Viva Palestina!

We've seen the Palestinians suffer from just about everything. And the sad reality is that we don't know the severity of the situation on the ground because it is such a difficult task to try to do any sort of humanitarian relief work there. With Israel's Gaza offensive that began the year of 2009, we've seen yet another chapter in Palestine's Holocaust. 1,000+ dead, including 400+ women and children, 5,000+ injured and the numbers are still rising as the bodies continue to be discovered under what is now almost two month-old rubble.

It is simply incomprehensible to understand the sheer depth of deprivation and sorrow the people of Palestine have suffered all this time and still the world has shown itself to be ineffective yet again with its puppet peace organizations in reaching a lasting peace for both sides of the dispute as well as any semblance of respect for Palestinian sovereignty. Rarely do we see change at the grass-roots level from the bottom-up, since most of us wait for our world leaders to respond to catastrophes such as the likes of Operation "Cast Lead."

However, George Galloway (British MP) along with Yvonne Ridley (British Journalist turned Activist) and a host of supporters from across England have rallied together for a cause truly momentous and endearing. "Viva Palestina" was formed as the vision for this shared dream by millions, and thousands of supporters showed up in England on February 14th, already a "day of love" to show their unflinching love for the down-trodden and oppressed people of Palestine. They were able to raise a whopping 1 million+ pounds of money and are still accepting donations. So what did they do with the donations? They formed a convoy - the Gaza Convoy - of over 100+ vehicles, trucks, school buses, ambulances, and other vehicles; each filled with tons of precious relief aid ranging from medicines to food, clothing, and even gifts. It was decided that they would drive to Gaza - a journey of nearly 5,000 miles! - and hand deliver this convoy of love. So with the people's love and prayers, they departed from England on February 14th, and as of the 27th they have driven just over HALF their journey! Truly an astounding odyssey and undertaking! Here is a map of their route:



The Convoy, I'm sure, deliberately chose this route so as to drive through Egypt - essentially to embarrass Hosni Mubarak, and gather the people's support to bring shame to his government for its sub-par response to the crisis in Gaza, being its most influential neighbor and possible ally. The Convoy, however, would likely deny this as they seek not to be politically-motivated (see George Galloway's speech below.) In any case, as they continue to drive through each city, the local people truly have come to show their love and support for the historic caravan. Hordes of supporters stand on the sides and write messages and prayers of love for the people of Gaza, donate free gifts and help the ambassadors of mercy along their way to Gaza. The governments of these countries have also shown their support and compassion in providing free lodging, fuel, and police escort across cities. In one incident, there was even an historic show of solidarity when the Algerian and Moroccan governments opened their borders to each other after not having done so for 15 years! This only to show their love and support for this unprecedented show of compassion and mercy for the people of Palestine. Everywhere they go, they are showered with love, hospitality, and support by the people. Yet sadly, due to the media vacuum, very few people are even aware of this here in America.

This historic caravan, which will be written about in the history books of tomorrow, was organized and funded mostly by middle-class Britons. We Americans ought to be ashamed of ourselves that we cannot even donate a few dollars for such a pressing and worthy cause, yet these volunteers - Muslims and non-Muslims; humanitarians of every walk of life and social class - are HAND-DELIVERING these goods over a journey that would exhaust Hercules himself! No doubt they are feeling the exhaustion and fatigue, yet each day they are motivated even more by this, and by the plight of the people of Gaza and yet, their pain is still nothing compared to the suffering of the Palestinians. So where do we stand as Americans? We have no excuse. Will President Obama do something historic for Palestine? Will the everyday Americans do something for Gaza the likes of their British counterparts? It is left to the future to decide. But one thing certainly is clear, there are still angels on Earth and they need your prayers and support as they continue their journey toward Gaza. Please check out the video and links below for more up-to-date information, including day-by-day progress, pictures, and videos on the Convoy's journey and donate to show your support! And may Allah bless all those who sacrificed their time, wealth, and energy for this noble cause, may it reach the people of Palestine as it was intended, with a parade of angels to greet them, and may the caravan reach Palestine safely and unharmed, ameen! Viva Palestina!!!





Upon reaching Algeria...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/23/gaza-protest-aid-convoy
http://www.vivapalestina.org/
http://gazaconvoy.com/
http://web.me.com/manjra_9/Site/Welcome.html