[ 02/09/2008 - 01:45 PM ]
BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- Scottish human rights activists announced their intention to organize two trips soon by land and sea to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip with the participation of a number of Scottish lawmakers.
At a joint press conference with human rights activist Janet Legget, Dr. Khalil Al-Neiss, the deputy head of the Scottish national party and the coordinator of the anti-siege campaign, said that the campaign organizers intend to organize a land trip from Scotland to Rafah in mid-November, pointing out that six Scottish lawmakers and 34 human rights activists will participate in this journey.
Dr. Neiss added that the organizers of the land trip, which started 50 days ago from outside the Scottish parliament building, will organize another trip by sea to Gaza within two weeks.
The head of the campaign also noted that he and the organizers of this anti-siege campaign will take a tour of the Arab Gulf states to promote the campaign dubbed "Gaza in mind" and convey the suffering of the Gaza people especially at the Rafah crossing.
For her part, Legget stressed the need for continuing to support the Palestinian people and provide a decent life for their children who are deprived of the minimum of their rights.
She also expressed dismay at the magnitude of the suffering of the Palestinian people at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Meanwhile, the stranded Free Gaza activists who participated in the sea trip to break the siege appealed Monday to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to allow them to get back to their countries through the Rafah crossing, pointing out that the restrictions on their freedom of movement make them feel the real suffering of one and a half million Palestinians living the Strip.
In a press conference, the activists stated that the Israeli occupation reluctantly allowed them to sail to Gaza in order to tell the world that it is democratic, confirming that Israel does not know about democracy and its policy is full of lies.
For her part, British activist Lauren Booth asserted that the Egyptian authorities barred them from passing through the Rafah crossing and the Israeli occupation prevented them to travel through the Beit Hanoun crossing, adding that this is a political decision and has nothing to do with legal proceedings or identity papers.
Booth called on the US, the UK, Australia and Netherlands to pressure Egypt to open the Rafah crossing not only for the sake of the activists but also for the Gaza people, reminding the international community of article no. 13 of the human rights universal declaration regarding the freedom of movement.