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Egypt 'Deports Aid Convoy Leader'
George
Galloway, the British MP leading the Viva Palestina international aid
convoy to the Gaza Strip has been forced to leave Egypt, the group has
said on its website.
Galloway was apparently picked up by
Egyptian officials at the Rafah border crossing on Friday and driven to
Cairo where he was placed on a flight back to London.
Jan 08, 2010
George
Galloway, the British MP leading the Viva Palestina international aid
convoy to the Gaza Strip has been forced to leave Egypt, the group has
said on its website.
Galloway was apparently picked up by
Egyptian officials at the Rafah border crossing on Friday and driven to
Cairo where he was placed on a flight back to London.
Galloway
told Al Jazeera by telephone from the airport that he had been harassed
by about 25 Egyptian police officer as he attempted to re-enter Gaza to
join the rest of the Viva Palestina activists.
He said Egyptian officials told him he was being sent out of the country and was now "persona non grata".
The Egyptian foreign ministry later issued a statement saying Galloway would not be allowed to return to the country.
Galloway
has been vocal in his criticism of Egyptian authorities in recent days
after their decision not to allow the about 200 vehicles in the convoy
to arrive in Egypt through the port at Nuweiba.
Cairo insisted that the aid be sent back through Syria and then by ferry to the port of El-Arish on the Mediterranean.
Arrests ordered
Seven
other members of the Viva Palestinian convoy have also been ordered
arrested after being accused of inciting riots in El-Arish.
The decision by the attorney-general in North Sinai means the activists
could be detained after passing through the Rafah border crossing from
Gaza.
It was not clear if they were in Egyptian custody on Friday.
Late
on Tuesday, more than 50 people were wounded during a clash between
Egyptian authorities and international members of the convoy.
The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139
vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, but requiring a
remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel.
Afterwards, clashes between Egyptian security forces and
Palestinians waiting for the aid convoy led to the death of one
Egyptian policeman.
Severe restrictions
Israel and Egypt have
severely restricted travel to and from the Gaza Strip since Hamas
seized power there in June 2007, after winning Palestinian legislative
elections in 2006.
The blockade currently allows only very basic supplies into Gaza.
The siege has severely restricted essential supplies and placed
Gazans in a dire situation, made worse by Israel's military assault
last winter that reduced much of the territory to ruins.
Source:
Al Jazeera
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George
Galloway, the British MP leading the Viva Palestina international aid
convoy to the Gaza Strip has been forced to leave Egypt, the group has
said on its website.
Galloway was apparently picked up by
Egyptian officials at the Rafah border crossing on Friday and driven to
Cairo where he was placed on a flight back to London.
Galloway
told Al Jazeera by telephone from the airport that he had been harassed
by about 25 Egyptian police officer as he attempted to re-enter Gaza to
join the rest of the Viva Palestina activists.
He said Egyptian officials told him he was being sent out of the country and was now "persona non grata".
The Egyptian foreign ministry later issued a statement saying Galloway would not be allowed to return to the country.
Galloway
has been vocal in his criticism of Egyptian authorities in recent days
after their decision not to allow the about 200 vehicles in the convoy
to arrive in Egypt through the port at Nuweiba.
Cairo insisted that the aid be sent back through Syria and then by ferry to the port of El-Arish on the Mediterranean.
Arrests ordered
Seven
other members of the Viva Palestinian convoy have also been ordered
arrested after being accused of inciting riots in El-Arish.
The decision by the attorney-general in North Sinai means the activists
could be detained after passing through the Rafah border crossing from
Gaza.
It was not clear if they were in Egyptian custody on Friday.
Late
on Tuesday, more than 50 people were wounded during a clash between
Egyptian authorities and international members of the convoy.
The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139
vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, but requiring a
remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel.
Afterwards, clashes between Egyptian security forces and
Palestinians waiting for the aid convoy led to the death of one
Egyptian policeman.
Severe restrictions
Israel and Egypt have
severely restricted travel to and from the Gaza Strip since Hamas
seized power there in June 2007, after winning Palestinian legislative
elections in 2006.
The blockade currently allows only very basic supplies into Gaza.
The siege has severely restricted essential supplies and placed
Gazans in a dire situation, made worse by Israel's military assault
last winter that reduced much of the territory to ruins.
Source:
Al Jazeera
George
Galloway, the British MP leading the Viva Palestina international aid
convoy to the Gaza Strip has been forced to leave Egypt, the group has
said on its website.
Galloway was apparently picked up by
Egyptian officials at the Rafah border crossing on Friday and driven to
Cairo where he was placed on a flight back to London.
Galloway
told Al Jazeera by telephone from the airport that he had been harassed
by about 25 Egyptian police officer as he attempted to re-enter Gaza to
join the rest of the Viva Palestina activists.
He said Egyptian officials told him he was being sent out of the country and was now "persona non grata".
The Egyptian foreign ministry later issued a statement saying Galloway would not be allowed to return to the country.
Galloway
has been vocal in his criticism of Egyptian authorities in recent days
after their decision not to allow the about 200 vehicles in the convoy
to arrive in Egypt through the port at Nuweiba.
Cairo insisted that the aid be sent back through Syria and then by ferry to the port of El-Arish on the Mediterranean.
Arrests ordered
Seven
other members of the Viva Palestinian convoy have also been ordered
arrested after being accused of inciting riots in El-Arish.
The decision by the attorney-general in North Sinai means the activists
could be detained after passing through the Rafah border crossing from
Gaza.
It was not clear if they were in Egyptian custody on Friday.
Late
on Tuesday, more than 50 people were wounded during a clash between
Egyptian authorities and international members of the convoy.
The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139
vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, but requiring a
remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel.
Afterwards, clashes between Egyptian security forces and
Palestinians waiting for the aid convoy led to the death of one
Egyptian policeman.
Severe restrictions
Israel and Egypt have
severely restricted travel to and from the Gaza Strip since Hamas
seized power there in June 2007, after winning Palestinian legislative
elections in 2006.
The blockade currently allows only very basic supplies into Gaza.
The siege has severely restricted essential supplies and placed
Gazans in a dire situation, made worse by Israel's military assault
last winter that reduced much of the territory to ruins.
Source:
Al Jazeera
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