UNDER HOUSE ARREST~EGYPT BECOMES THE WEST BANK

Monday, 28 December 2009

UNDER HOUSE ARREST~EGYPT BECOMES THE WEST BANK

Irish4Palestine

UPDATED Marchers under "House Arrest"
All those Gaza 2010 Freedom marchers may not be able to see Gaza, but they are getting a first hand look at what life is like in the West Bank of Palestine, from inside Egypt.

How is that you ask? Well, Egypt has become just like the West Bank! The only difference is the Palestinians, in this case are the Peace marchers from around the world, all nationalities. And the IDF security force is being played very accurately by none other than the Egyptians. Checkpoints, detentions, no freedom of movement, it's all there. See for yourself:

link Egyptian security forces detained 38 participants of the Gaza Freedom March from a hotel in Al-Arish on Sunday at noon, according to a statement issued by the event's organizers.

"Egyptian security forces detained a group of 30 internationals in their hotel in Al-Arish and another group of eight at the bus station. They also broke up a memorial action commemorating the Cast Lead massacre at the Kasr An-Nil Bridge," the statement asserted.

The detainees include Spanish, French, British, American and Japanese nationals. Another group of eight people, including American, British, Spanish, Japanese and Greek citizens, were detained at Al-Arish bus station in the afternoon of 27 December, the organizers said.

"The Egyptian security forces eventually yielded, letting most of the marchers leave the hotel, but did not permit them to leave the town. When two younger delegates, a French and Japanese woman, attempted to leave Al-Arish, the Egyptian authorities stopped their taxi and unloaded their luggage," it stated.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, Egyptian security police broke up a commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of the Israeli invasion of Gaza organized by the Gaza Freedom March at the Kasr An-Nil Bridge.

"As a nonviolent way of commemorating the more than 1,300 Palestinians killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza that began a year ago on December 27, 2008, Gaza Freedom Marchers tied hundreds of strings with notes, poems, art and the names of those killed to the bridge," the group said.

“We’re saddened that the Egyptian authorities have blocked our participants’ freedom of movement and interfered with a peaceful commemoration of the dead,” said Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK, one of the March’s organizers.

Benjamin added that the Gaza Freedom March participants are continuing to urge the Egyptian government to allow them to proceed to Gaza.

They visited the Arab League asking for support, various foreign embassies and the Presidential Palace to deliver an appeal to President Mubarak. They are calling their supporters around the world to contact Egyptian embassies and urge them to free the marchers and allow them to proceed to Gaza, the statement concluded.

AND MUCH MORE. It appears people from Spain are being harrassed, detained and under "house arrest"

link At a hotel in el-Arish, Egyptian security placed around 30 people, mostly citizens of Spain, under effective house arrest after they attempted to leave for the Rafah border crossing, which is about 30 minutes outside el-Arish. Two delegates staying in the hotel attempted to take a taxi to the border, but were stopped and ordered back. 8 seperate international delegates were also taken off a bus right outside el-Arish, and detained at a bus stop for over two hours. The eight delegates, including ones from the United States, France, and Turkey, were eventually allowed to enter the town, but the hotel where they are staying is swarmed with Egyptian security

In only one day Egypt becomes the West Bank, and who says miracles never happen.................

Posted by Irish4Palestine at 8:15 PM