Existence is Resistance

Some footage from the barely media covered Viva Palestina convoy, notice Nancy at 2:15 minutes on the Press TV piece. Then Ayman from PR rappers and Nancy united for the first time since his father was murdered by rockets in January. We love you brother!!! Please understand and forgive us for our lack of blogging, Ayman (our other Ayman, Lubnani Ayman!) just returned last night, Nancy and Alejandro have been exhausted and I did not go myself, so I don’t have all the inspiring and exposing stories they have for you…this week many photos and stories will be up on the site as well as a special announcement. Please stay tuned and also tune in to Show And Prove radio Saturday from 2-4pm for a special report back via phone from our Hip-Hop delegation and George Galloway himself, if this changes for Sunday we’ll let you know.

Also if you are in New York, we are fasting at the United Nations in solidarity with the people and political prisoners and murdered students of Iran during the uprising July 22-24. On Saturday, I will be with the Radical Iranian Women’s Collective Where: TIMES SQ . / the U.N.
When:Saturday, July 25 from 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Join us, join the people of intifada.

God bless our beautiful children of the world, of Gaza and beyond.

Just in from Kevin:
The 100 Viva Palestina humanitarian volunteers have decided to stay the night in their buses at the Mubarak Peace Bridge over the Suez Canal despite pressure from the Egyptian security officials to return to Cairo.

The official reason given at the checkpoint for refusing to allow them to cross is that the officials there did not have a list of the names of the members of the convoy. Such a list was, however, at the request of the Egyptian authorities before any of the convoy members set foot in Egypt sent to the Egyptian ambassadors to Washington, D.C., and London.

The US Embassy in Cairo has now stepped in to forward a newly provided list of those convoy members aboard the buses at the bridge to the Egyptian foreign ministry to clear the way for the convoy’s passage.

Nancy Mansour Leigh, a spokeswoman for the Viva Palestina delegation Existence is Resistance at the Suez crossing, says, “It’s going to be an uncomfortable night, but it’s nothing compared with what the people of Gaza must live through every day. We’ve already succeeded in securing internet access and are negotiating other necessary facilities. But whatever facilities are provided or not, our determination will see us through the night and all the way to Gaza.”

New York City Councilman Charles Barron is on the scene at the Suez Canal and acting as chief negotiator with Egyptian security officials. “The Viva Palestina movement has had a great success this morning with our stand at the Suez crossing. We’ve now got an agreement for us to stay until the list of our convoy members reaches the foreign ministry. It shows what can be achieved with the determination and commitment of a collective body of people. We are determined to cross onto Gaza, and no matter what happens next, out of this first small confrontation, we’ve achieved a success for the movement in support of the Palestinian people. The convoy is going to move on, and we ain’t gonna let nobody turn us around.”

British Member of Parliament George Galloway offered these words of encouragement for the delegation being held up at the crossing:“This is an American convoy. And Americans are used to refusing to give up seats on buses in the struggle for justice. I regard everyone who’s putting themselves on the line tonight at the Suez Canal for the success of this humanitarian mission as nothing short of a hero.”

Kevin Ovenden
Viva Palestina coordinator

Yesterday as I was flyering and doing actions in Central Park at the Calle 13 concert, I got an e-mail from Nancy, it read “call me right now!”.

Frantically amidst the sea of people, I knelt to call her. She said in a nutshell, Charles Barron was in danger of being detained for refusing to lead the four buses full of aid away from the border. Oh no. Egyptian, Hosni, you and your goons will be not only complacent in an apartheid, but you will starve your neighbor, your brother, your sister, not only in Arab culture, but in humanity????? Shame on you all. Here is the video she sent me and the official e-mails from her. You will feel the air of determination and perseverance, they will not be silenced. (keep reading after)Nancy At The Egyptian/Gazan border and Viva Palestina convoy.

Here is what Nancy wrote in order by time:

July 11, 4:54pm, New York time
“4 buses which are the first of the viva palestina convoy to try and cross the suez canal have been held here by authorities and special forces for the last 3 hours. We have been told three different excuses. They are threatening to arrest councilman Charles Barron who is refusing along with the other 50 US citizens to turn back as the only way is forward. Mr Barron has contacted the Whitehouse and was conferenced in with Tel Aviv? Last time we checked Tel Aviv was not part of Egypt! We need calls in to the state department ASAP to apply pressure on the Egyptian authorities to let us continue on our mission to deliver medical aid to the children of Gaza.”

July 11, 2009 6:44pm New York time
“Ok update we got the us embassy to call the foreign ministry in egypt. I am emailing them the list of names right now. We talked the border police to and they have agreed to let us stay here and wait. I will keep you updated
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry”

July 12, I woke up at 5am to the following e-mail:
“They are threatening to run us over!”
Followed by, “We are heading back to Cairo.”

Now simultaneously Ayman was in Alexandria where he reported to me that at 5:28 pm, New York time,
” In Alexandria helping part of the convoy here with the trucks and cars with supplies. 50 members of the convoy are being blocked from crossing the suez canal by this corrupt traitorous Egyptian government. They are being threatened with arrest for simply wanting to go to Gaza. I will be in Cairo tomorrow and will be linking up with those being blocked and threatened, I will try to update tomorrow if able.”

We spoke on the phone and he stated that Egyptian authorities were making statements that it’s not “safe” for Americans in the Sinai region do to “Al Qaeda” presence. So, now Al Qaeda is in Egypt? In Israel? Couldn’t Hosni’s goons have come up with something more creative than this insulting fool’s tale? Ayman state that the authorities had returned the keys to all convoy vehicles, but they were still being made to wait. We say keep your oppression, Existence Is Resistance will not turn back, Viva Palestina will not turn back, the people of the land will not turn back, Gaza, please wait for us.

Here is the official press release from Kevin Oveden:

Viva Palestina US update – July 11,
2009The largest ever US humanitarian aid
convoy is now gathering in Egypt to head across the border into Gaza
on Monday, July 13.
Vehicles are coming from Alexandria,
the medical supplies from Cairo and the advanced party of nearly 100
US citizens is heading for the staging post of Al Arish, just before
the border with Gaza.
That group, of four buses, has,
however, been stopped from crossing over the Suez Canal and into the
Sinai region, which leads to Gaza.
The buses, carrying people, medical aid
and bearing US, Egyptian and Palestinian flags in a spirit of
international cooperation, have been held at a security checkpoint
and given various, conflicting reasons for why they cannot proceed to
their destination at Al Arish.
New York Councilman Charles Barron is
leading the group and is negotiating with security officials to
resolve the situation. He has contacted Washington and other elected
officials in an effort to clarify the reasons for the delay and
address any concerns as efficiently as possible.
Former US Congresswoman and
Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney will join the convoy on
Sunday, July 23, and British Member of Parliament George Galloway
will also be heading to meet up with Councilman Barron and the
advance group.
He and the rest of the advance group of
the convoy, however, are insisting on their right to travel with
their supplies to Al Arish, where the rest of the convoy is to
rendezvous with them before heading for the border crossing into
Gaza.
This medical convoy is on the way to
Gaza a month after US President Barack Obama described the situation
in Gaza as a “humanitarian crisis.”
“Our convoy is on an aid mission,”
says Galloway, “We come in peace; but we will not be stopped.”
Kevin Ovenden Viva Palestina coordinator