Thursday September 16, 2010 10:14 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

A huge land convoy filled with humanitarian aid will be leaving London on Saturday September 18 in conjunction with other convoys from Doha – Qatar, and Casablanca and will be timed to coordinate with more international flotilla aiming to sail to the Gaza Strip at the same time as land convoys attempt to enter Gaza by land.

The “Viva Palestina 5 – a global lifeline to Gaza”, is planning to start its trip on Saturday, September 18; the effort is being conducted in cooperation with the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza, and several organizations from Europe, Middle East, India, Turkey, South African and several other countries.

The convoy will be headed by former UK legislator, George Galloway, and will start its trip in front of the British parliament.

Convoy spokesperson, Zaher Beetawy, said that six persons representing a number of solidarity organizations in New Zealand has arrived in London to prepare the three aid trucks filled with medical and humanitarian supplies.

Fourteen activists from Australia and Malaysia will also participate in the convoy and will bring trucks filled with aid.

There will be forty trucks leaving from London carrying aid supplies and 80 activists and representatives of charitable and human rights organizations mainly from the Britain, some Common Wealth countries and Malaysia.

After leaving Europe, the convoys will sail to Syria in order to be joined by ships from Arab countries; there will be a total of 150 trucks carrying 380 activists from 20 countries. The trucks will be loaded on ships in order to sail to Al Arish Egyptian Port; if no obstacles occur, the convoys will be at the Gaza Border by October 10.

“Viva Palestina has organized three massive land convoys to Gaza in the last 18 months - all of which have delivered their aid - and participated in the latest flotilla. Over the last few weeks we have been discussing with partner organizations how to coordinate relief efforts by land and sea so as to have the maximum impact”, Viva Palestina reported on its website.

It was also part of the Viva Palestina convoy that was violently attacked by the Israeli army on May 31, 2010; nine activists were killed and several others were wounded.

Viva Palestina initiates new convoy to Gaza next Saturday

[ 16/09/2010 - 12:07 PM ]

LONDON, (PIC)--

Viva Palestine organization said it would launch next Saturday a new Lifeline for Gaza convoy, while European delegations started to flock into London to participate in this trip that will set off from outside the British parliament.

Spokesman for Viva Palestina Zaher Berawi said a New Zealand delegation of six people arrived in London with three vehicles they brought with them loaded with humanitarian aid in order to take part in this campaign

Delegations from commonwealth countries such as Australia and Malaysia are also expected to arrive Thursday morning aboard buses and vans carrying aid.

Spokesman Berawi noted that about 80 activists aboard 40 buses would move from London towards Turkey and Syria and on the way other people and vehicles would join in before sailing aboard a large ship toward the Egyptian port of Al-Arish.

In a separate incident, an organization of anti-Israel European Jews intends to sail an aid ship to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, the head of the German Jewish voice organization, said on Wednesday the trip was being managed by Jews for justice for Palestinians, adding the Jewish activists were already on board, but their port of departure would not be revealed.

She said a news conference would be held the day the boat casts off, but she did not say when this could be.