Working for Congressional Action

US participants of the International Movement to Open the Rafah
Borders and Code Pink are seeking congressional hearings on the health
crisis in Palestine and the closure of Gaza. We have been in contact with congressional
representatives in two states.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has agreed to conduct a "briefing"
to Congress on the health crisis in Palestine and the humanitarian
crisis due to the closed Gaza border. This may happen in the coming
weeks. We have forwarded your names and contact emails to the Kucinich
office along with organizations we recommended for testimony.

[To potential witnesses] As we have discussed, your particular experience at the Gaza border is
relevant to this issue. We hope you will be able to attend the
congressional briefing/hearing on an issue that has been too easily
dismissed by Congress.

This is an important time to speak out about the humanitarian crisis
in Palestine. With the Goldstone reports and illegal Israeli
settlements in the news, and open wounds of Gaza still in global view,
the US Congress must hear the testimony, and see the pictures of the
crimes and devastation. This humanitarian atrocity is a direct result
of US Congressional support for the Israeli military.

We will forward the dates as soon as they are firm.

We ask that you provide your transportation to and from Washington
D.C. Some accommodations may be provided on a first come, first serve
basis.

Please respond to say if this is possible for you to come to
Washington DC in the coming weeks/months.

Thank you,
Paki Wieland
Don Bryant

WITNESS RECOMMENDATION LIST:

Gisha, Legal Center for Freedom of Movement http://www.gisha.org/

AMERA (Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance) http://www.amera-uk.org/

Palestine Medical Relief Society http://www.pmrs.ps/last/index.php
(Omar Barghouti)

Palestine Children's Relief Fund www.pcrf.org Steve Sosabee

If Americans Knew, Alison Weir www.ifamericansknew.org

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish
www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/world/middleeast/18doctor.html

Rafah Resistance Camp Closed Today (8/12)

YES, we are sad to inform you that we had to close TEMPORARY our camp at the Rafah border, because no more internationals came or tell us they were coming and Chris had to leave and to go back home. It is clear that without internationals, Egyptian activists who would come at risk to be arrested and put in jail.

 

But our action is not over.

We will set a new camp at the border as soon as new internationals will come, because we know how useful it is for all the Palestinians who try to enter and we know the pressure we made on the Zionists authorities of Egypt!

 

We will continue our efforts to Lift the Gaza Siege and to OPEN THE RAFAH BORDER by making pressure on our politicians, our governments and embassies of Egypt all over the world!

 

And we will come back SOON !

 

In this sad day, we would just want to share with you some of the feelings of our members.

 

 

 

It is OVER, we waited and waited for people to come and help us. We've been there for a long time waiting for somebody to take over and help, but as there was NO internationals or Egyptians coming, Chris and myself talked to Nada and with the help of the other 4 participants in the camp collected everything and went home.

Thanks for NOT being there to help.

 

Iman 

 

 

Dear sisters and brothers,

 

I am so moved by each of you, your commitment to justice for the Palestinians, your willingness to sacrifice time, money, your personal lives, to be a part of the movement to open the Rafah border.

 

Whether you were there in person or in spirit, we made a difference! And it is important to remember that. The idea to have a protest at the border came from different experiences, but it became a reality in early June when Egyptians and internationals arrived at the border and AGAINST ALL ODDS  began a sit-in (which lasted 2 months!) to open the border.

Without fame, and without fanfare, we persisted in flying the Palestinian flags, hanging banners, holding signs of protest against the injustice towards the people of Gaza. And we defied the powers! Again and again!

 

We witnessed, shared tea; we gave comfort to the suffering people. We stood against the ridicule and humiliation they suffered at the hand of the border police and "intelligence."

 

What is amazing is not that we closed down after 2 months but that we survived, we flourished at the border through circumstances that were abusive and difficult. We stood up to the powers, and we kept standing. Even the decision to leave, was made by those at the camp, not in reaction to the police "asking" us to leave.

 

I do not believe we were on the same power footing at the Government of Egypt, the U.S. or Israel. We have a different power!!! And whether we are at the border, demonstrating at home, calling the embassies, or talking with friends, we have the power, the freedom to stand for justice and we do! I used to remark when I was at the border that we, the people sitting-in, we were the freest people at the border! And we continue to be. So, we are gone from the border, others will stand there and there will be other opportunities for us to be there or wherever we find ourselves. Failure is impossible!!!

 

I salute all the strong people with whom I lived and worked at the border, each of you is in my heart until it is no longer beating. Creativity is the solution and the antidote to war, to violence, and we have more creative power to unleash!

 

My heart and mind wish we had succeeded in opening the border for good, for everyone. I wanted to move mountains (of Egyptian "Intelligence") for the Palestinians. But the Palestinians, taught me the important lessons of patience and perseverance. I will not forget this gift, as I deepen it in practice, it does not come naturally for me.

 

Let us celebrate our contribution to justice, acknowledge our imperfections, and realize that we need each other to keep on keeping on. The closing of our encampment may be a setback, but FAILURE IS IMPOSSIBLE!

 

I am filled with love and gratitude for each of you in my life, and I hope that we will continue to work together for justice, for that other world we know is possible,

 

Paki

-- 
In Solidarity 
from all 
International Movement to Open Rafah Border

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9986479902


"Only a united world against oppression will help unite and free all of Palestine." 

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country

Reply

 

 

Reply

 

Paki, Eman and IMORB,

You have said it all - I sit here, in Ohio, feeling the tears of disappointment and empowerment of the people, it truly is a miracle that we all came together, from many lands, and held the camp against the odds. (I am thinking that the border police may be thankful, initially that we are all gone, but in their heart of hearts, that they really will miss us, and will never forget the Rafah Camp.) (The tears are coming stronger now) longing to be with you all at the Rafah Border once again. I love you all.

Don

UN and International Agencies Fear Gaza Educational System Unprepared for new school year  

 

Call for immediate opening of Gaza’s borders

 

28 July 2009

 

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator, representing UN aid agencies in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), and the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), represented by at least 25 NGOs, today demand full and unfettered access into and out of Gaza in particular to restore the Gazan educational system.

 

During the 23 days of Israel’s operation “Cast Lead” in Gaza, 18 schools were completely destroyed and at least 280 were damaged. Today, one month before the start of the new school year, more than six months after the ceasefires, none of these schools have been properly rebuilt or rehabilitated due to lack of construction materials. Since the imposition of the blockade, students have faced chronic shortages of educational supplies including textbooks, paper and uniforms, though we acknowledge the recent moves to allow textbooks, uniforms, and stationary into Gaza. These are welcome first steps. However, the quantities, kinds and predictability of goods being permitted into Gaza are still far below what is required for normal life.  Even prior to “Cast Lead” the education system was already under severe duress due to the two year blockade that has caused a crisis of “human dignity” in Gaza. 

 

The right to learn and be educated is a fundamental child right that is uniquely central to every child’s ability to realize his or her potential - and by extension, that of their communities and countries. In the context of protracted conflict and occupation, safe schools also offer an unparalleled means of restoring a sense of normalcy and hope for children and their families. Despite the extraordinary odds stacked against them, going to school and becoming educated remains the single most cherished priority among Palestinian children. The continuing blockade on Gaza jeopardizes this fundamental child right, along with the remarkable progress in education that has been achieved thus far.

 

“The blockade has caused untold suffering to children in Gaza, who face another academic year in terrible conditions”, said Philippe Lazzarini, acting Humanitarian Coordinator of oPt.

 

Together with the communities we serve, the United Nations and non-governmental humanitarian organizations working in oPt collectively call for immediate steps to end the blockade, as is required by international humanitarian and human rights law. We call on the Government of Israel to urgently facilitate entry of construction materials and supplies for schools in the coming weeks, and to ensure that students, teachers and trainers can freely exit and enter Gaza to continue learning.

 

Ensuring access to education is an obligation of all governments, its primacy proclaimed by agreements ranging from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Education is also the heart of all development and the essential prerequisite for equality, dignity, and lasting peace. The future belongs to this generation of children and adolescents, and that future is inextricably rooted in the quality of education that they receive today.

 

 

 

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Marixie Mercado, Chief Communications, UNICEF-occupied Palestinian territory.  Mobile: +972-0-54 778 7604, e-mail:mmercado@unicef.org

Mr. Chris Gunness, Spokesperson, UNRWA.  Telephone: +972-2-5890267, Mobile:+972-054-240-2659, e-mail:cgunness@unrwa.org

Ms. Allegra Pacheco, Head of Advocacy Unit, OCHA.  Mobile: +-972-054 3311 806, e-mail: pacheco6@un.org

Mr. Jerry  Farrell, Country Director, Save the Children Alliance, mobile:+-972-0-54 313 4280, e- mail: farrell.jerry@gmail.com

Mr. Osama Damo, Documentation and Communication Officer, Save the Children Alliance,  mobile: +972-0-598-705-883, e-mail: odamo@scuk.org.ps

 

                                                                                     

 

 

بيان صحفي

وكالات الأمم المتحدة والهيئات الدولية تخشى أن يكون جهاز التعليم في غزة غير جاهز لاستقبال السنة الدراسية الجديدة
نداء من أجل فتح حدود غزة على الفور

28 تموز/يوليو 2009

طالب اليوم منسق الأمم المتحدة للشؤون الإنسانية، بالنيابة عن وكالات الأمم المتحدة للعون في الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة، واتحاد هيئات التنمية الدولية، ممثلة  على الأقل في 25 مؤسسة غير حكومية، بإتاحة الإمكانية الكاملة وغير المقيدة للدخول إلى غزة والخروج منها، وذلك لإحياء نظام التعليم في غزة بشكل خاص.

تعرضت 18 مدرسة لتدمير كامل وأصيب ما لا يقل عن 280 مدرسة بأضرار أثناء العملية العسكرية الإسرائيلية في غزة "الرصاص المصبوب" على مدى 23 يوماً. واليوم، قبل شهر من بدء السنة الدراسية الجديدة، وبعد أكثر من ستة أشهر على وقف إطلاق النار، لم تتم إعادة تعمير أية من هذه المدارس أو إعادة تأهيلها على النحو المناسب بسبب نقص مواد البناء. ومنذ أن فرض الحصار والطلبة يواجهون نقصاً مزمناً في اللوازم التعليمية، بما في ذلك نقص الكتب المدرسية والورق والزي المدرسي، مع أننا نقر بالتحركات الأخيرة للسماح بدخول الكتب المدرسية والزي المدرسي والقرطاسية إلى غزة. إن هذه الخطوات مرحب بها كخطوات أولى، ولكن كميات البضائع التي يتم السماح بإدخالها إلى غزة وكذلك أنواعها وإمكانية التنبؤ بخصوصها، كل ذلك لا يزال أقل بكثير عما هو مطلوب لاستمرار الحياة بشكل طبيعي. وحتى قبل عملية "الرصاص المصبوب"، كان نظام التعليم يعيش أصلاً في ضائقة شديدة بسبب عامين من الحصار الذي أوجد أزمة "كرامة إنسانية" في غزة.

إن الحق في التعلم والحصول على التعليم حق أساسي من حقوق الطفل وهو يشغل موضعاً مركزياً فريداً بالنسبة لقدرة كل الأطفال على تحقيق طاقاتهم الكامنة، وبالتالي تحقيق طاقات مجتمعاتهم وبلدانهم. وفي ظروف النزاع والاحتلال المطول، توفر المدارس الآمنة أيضاً وسيلة لا تضاهى لاستعادة الحس بطبيعة الأمور والأمل للأطفال وعائلاتهم. وعلى الرغم من المصاعب الاستثنائية التي تتراكم في وجه الأطفال الفلسطينيين، يظل الذهاب إلى المدرسة والحصول على التعليم،  يمثل الأولوية الوحيدة والأكثر أهمية بالنسبة لهم. إن استمرار فرض الحصار على غزة يهدد هذا الحق الأساسي من حقوق الطفل، كما يهدد بالقضاء على التقدم المبهر الذي تم تحقيقه في حقل التعليم حتى الآن.

وقد صرح فيليب لازاريني، القائم بأعمال منسق الشؤون الإنسانية في الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة، قائلاً: "يسبّب الحصار معاناة لا توصف للأطفال في غزة، والذين يستقبلون عاماً مدرسياً آخر في أوضاع فظيعة".

إن وكالات الأمم المتحدة والمنظمات الإنسانية غير الحكومية العاملة في الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة، مع المجتمعات التي تخدمها، تنادي بصوت واحد من أجل اتخاذ خطوات فورية لإنهاء الحصار حسب ما يقتضيه القانون الدولي الإنساني وقانون حقوق الإنسان. نحن ندعو حكومة إسرائيل لأن تعمل بشكل عاجل على تيسير دخول مواد البناء واللوازم للمدارس في الأسابيع القادمة، وضمان أن يتمكن الطلبة والمعلمون والمدربون من مغادرة غزة والدخول إليها بحرية من أجل استمرار التعليم.

إن ضمان الوصول إلى التعليم يعد واجباً على كافة الحكومات، وقد أعلنت أولوية هذا الواجب في الاتفاقيات المختلفة بدءاً من الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان وإلى اتفاقية حقوق الطفل. كما أن التعليم يقع في صميم التنمية ويعد شرطاً لا بد منه لتحقيق المساواة والكرامة والسلام الدائم. إن المستقبل ملك لهذا الجيل من الأطفال والفتيان والفتيات، وهذا المستقبل تضرب جذوره بشكل راسخ في جودة التعليم الذي يحصلون عليه الآن.

 

 

للمزيد من المعلومات، يرجى الاتصال مع:

مونيكا عوض، أخصائية الاتصال، اليونيسف – الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة، هاتف نقال: 054 778 7605، جوال: 0599 118 848 بريد إلكتروني: mawad@unicef.org

ساجي المغني، مسؤول الاتصال، اليونيسف – الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة، هاتف نقال: 059 892 1836، بريد إلكتروني: selmughanni@unicef.org

كريس جانيس، الناطق الرسمي، الأونروا، هاتف: -02-5890267، هاتف نقال: .054-240-2659، بريد إلكتروني: cgunness@unrwa.org

أليجرا باتشيكو، مديرة وحدة المناصرة، مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، هاتف نقال: 054 3311 806، بريد إلكتروني: pacheco6@un.org

أسامة دامو، مسؤول التوثيق والاتصال، تحالف إنقاذ الطفل، هاتف نقال: 0598-705-883، بريد إلكتروني: odamo@scuk.org.ps

-- 
In Solidarity 
from all 
International Movement to Open Rafah Border

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9986479902


"Only a united world against oppression will help unite and free all of Palestine." 

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country

Rafah Resistance Camp; 36 Days

Dear all,

 Here comes a short report on my stay at the Rafah border. I found it very difficult to put in words my feelings as I am shocked by what is going on there... Indeed, how is the situation in Gaza? seems that every thing is OK, israelis stopped their bombing, right? a worldwide conference promised a huge amount of money to reconstruct, right? No... every day, we receive news that do not appear in the well guarded media. Who knows that patients are still dying due to the siege? (death toll reaches 349 on June 9th, said the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza). Most of the aid (food, medical aid, construction material, etc) is roting at Port Said, El Arish, and near Rafah border. A well organised and profitable traffic of goods is going on through the famous tunnels, etc.

 

On June 13th 2009, an international camp set up at the Rafah border, to claim for the end of this criminal siege. The 9th of July, Chris, my husband, and myself joined this small group of wonderful people, to support their action. We decided at the last moment to travel, leaving in the lurch all what we had to do... Chris had been there at the very beginning of the camp and had told me how they managed to impose its existence at the Rafah gate, how life in the camp was a daily challenge, how the Palestinians trying to get in were grateful to these witnesses of their misfortune. We are also deeply convinced that we all should ask for a political solution for Palestine, urgently and firmly demanding the end of the siege of Gaza. Humanitarian aid is for sure not a solution.

Here is a short summary of what happened during the few days of our stay at the Rafah border.

We arrived on the 10th. It was not easy to reach the camp. First, on the Suez Canal Bridge (also known as the Mubarak Peace Bridge ;) ), all passengers of the bus were asked to present their ID. Both of us, because we were foreigners, were asked to go out of the bus, and had to answer a series of questions (where are you going? why? etc)... When we arrived at El Arich, we took a collective taxi which was stopped at one of the numerous check-points on the way to Rafah. There we had to leave the taxi, and the officer wanted us go back. He explained that we should have an authorisation from our embassy to go to Rafah! We tried to negociate during more than one hour, without any success. He just told us that we were right but that he could not act against the orders he received. We went back to El Arish, and took another taxi which agreed, on payment of a much higher price, to take us to the border by the small roads where there are no or few check points. We finally reached the border, at night. I relate this travel because we realised that the Sinai, and particularly the region around Rafah is under military occupation, with a huge number of check-points.

It is difficult to relate the joy of all at the camp when we arrived, and the astonishment of the policemen to see Chris again!! I will not detail the life in the camp. Enough to say that it is a extraordinary experience to share this common willing for justice with people who can be so different and to realize that these differences make our strength, they are the beauty of humanity. I just want to relate few stories on these palestinian families trying to reach their relatives or their own home in Gaza.

 

On the 10th of July, a very sick Palestinian woman was lying on the ground in front of Rafah gate. She has serious diabetes problem and needs a kidney transplant urgently. As such intervention could not be done in Egypt nor she could be allowed to travel abroad from Egypt, this woman needed to return to Gaza to try to  be treated in Israel or to travel to another country. She was accompanied by her older son, wife and little child, and by her nephew. They presented a series of certificates from the egyptian hospital, describing the terrible health state of this woman. When we protested and argued that this woman might die here, the officers answered "let her die". Finally, she was transported to an hospital in El Arish and could enter Gaza few days later, after a lot of negociations... We received the visit of a Palestinian living in Norway, who came to check the possibilities to get in with his wife and three children (who were waiting in an hotel in El Arish). He told us that the egyptians confirmed that the border was closed, and that he hoped to be able to get in with the famous convoy of US citizens organised by a british deputy, G. Galloway. Few days later, a family with five girls, an older woman and two men arrived from Saudi Arabia, wanting to get in. The women were crying, telling us that they made all this travel to meet their relatives in Gaza, they were denied to enter. As we offered them some water and fruits, the police came and shouted that they should not talk with us. These are few stories of the Rafah gate... When the convoy arrived (in fact a small part of it, as the Egyptian authorities made all kind of difficulties to let them reach Rafah), a number of Palestinian families tried to take the chance to cross the border. But they were brutally retained by the egyptian soldiers, and the US activists went in without protesting against this injustice. All these families are waiting in El Arish, for days, weeks, months, coming from all around the world, to try to get into Gaza, to reach their home, their relatives... We know a German woman, with her six children, who is trying to join her Palestinian husband in Gaza. She has been waiting there for over a month... Is it more important for foreigners to enter Gaza and deliver few humanitarian aid than to demand the end of the siege of Gaza and the freedom of movement for Palestinians?

In solidarity

Claudine

Rafah Sit-In Camp Video

Urgent Call for help from the Border....

Please consider joining the Rafah Sit-In Camp - or supporting them.

To contact the US Egyptian Embassy regarding the mistreatment and

restrictions placed on the humanitarian volunteers with the

International Movement to Open the Rafah Border (IMORB) use the FAX

numbers. The email addresses on the embassy web site are all faulty.

The phone numbers at the DC embassy are a maze. You can try regional

office phone numbers - you at least get to leave a voice message.

Wash. DC  EMBSSY FAX - 202.244.4319, NEW YORK FAX 212.308.7643

Iman, one of two Egyptian journalists sustaining the sit-in camp at

Rafah crossing has asked for support and urgently invites you to go to

Rafah now.

Hello,

I came back from Rafah yesterday, but when I'll go back in few days I'll go

to the gate ask to meet an official there and ask him about our colleagues

Jenny and Natalie. I'll give him a piece of my mind as I always do and

translate everything you wrote here and add the demand to let them go home

to our list of sit-in demands.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian government closed the bathrooms, no water, no

electricity to charge our phones and they even closed the mosque and warned

everyone in the area from helping us. They want to get rid of us before

Galloway comes. We're there and will be there and need you to come join us.

Please, think of new ideas we can use and do to put more pressure on the

authorities to listen to our demands. They think we're a small number and

can do nothing, we want to change this idea.

Please, watch how they steel the aids for Gaza from Al Arish.

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.factjo.com/fullnews.aspx?id=9429

Also watch more photos and videos from Rafah during the last opening of the

border.

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://lesa-3aish.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_29.html

I'll send more photos.

Later,

In solidarity,

Iman

Be a "Ghost" at the Rafah Border

Come join us and be a "Ghost" for the Egyptian police :))

 français à suivre

 

Hello,

 

I'm sending this message so I can draw a smile on your faces. Today Christian and his wife reached Rafah camp again after many maneuvers. The police usually stops everyone who looks like a foreigner.

 

Remember Ellen, Don, Micheline and the others how they used to stop you and return you back. Here we're playing Tom and Jerry with the police at check points.

 

Yes, they stopped Christian and his wife and returned them back to Al-Arish. We had an emergency and were on the phones all the time till we managed to get Chris and his wife to Rafah Gate with the others.

 

Guys, Paki Chris and myself were laughing out loud when we talked about the look on the police faces when Chris and his wife appeared in Rafah, this is a look that you shouldn't miss! Have you ever seen the look on someones' face when he sees a ghost? I guess not, but this is a description of the situation :))

 

Paki told me that she and Martha climbed over the iron gate of the closed bathroom to get there.

 

Come join us and be a "Ghost" for the Egyptian police :))

 

Love and solidarity,

Iman

 

 

Venez nous rejoindre et devenez les « fantômes » de la police égyptienne

 

 

Salut,

 

Je vous envoie ce message car je sais je vais vous faire sourire.

 

Aujourd'hui, Christian et son épouse, sont revenus dans le camp de Rafah, après de nombreuses ruses. Généralement, la police arrête tous ceux qui ressemblent à des étrangers. 

Rappelez-vous Ellen, Don, Micheline et les autres comment ils avaient l'habitude de vous arrêter et de vous faire rebrousser chemin. Ici, nous jouons au chat et à la souris avec les checkpoints de la police.

Oui, ils ont stoppé Christian et son épouse et les ont renvoyés à Al-Arish. Ce fût une situation d'urgence et nous étions toujours au téléphone jusqu'à ce que nous réussissions à faire venir Chris et sa femme à la porte de Rafah avec les autres.

 

Les copains, Paki, Chris et moi avons éclaté de rire quand nous avons parlé de la tête qu’ont faite les policiers lorsqu’ils ont vu apparaître Chris et sa femme à Rafah. C’était vraiment à ne pas rater!

 

Avez-vous déjà vu la tête de quelqu'un quand il voit un fantôme? Je suppose que non, mais c’est une description de la situation:)) 

Paki m'a dit qu'elle et Martha avaient escaladé la grille de la salle de bain fermée à clé pour y arriver. 

Venez nous rejoindre pour devenir le "fantôme" de la police égyptienne:))

 

En solidarité

 

Iman

 

-- 
In Solidarity 
from all 
International Movement to Open Rafah Border

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9986479902


"Only a united world against oppression will help unite and free all of Palestine." 

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country

IMORB REPORTS DISCRIMINATION AT RAFAH BORDER

The International Movement to Open the Rafah Border
IMORB Reports Rafah Border Policy Discriminatory To Palestinians
Rafah Crossing
Rafah, Egypt

CONTACT:
Paki Wieland (002) 018 735 8621
Nada Kassass (002) 012 250 4611
A group of ten UNRWA employees with family members has been denied entry to their homes and UNRWA offices in Gaza, PalestineAfter two attempts on June 23 and 24, they are still waiting, although the employees all carry international passports and letters for readmission from Bon Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. "We are all Palestinians; this why we are being stalled," explained ome of the employees.
The International Movement to Open the Rafah Border (IMORB), now in it's 13th day of a sit-in camp at the Rafah gate to protest the Siege of Gaza.
IMORB participants have made this statement:
We are pleased that on June 24, some sick and injured Palestinians entered Gaza expeditiously. However, throughout the thirteen days that we havemonitored the border situation, we have witnessed hundreds of Palestinians being denied entrance to Gaza, even with proper visas. The Rafah border policy is arbitrary and discriminates against Palestinians.They are often treated with callous disrespect by border authorities and personnel. IMORB sees this as an abuse of power and without regard for family structural needs. Palestinian families and individuals are usually delayed for days to weeks to months, experiencing hardship and forced to stay in hotels in nearby Rafah or El Arish, 35 km from the border. Even Palestinianswith US passports are stalled, and must return to the US without ever visiting their families in Gaza. There is no accountability for the abuses and discrimination towards Palestinians by Egyptian Intelligience or border authorities.
IMORB calls on Special Mideast Envoy, George Mitchell to immediately investigate the discriminatory and arbitrary practices and policies executed
at the Rafah Border Crossing. IMORB further is urging the US Congress and President Obama to end the Siege OF Gaza unconditionally, as a humanitarian crisis continues in the Gaza Strip that totally restricts reconstruction of Gaza since the Israeli invasion of 2008-9. Medical equipment and suppliesand medicine is severely limited, water is chemically polluted with high levels of nitrates and chlorides. Children experience chronic malnutrition asfood supplies are limited.Hundreds of Gazans have perished from the siege, since the winter Israeli invasion that killed nearly 1400 Gazans.
IMORB has learned that the border is expected to be open the weekend of June 27, 28 and 29. IMORB will closely monitor and report on the situation at this time.
الجميع في الجانب المصري، بمن فيهم السلطات والإعلام والإشاعات، يؤكدون أن المعبر سيتم فتحه بشكل تام، أيام 27 و28 و29 يونيو الجاري.لذا، نوجه نداء إلى كل الذين يرغبون في الدخول إلى قطاع غزة وكذلك إلى الذين يرغبون في توفير الدعم للحملة الدولية لفتح معبر رفح ورفع الحصار عن غزة، للحضور إلى المعبر، خلال هذه الأيام المعنية، للتأكد من فتحه، أو، في حالة العكس، التواجد بكثافة في المعتصم الدولي أمامه، للضغط على السلطات المصرية للوفاء بالتزامها بفتحه.