Malaysia were given the responsibility to  accompany the ship to Al Arish port in Egypt.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">On the new year&#8217;s day of 2011 the ship sailed from the Latakia port  amidst cheering by the remaining members of the caravan and Latakian  citizens. The Governor of Latakia accompanied by the Baath Party chief  was there on both ocassions, when the loading was taking place as well  as when it sailed. The send off became quite emotional as there was a  realization that Israelis may intercept the ship in mid water. Ajit Sahi  speaking before the ship&#8217;s departure said that in case of any  mishappening, this caravan to Gaza must not stop and there should be  more such caravans. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi he said bravery is not in  killing people but in sacrificing one&#8217;s life fighting against injustice.  It is amazing how Gandhi has become relevant for the Asia to Gaza  caravan. Historically, he had disapproved of the creation of Israel and  said Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England  belongs to the English and France to the French. The flags of India,  Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Azerbaijan  and Palestine were waved by caravan members on board as the ship left  the shores of Latakia.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<img style="width:575px;height:431px;" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.milligazette.com/system/assets/pictures/76/content_gaza-india-syria-3.jpg" alt="Free Gaza India Asia People's Movement against Israeli Occuption" /></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">
The humanitarian aid will be joined by rest of the members of caravan  who will fly to Al Arish in Egypt and the caravan will cross the nearby  Rafah border to enter Gaza on 2nd January, exactly a month after it was  flagged off from Rajghat, thereby achieving its final objective.</p>
<p><em><br />
</em><strong>Photos: </strong>A. Muthu Krishnan, a journalist from Tamil Nadu, and member of the Asia to Gaza Carava</p>
<p><em>Dr Sandeep Pandey is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) for emergent  leadership, who is a part of the Asia to Gaza peace delegation. He is a  member of National Presidium, People&#8217;s Politics Front (PPF), heads the  National Alliance of People&#8217;s Movements (NAPM) and did his PhD from  University of California, Berkeley, USA. He taught at Indian Institute  of Technology (IIT) Kanpur before devoting his life to strengthening  people&#8217;s movements in early 1990s. He writes for Citizen News Service  (CNS) can be contacted at: <a href="mailto:ashaashram@yahoo.com">ashaashram@yahoo.com</a>. Website:  <a href="http://www.citizen-news.org" rel="nofollow">http://www.citizen-news.org</a></em></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.milligazette.com/news/292-humanitarian-aid-sails-on-final-leg-of-its-journey-to-gaza-palestine">Humanitarian Aid Sails on Final Leg of its Journey to Gaza, Palestine</a>.</p>
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