[Peace-discuss] Gaza's Ark: Coup in Egypt Tests Palestinians in Gaza

[Robert Naiman]

http://www.gazaark.org/2013/07/10/release-coup-in-egypt-tests-palestinians-in-gaza/

 *How much can they endure?
Coup in Egypt Tests Palestinians in Gaza*

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

10 July 2013

Our friends in Gaza tell us stories every day about Palestinians doing
their best to survive under the incredible hardships of the Israeli
blockade: cuts in power, lack of water supplies, and almost no ability to
export, including no ability to trade by sea.

Actions taken by the Egyptian government following the recent coup are now
exacerbating an already desperate situation. Egypt closed the crossing
between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah on July 5, keeping thousands of
Palestinians stuck in Gaza, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights
reported[1] Palestinians trying to return home to Gaza via Cairo airport
are being deported by Egyptian authorities to the countries they flew in
from, at their own expense, Electronic Intifada reports[2]. Egypt’s
crackdown on smuggling tunnels has caused fuel and cement prices to soar in
Gaza, Reuters reported[3].

For those of us working on the international Gaza’s Ark (www.gazaark.org)
project with our Palestinian partners, it is the desperate situation that
people in Gaza endure every day that drives us to continue to move forward,
week by week, this solidarity project that is challenging the Israeli
maritime blockade from the inside out – enabling boat builders to earn
wages renovating and converting a fishing boat that we purchased in May
this year into a cargo boat which we will sail as soon as practicable with
Palestinian goods purchased by groups from around the world.

Our work has become even harder in the last few weeks with access to
materials further limited by the closure of the tunnels from Egypt.
However, our team in Gaza has been adapting to these problems with
ingenuity and resourcefulness. Most recently they have recycled and
fashioned old metal tanks into smaller ones that we need for Gaza’s Ark.
Our project manager in Gaza, Mahfouz Kabariti, says, “The situation here is
difficult, especially with the shortages of fuel, cooking gas, raw
materials, and electricity.”

Sami Ali Al-Goga is one of the workers on Gaza’s Ark. He lost his left hand
when his fishing boat came under attack by an Israeli gunboat in March
2007. You can read more about Sami’s story here:
(http://tinyurl.com/nhee255<http://www.gazaark.org/2013/07/02/meet-the-workers-profile-sami-ali-al-goga/>).
Mustafa Abu Oda is also working on Gaza’s Ark. He is a 24-year-old father
of two and a fisherman who lives in al-Shati refugee camp in the northwest
of the Gaza Strip. Mustafa said: “I wouldn’t keep fishing if there were
other work opportunities, because it is not safe. Every day, fishermen get
injured, captured and killed by the Israeli Navy. I am afraid of the
future, it looks like a dark bad dream, but I am pleased to be working on
Gaza’s Ark and to have the solidarity of so many people around the world
who care about us and will not abandon us." You can read more about
Mustafa’s story here (http://tinyurl.com/kzdrt23)

How bad does it need to be for Palestinians in Gaza to be heard? Groups
like UNRWA and ICRC are doing crucial work to meet immediate humanitarian
needs under difficult conditions. But we also need to work for justice to
end Gaza’s crisis permanently. Gaza’s Ark is an opportunity to provide
direct financial support to people on the ground and be part of a decisive
solidarity effort to publicly challenge the illegal Israeli-Egyptian
blockade.

Gaza’s Ark – Building Hope!

*Contacts*:

James Godfrey (Australia; English): +61 424 340630

Robert Naiman (U.S.; English): +1 202 448-2898

David Heap (Canada; English, français, español): +1 519 859 3579

Mahfouz Kabariti (Gaza; العربية, English): +970 599 745666

*Photos of Gaza's Ark in the process of being refurbished in Gaza available
here (**http://www.gazaark.org/category/ark-photo-album/*<http://www.gazaark.org/category/ark-photo-album/>
*) *
------------------------------

[1]
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9662:pchr-concerned-for-deterioration-of-humanitarian-conditions-in-the-gaza-strip&catid=145:in-focus

[2]
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/egypt-deporting-palestinians-trying-return-gaza

[3]
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/egypt-s-crackdown-on-gaza-tunnels-takes-economic-toll-on-palestinians-1.531731
-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
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