Gaza-Bound Asian Aid Caravan Continues Ground Journey in Iran

December 10, 2010

TEHRAN (FNA)-

The Asian continent's first humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza arrived in Iran's Southeastern province of Kerman on Friday.

The Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine (APSP) convoy, which plans to travel through Iran to Turkey, arrived in provincial capital city of Kerman on Friday.

The convoy arrived in Iran on Wednesday after completing their ground journey in India.

A number of 55 activists accompany the Asian Gaza Solidarity Caravan, organized by the Asian People's Solidarity for Palestine, a coalition of social movements, trade unions and civil society institutions of the region.

The current members of the caravan are from India, Pakistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia and Singapore and it is expected that they will be accompanied by their counterparts from Iran, Bahrain, Turkey, Australia and Azerbaijan.

Thirty-two Indians and eight others from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Japan were not allowed by the Indian Border Security Force to cross over to Pakistan on foot for want of an NoC from New Delhi and they took a flight to Iran.

The convoy will carry medical aid and donate two ambulances to the authorities in Palestine.

The Asian peace activists hope that the move would provide a good opportunity for breaking the siege of Gaza.

The move came nearly seven months after Israeli forces raided the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31. Over 100 Israeli soldiers supported by military choppers boarded a Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara, leading the six-ship convoy in international waters.

The Israeli commandoes killed 20 international human rights activists and wounded 80 more. Nine of the victims were Turkish nationals. Some members of the European parliaments, former western diplomats, reporters and human rights activists were among the victims of Israel's brutal act.

The siege of Gaza started in June 2007 when Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip. This was supported by the governments of Egypt and the US.

The blockade consists of a land blockade along Gaza's borders with Egypt and Israel and a sea blockade. It immediately followed the 2006-2007 economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority following the election of Hamas to the Palestinian government.

The blockade has attracted criticism from many Human Rights organizations. September 2009 UN fact-finding mission found that the blockade of Gaza "amounted to collective punishment", was likely a war crime and a crime against humanity and recommended that the matter be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

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