CNN
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Thousands of activists from around the world descended on Egypt on Thursday to “Gaza to Global Margins,” a move aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade, which pushed territory to the brink of hunger.
According to organizers, about 4,000 volunteers from over 80 countries will be taking part in the protest. They land in Cairo, take a bus to the city of Alish in northern Sinai, then march around 30 miles through the desert peninsula to the Egyptian side of Rafa’s Gaza border. Organizers told CNN that activists sleep in tents along the route and are expected to arrive at the border on Friday, but they have no plans to enter the war-rising enclave.
Egypt is placed in a troublesome position as the march attempts to balance relations between Israel and the United States with the public condemnation of the brutal sacrifice of war against civilians in Gaza. Cairo is a key mediator with direct channels in both Hamas and Israel, and has been wary of conflicts going into its territory. Despite the continued rise of anger over Israeli actions at home, it continues to maintain the aspect of Rafa, which is being closed to the Palestinians.
Former US diplomat planning on joining Gaza in March
In a statement Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Egyptian government hopes to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egyptian-Israel border and prevent them from taunting and trying to enter Gaza.
This “will not be permitted as it puts the safety of IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldiers at risk,” Katz added.
International activists will be joined by another convoy of 2,000 protesters arriving from Tunisia. The group arrived in Egyptian neighbour, Libya, Egypt on Wednesday, organizers said.
Among those taking part in the march are Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, a former South African lawmaker and grandson of Nelson Mandela, and Hala Rharrit, a former US State Department diplomat who resigned from his position as the US government while the Washington administration dealt with Washington’s Gaza war.
“This is just another tool and another way for people to speak up and let the government know we’re not happy,” Uzma Usmani, sponsorship and logistics lead for the UK delegation in March, told CNN. “We need to start taking things into our own hands, raise awareness and pressure them to take action,” she said.
As Israel’s war in Gaza enters 21 months, prominent international campaigners are becoming increasingly active in their attempts to break the siege.
On Monday, Israel intercepted the Gaza-bound aid ship, “Madreen,” detaining passengers and taking them to Israel.
Among the activists on board were Swedish climate and human rights activist Greta Samberg and French member of the European Parliament, Lima Hassan. Tanberg left Israel on Tuesday, and Hassan remained in Israeli detention.
Israel imposed a complete humanitarian blockade of Gaza on March 2, blocking food, medical supplies and other aid to more than 2 million Palestinians on the territory for 11 weeks.
Faced with growing international pressure, they began allowing trickle aid in late May. However, humanitarian organizations say that only a small portion of the aid entered the enclave before the war.
The Gaza organizers of Global March say they have reached out to Egyptian authorities, informed them of their plans and asked for cooperation and protection, but no response.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that activists must obtain permission before they can arrive in Cairo.
“Egypt has emphasized the importance of complying with these established regulatory measures to ensure the safety of visiting delegations due to sensitive security conditions in this border region since the onset of the crisis in Gaza.
The organizers said they followed “all necessary protocols detailed in this statement.”
They told CNN on Wednesday that some activists had experienced harassment and were taken into custody when they arrived in the Egyptian capital.
On Thursday, organizers said 170 people are currently facing delays and deportation at Cairo Airport, but thousands of participants are already in Egypt and are determined to continue the march.
CNN contacted the Egyptian Foreign Media Press Centre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to comment on these allegations.
Rharrit, a former State Department official, told CNN:
“It’s no longer time for talk. We need to take action. We saw it on flotilla (“crazy”),” she told CNN’s Becky Anderson this week. “Humanity won’t say any more about this, please don’t put food in.”
Egyptian authorities “have no reason not to support this March,” Rharrit said, adding that delegations from around the world have informed Egyptian embassies in advance of their plans.
“We had a meeting with the Egyptian ambassador. The Egyptian authorities didn’t say no,” she said. He added that the march “along with everything Egypt is trying to do diplomatically.”
