The Blog

Gloucester2Gaza II

06/01/2010 2:17

Rafah 15 kms. Headley singing rugby songs! Get me out of here xx

06/01/2010 20:44

Still in customs park but just leaving the port now ön way 2 gaza fingers crossed . Rafah quiet apparently wonder how long it'll take ... Out on friday xx

06/01/2010 12:17

Everything calm stíll in compound negotiations sposed to be ongoing apparently american vehicles will go thro isreal løoks like 'leadership' has comprehensively sold us outxx lots to tell c u soon disgusted from miltön keynes

06/01/2010 12:12

Riot ongoing am being v safe don't worry am not an adventurist i assure h saw it being orchestrated by gg and his henchman i told him to fuk off !on al jazeera live xx

05/01/2010 13:39

At al areish 4 an hr & half. Some issues with group being separated and turks have staged a response discipined and pland. British young guys on other hand act like chukking out time on a saturday night in bradford. Dont think they've grasped that we're in a police state and they're doing exactly what the police want. Pathetic! X

05/01/2010 06:53

Am now at airport noone nos what's happening but someone rang from damascus plane (the broken down one) to say it's taken off. Tempus fugit

04/01/2010 23:27

Egyptians have taken the passports of the 1st group and are refusing 2 return them until after gaza! Gorgeous george and 125 others peacefully demonstrating at al areish airport and refusing to leave until rest of us there (they wbnt them 2 leave 4 gaza). 2 paraphrase j p sartre 'hell is an endless journey' . Just been told we leave @ 3 am with new plane from greece . Its an official rumour ? 1.30 am now sleep tite xx

4/01/2010 121:21

A big setbak got on bus to airport then announcment that plane has engine failure and has landed at damascus no news yet so bak @ camp lots of conspiracy theories keep yer ears 2 the ground xx will let u know

4/01/2010 18:28

New blog sent 2day waiting 4 my flight 2 al areish and have heard that the 1st flight is already thro customs (left here 8 hrs ago). Alsn rumour that french woman attack in cairo on the freedom march died which might account for current co-operation at port. Egyptian foreign minister said on al jazeera that we will be @ rafah 2 moro . Fingers crossed xx

4/01/2010 09:58

Hi peeps ship has been cleared thro customs really quikly all vehicles sortedat al areish! I am flying at 9 pm 2nite egyptians may have decided 2 cut their losses ? It looks like i may be able to get 2 gaza within the time! Xx

Sunday, 3 January 2010

Final word

By the way if we leave tomorrow for Egypt this is highly likely to be my last blog till I get home

Posted by Bob Lewis at 07:37 0 comments

3rd January - Latakia

Hi everyone - we are still in Latakia in northern syria, and are staying in a strange place which we are informed is a children's summer camp, reminds me of my hop picking days in Kent - small concrete huts on a beach with wild surf - winds blow but its warm and dry. The only problem is there is a would be Hamas sympathiser DJ who has giant speakers about 25 yards from our hut who seems to consider his mission in life is to play martial music at mutant volumes directly into my face - I went up to him and knelt down in front of him with my head on the ground and begged him to turn it down - he did for 5 minutes - it must be difficult for people to live with other people who like loud music on all the time when they are in the kitchen area if certain people get my drift......... you know who you are

We have driven back from Aqaba through Jordan and Syria to get here and are now in Latakia a port in the north and we've been here for 3 days and arrived on new years eve, and immediately linked up with some leftist activists who have taken us under their wing (me and HEadley) We got a guided tour of the refugee camp (the camp of the returners cos they haven't given up on their dream of going home) Many of them come from an area near HAifa we met a guy in a cafe the other night who told us the story of the expulsion they suffered in 1948 - he was 73 and remembers the occasion in blood. He said Britain was responsible (the BAlfour declaration) and welcomes us - humurous and angry and sad... We got a guided tour of the camp (which is in itself an amazing example of the ability of humans to cling on and embed and survive) Syria has relatively progressive policies towards the palistinians in comparison with other middle eastern countries but they have great difficulty in getting out of the country (how to get a passport if you are stateless?)and are not allowed to own property. We have had political discussions about the role of religion in the movement and the issue about unity between hamas and Fatah - everyone we have met are really pissed off with the split and the consequences for the ability of the palestinians to present a credible position with strength - a spit encouraged and funded by Isreal and some people say with American military suppport to FATAH. I read an article the other day which suggests that despite the Obama administration's attempt to peddle out of th3e Guantanamo and extraordinary rendition mess there are american military and secret service personel supporting the torture of HAmas militants on the west bank, and that HAmas in GAZA are returning the favour on FATAH. The division strategy has obviously worked - mean while we are told that Milliband has just announced 53 million in aid to GAZA with the express intention of weaning people way from HAMAS. I love living in a democracy where foreign policy is under democratic control and scrutiny.

current situation is that the vehioles have been loaded onto a boat chartered we believe by the Turkish government and funded by Turkish and malaysian organisations as well as by ourselves (with our locally raised money). 47 american vehicles miraculously turned up here released eventually from the last attempt at a convoy from egyptian impoundment (is that a word?) - we have no idea how it was that it was known we would be in Latakia when we were solidly behind the attemnpt to get to Nureiba.... questions for later about the organsiation of VIVA PALEstina and how it intends to manage its internal organisation and decision making in the future. At the moment VP is a constituted charity registered with the Charity commission but managed by a self selected group. Someone could usefully see if you can get the VP constitution from the charity commission......should be accessible from the CC website as it's a public document - I am champing at the bit to see it......One thing I do know about is the charity sector!!!!!

The boat sailed today qithg our vehicles and two people from the convoy to loooik after them and despite the fact that ISreal has extended the maritime exclusion zone (unilaterally) further out to sea to make the voyage longer as a delaying tactic we are told it has permission to dock in Al Areish tomorrow sometime. We (hopefully) will fly to Al Areish tomorrow in 4 or 5 flights starting at 4 am. We then await the good offices of the Egyptians to unload the boats and put them through customs. We do not know how long this will take = from Al areish is about 40 kms from RAFAH. and as long as the delaying tactic of the egyptian police don't slow us down too much our estimates of when we will arrive in GAZA vary from Wednesday to Friday....... We don't know how long we can stay in GAZA.

Its really important know that anyone who has the time puts pressure on your political representatives (you remeber them - the people we elected) to put pressure on the Egyptians to co-operate with the convoy - we understand their international standing has taken a bit of a battering in the middle eat and globally cos of the attack in the freedom march ib CAiro the other day - people arrested and hospitalised - and the tack to take we are advised is to argue that they have the chance to correct this - please also e-mail/write to the Egyptian embassy informing them of your deep concern at their attempt to deny medical aid to GAZA and your concern that their foreign policy seems to be so aligned to the interest of the Isreali state - and the insensitivity of Mubarak's meeting with NEtenhyahu on the day after the first anniversary of th4e sdtarty of the bombing....

We are in good spirits and personally Although very tired and suffering from old mans water retention at the bottom of my right leg (not very attractive I assure you although possibly a bit late in my life to worry about how attractive my legs are ) I am having a fascinating time - I intend to invest a lot of time over the next few months expanding my knowledge of the middle sand the politics of this situation and working to raise consciousness about this crime - I was inveigled into giving a speech at a rally the other day (funny story) and One of the things I said was that although every where we go we are treated like heroes and people constantly thank us, we should thank the p[Palestinian people for refusing to give up on their right to a peaceful and independent and viable homeland and their right to return to it - British and American citizens have a particular responsibility to do something about the role of their governments which have been such a huge block to a negotiated settlement which encompasses the Palestinian diaspora, the settlements on the westbank, Jerusalem and the need to dismantle a military state (which is not the same as saying that Jews have no right to be there - its the elective military state that's the problem - not the people (I know this sounds simplistic!) - but we know from N.Ireland and South Africa that given the right incentives people will change) Our (i.e me and you) world would;d be safer if this happens - trouble is that behind Isreal stands us the EU and America - the Palestinians stand alone - we owe them a huge debt of gratitude, and I for one intend to do what I can to repay that by working to raise consciousness when I get back.

So rant over - I miss friends and family (*where are my gorgeous daughters?) and am looking forward to getting back to work (do what?) These old fat bones have still got a bit of kick in them yet but some nice music and a self cooked meal and a glass of wine and some top quality natter would go down well

Be well and remember - be careful out there (which American 70's police serial does this come from?) Sergeant Phil never really died he's still out there looking after Renko and company - and hopefully he's got his eyes on me...

Al love and happy new year XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX

1/01/2010 15:19

Standing at the port as we lode the vehicles hundreds of people marching band flags sun wind sea and politics happy day xx

Monday, 28 December 2009

Progress possibly maybe

Hi friends

yesterday we did a rather amateurish protest and hired two boats to take us out towards the Isreali coast and Eilat to display our banners towards the tourists on the corniche at Eilat. The ISrealis seemed to know about the plan as they started firing heavy ordinance down the red sea from a battleship - 10 huge booms directed down the red sea. We all agree that there are informers in the convoy and everyone takes this as a given - but given that the plan was only hatched a couple of hours before we did it, their communication is far better than ours. Other action included the start of the hunger strike and a group climbing the nearby mountain at 5.30 am to hang a paletinian flag (which you can just see from the town).

We were due to collect at the compound at 7.00 pm for a candle lit vigil to commemorate the 1400 lives taken in the bombing of GAZA a year ago last night. When we got there we found that the local union of muslims had organsed a full blown political meeting with a film of armies massing, children with guns and the whole nine yards. Definite anti semitic chanting. This caused upraor and the British contingent walked out in protest and some of the Turkish group as well. Goerge Galloway refused to be present and has apparently complained to our hosts. We understand that our hosts are part of the oppositon here and represent a very rural, conseravtive constituency who has failed to push forward a pro palestinain agenda at all - and therefore over compensate with the appearance of miltancy. Everyone who has been to GAZA or the West Bank say that the Palestinian organstions are far more sophisticated (including the HAMAS leadership) - we wait to see.

This minor crisis lead to demands for a mass meeting with GEorge and Kevin - the convoy leadership - and they are now far more upbeat about the situation.

We were told that one of the convoy members is a very senior politician from the office of the Turkish Prime Minister. He was in Cairo last night negotiating a legal agreement between the states of Turkey and Egypt. This would allow us into the port of AL Areish (which we now understand was always a fall back position for the convoy). We would have our right to deliver our aid direct to the people of GAZA without intercession by UNWRA, and we would not be asked to seek the permission of the ISreali Government. The Turkish government will, if the agreement is signed, charter a boat to take all our vehicles and us from Syria to Al Aresh. We are told once we are on the move we will drive continously (800 kms back to Syria) and the journey to the gates of RAfah will take 3.5/4 days. We do not know how long we will be able to stay in GAZA at the moment - this also depends on the Egyptians.......

That was last night - today we are told to be abck at the compund where we are hosted (10 minutes walk away from my hotel) at 3 p.m. ready to leave. It's hard to take this completely seriously because we are so often told to do things which don't materialise - however this is the mpost hopeful situation we have been in since this impasse started - keep yer fingers crossed!!!!!!

The media coverage on the arab world TV is quite signifiacnt and we got a double page speard in the Jordan times today - but there has also been some excellent programmes and documentaries on the situation in GAZA one year on - balanced and well put together - stuff you just don't see in the UK - also their coverage of Africa is fantastic -

I have tried and tried to get through to the Guardian and have tried to use old contacts from student days who are now senior Guardian Journalists - to no avail - if you have the time please arrange a letter campaign to the Guardian - disgusted readership stuff - yesterday they carried an editorial calling on Brown to press for the opening of the blockade and for aid to be allowed in - but failed to mention that we are 300 miles way - with millions of pounds of medical equiopment (one of the vans in our group has two electron microscopes on it and a dialysis machine and we in Gloucester have a $3000 EEG machine......... )

So hopefully we will be off later today - if you don't get another blog tommorrow we are underway ..........

all love to everyone -

cheers

Blob XXXXXX

01/01/2010 15:19

Been out of contact(went beyond credit limit) now in latakia in a refugee camp people luvvly in theory here till möday & fly 2 cairo vehicles go by cötainer ship 2 al areish. Rafah open till 6th egyptians say 72 hrs to unload and customs delay delay delay they want to stop us any way possible i was ön al jazeera 2day washing van and made rousing speech 2 mass rally (possible media future ?) xx

30/12/2009 10:12

Hi guys we go 2 the port of tartus in syria with the expectation we sail 2 al areish 2moro which is 30kms from rafah 20 hr ferry we expect 2 be severely harassed by egyptians please please keep up any media or politica efforts u're able 2 make egyptians say rafah open 3rd - 6th inshallah we will get in xx

29/12/2009 21:20

Bak in damascus 1 step 4wards 2 steps bak x

Monday, 28 December 2009

Progress possibly maybe

Hi friends

This minor crisis lead to demands for a mass meeting with GEorge and Kevin - the convoy leadership - and they are now far more upbeat about the situation.

So hopefully we will be off later today - if you don't get another blog tommorrow we are underway ..........

all love to everyone -

cheers

Blob XXXXXX

28/12/2009 15:23

Looks like we'm on the move. Awaiting the signing of the agreement between dgypt and turkey. In'shallah as they sez down in these parts !

27/12/2009 15:11

Bak on shore no one dead !

27/12/2009 14:26

Am on boat in red c going 2 isreali limit 4 sea protest filmed by press tv. Isreali war ship firing gun 2 discourage us! Which proves they have their eyes on us as we only agreed 2 do it this morning xx your roving correspondant

Sunday, 27 December 2009

Muzzlewatch

HAve a look at Muzzlewatch - an open letter from a feminist organsation in ISreal to the minister of education about the use of militarism in schools in isreal - remember its a falsehood that Isreal is a functioning democracy

http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2009/12/16/israeli-education-minister-bars-feminist-anti-militarism-group-from-high-schools/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Muzzl ewatch+%28MuzzleWatch%29

Posted by Bob Lewis at 03:22 1 comments

Saturday, 26 December 2009

Quick addition

Sorry by the way - no photos - I have 600 hundred on my camera but can't upload them here - insufficient bandwidth I think -

Posted by Bob Lewis at 10:25 0 comments

Boxing day 26 December - still in Aqaba

Hi folks

Another day in Aqaba, which as unexpected places to stay go is very nice. I'm staying with a few people in a hostel near the sea front. Very basic cheap and run by a really friendly Palestinian family who treat us with great respect and welcome. Everyone here recognises us and asks us about what we are doing - and wishes us luck. Last night about 40 of us went down to the beach - music chat and a drink or two - some Palestinian musicians turned up at about midnight and started playing songs accompanied by an amazing oud player. Loads of people came to watch an exchange of Irish freedom songs and Palestinian liberation music....... My inner traveller is being woken up in a way that it never really has before - I really like the middle east.

On a more serious note, here is an update

WE are informed that the convoy leaders have for the first time established a line of communication with the Egyptian Government at a senior level and that negotiations are underway. WE don't know in the proletarian part of the conoy (the drivers) the line that is being followed. The two unnegotiables from our side are that we insist on handing the aid directly to the people of Gaza, not through an intermediary like UNWRA, and that we have to go through the port of Nureiba. The note struck by George Galloway tonight was cautiously optimistic. We will accept any other conditions they apply

Tomorrow we start some early frors of action. A number of people (including George) have signed up to start a hunger strike (or fast) This will start at 11.25 am, the exact moment the bombing of GAZA started a year ago to the day. The fast will have a rolling start with more people joining each day. The fast will end when we get to GAZA. " if we can't deliver the aids to the people to whom it belongs, then we will deny oursleves the food we need in solidarity with them" (Ibid George Galloway), Personally I won't be doing this as I wouldn't remain functional and I've had some water retention round my legs which has been painful at times and I'm not taking any risks with my health but I salute the pople who are

There will also be a rally starting at 11.25 am with our Jordanian partners (the union of Muslims) who are providing us with food and support and a venue to meet and plan, as well as a huge amount of free accomodation. I don't yet know where the rally will take place but the obvious targets are the Egyptian consulate or the Israeli presence here. However the line being taken is that we must do nothing at all to 'annoy' the Egyptisns and make it clear we see the culprits in this situation as the Israeli sate.

There is a feeling that the main aim of the Egyptians is to avoid us getting to RAFAH on the 27th (tomorrow) on the first anniversary of the start of the bombing and invasion of GAZA, and that they won't want us on the ship tomorrow either (obvious parallels with Moses parting the red sea), but that once this is avoided they will let us in......... we wait to see.

Please keep up whatever attempts you are making to contact the media where you are. I used to live with Two really well known journalist (30 years ago) - Jackie Ashley and Ed Vulliamy of the Guardian and I'm going to try to get in contact with them which will probably be impossible so if you have any contacts like this use them,

I was sold a couple of story lines by a young women called Norah in F group who has been doing media work for the convoy for the last few months. The key words are : Christmas, fast, getting over the red sea, bringing aid to the children in GAZA, the fact that the medicines are siting in the vans up in the mountains going off in the very hot sun (by the way the Jordanians will not release the vehicles from the customs compound and will not allow us to retrieve anything but personal items so we can't protect the medicinal perishables - no idea if this is a political or administrative decision) Whilst Israel killed another 6 people on GAZA and the west bank today, we have essential medicines ands some very high tech equipment with us (The Gloucester Group I am with bought a $3,000 EEG machine with the money we raised, to my personal knowledge there are 2 electron microscopes, dialysis machines everywhere, blood scrubbers and loads of other very much needed stuff - god knows what the Turks have got but they are incredibly well resourced - the Bristol group have a 40 ft artic rammed with equipment)

Finally I asked Kevin the convoy leader to check out yesterday the point I mentioned in the blog about Anti Semitic chanting from some of the militants in the Turkish group - he tells me he has done this and has received assurances that this is not the case. I accept these assurances and hope they are true.

We hear the Israeli Government has been using the argument internationally that the strap line 'VIVA PALESTINA' proves that the convoy is not about humanitarian aid but is a political intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state - how Machiavellian is that?

Signing off - If I don't blog tomorrow it means we are on the move - although I suspect it won't be tomorrow -

yours cautiously optimistic

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXx

Friday, 25 December 2009

Christmas day - port of Aqaba - Jordan

Hi Folks - we arrived in Aqaba (only port in Jordan) last night - and a very happy christmas to one and all. It's lovely balmy warm weather here, and I can see the sea from the cafe where I am typing this - if I can find a cheap pair of bathers I am going to go for a swim later.

We face our first serious political challenge. We have known all along that the Egyptian government does not want us to enter the country or to enter GAZA. The politics of this are complex but basically they are a key american and Isreali ally and so do not want international attention or attention in the Arab world to focus on their collusion with the siege of GAZA.

The current position is that the Egyptian Consul in Aqaba has made it clear that we are not welcome, and will not be permitted to deisenbark at the Egyptian port of Nureiba (the destination port from Aqaba). We will be welcome to enter GAZA at Rafah when we get there but they will not allow us to enter Egypt at Nureiba. This has been reported in the Jordan times - and is basically a delaying/b;ocking tactic. They are able to say that we are welcome to cross into GAZA whilst making it impossible for us to do so.

They inform us that there are international protocols (which just seem to have been invented) that requires aid for palesinians to come in through the Egyptian Port of Al Areish. To get there we would have to retrace our steps hundreds of miles to go to LEbanon - we would then have to charter several ships and pay for them with money intended for GAZA, and then travel to Al Areish where the aid would have to be handed over to UNWRA (UN welfare and relief agency - the UN body set up to support the palestinains and notoriously corrupt and inefficient) Our response to this is that we do not recognise the palestinians as refugees in their own country, which we consider to be a sovereign nation and that the people of our respoective nations (Turkey, UK, BElgium, Malaysia, France, GErmany, Jordan and Syria, USA etc ) have chosen to donate the aid and send it directly to the people of GAZA, by means of the VIVA PAlestina Convoy

We are therfore respectfully asking Hosni Mubarek, the president of Egypt to show magnanimity to the people of GAZA. We are making it clear that we have no wish to create problems for the people or government of Egypt and wish simply to transit with much needed medical supplies worth millions of pounds.

What you can do

Please do one of all of the follwing -

contact your elected representatives and ask them to raise the issue with the foreign office (or its equivalent in South Africa (pete))

Go on the VIVA Palestina Website for more informaion ( I hope its working now) for updates - Pete there is a new branch in South Africa as of last week

Organise a letter writing campaign to the Egyption embassy in your country - polite and respectful letters please. On this note you may note that George Galloway reported last night that in a meeting with the Egyptian Consul in Aqaba, the consul let slip that we would have to negotiate entry into Egypt with the ISreali Government - it may be worth asking in the letters whether this means that the Egyptians have sub contrated their national sovereignty to the ISrealis on this issue - but politely !!!!!!!

Contact the forein office duty desk by phone, e-mail, etc to ask them what they are doping aboput this and ask them to ensure that the foreign misister raises this with the Egyptiona government at the firsat opportunity

Write to and e-mail your national embassy in Egypt - do not assume they are aweare of what is going on - and ask them to intevene to allow the people of the donor nations to be allowed to donate their aid directly to the people of GAZA

Forward the text of this blog to anyone you know who may be willing to support us in these ways and ask them to help - get this informaion cascaded out as widely as possible

This has all the makings of a long one - The key factor will be to focus international attention on the situation and to expose the fact that the Egyptians are colluding with the siege of GAZA and are doing the bidding of the ISreali state . There is a growing media presence here - Al Jazeera is now committed to staying with us until we get inot GAZA (their coverage is excellent)- if you have any contacts in the British media use them to try and raise the profile of the issue - we need Britsih media coverage - it doesn't seem to be happening at the moment.

PErsonally I am committed to staying here as long as I can and have at least till the 4/5th January but will negotaite longer with my employer if I can - In the meantime life is good - am getting over a bit of a chest infection which has been with me for 10 days or so - Aqaba looks like a lovely place to explore. My only concern at the moment is political - some of the turkish convoy are very miltant islamic activists and their chanting is (so I understand) sometimes extremely anti semitic - a group of us are going to raise this with the convoy leadership later on - I haven't spent my adult life as an anti racist to sit quietly whilst the convoy allows these men (inevitably they are men!) to hand a huge propoganda tool to the ISrealis, and I don't like racsists full stop.

It looks like I'll be able to blog regularly for the next few days so will keep you all informed -

All love to everyone - if anyone opens my presents before I'm there, there will be words - I have got presents haven't I!?

All love to all

Break the siege !!!!!!

(PS don't worry am still a lovable cuddly militant - not a militant militant!!!)

24/12/2009 15:38 p.m.

George gallnway has just announced @ a mass rally in aqaba that the egyptian gov has told the ferry co not to let us board as we are not welcome in egypt but

haue said on al-jazeera that they will let us in. Time to ring the duty desk at the foreign office, mp's loca papers etc e mail downing st make a noise!

Demand that the gov put pressure ö the egyptians to let us in. Happy xmas xx

24/12/2009 15:38 p.m.

We're at the customs section at aqaba can't c the red c yet! Still don't know what the egyptians will do but in theory the ferry leaves @ 1.30 a.m. Drove

through spectacular biblical scenery 2 get here. Next fèw hrs critical!

23/12/2009 00:11 a.m.

We have reached amman through the victorious efforts of our civil disobedience xx

22/12/2009 15:15 p.m.

We are now refused access to amman ! Convoy blocking motorway 3 lanes sirens and lights going. Gorgeous george kiking up political fuss apparently . Haven't

had as much fun since old smithers fell down a well during the africa campaign - damn near pooped meself. Will keep u informed xxx

22/12/2009 16:49 p.m.

First major problem! After 4 hrs at border at the last post the police want tn take our passports til we leave jordan. Convoy leaders have agreed we should

do this but slight risk that jordan's done a deal with egypt to delay us at akabar by delaying the return of the said passports keep yer eyes on the media

and be prepared to flood the foreign offhce mp's etc with phone calls letters etc if we r delayed getting into egypt www.vivapalestina.org.uk

19/12/2009 21:30 p.m.

Hi folks - another long drive today (400 kms) and amt ired so this will be short. We have had a tumultuous welcome in this city. 1000's of drivers alongside

us waving flags - blues and two's going on thea mbulances (its a definite buzz driving an ambulance)and then a huge reception in a community centre - more

welcomes and salaams.

tired but happy

nite nite

18/12/2009 11.00 p.m. (South East Turkey)

Sittin another gym tonight - huge welcome with hundreds of people coming to greet us with a meal and 'salamms'. We are treated like heroes even though

basically we are drivers. Thought you might like to meet the members of team F - we are the excellent, organised kings and queens of convoy driving and CB

radio organisation. Headley and Mustafa are the ones in yellow coats...............

18/12/2009 12.45 a.m. (KONYA)

Hi everyone, have just arrived at a sports centre in the suburbs of a town called KONYA, near the Syrian border. We've been driving all day since 9.00n a.m

with about an hour break and this is the second day we have really been pushing the pace. Last night we were driving till 4 in the morning and had to get up

at 7, but the Turkish welcome has been extraordinary as we drove along last night there were people in the rain waving flags and waving at 3 am in the rain.

We have had formal political welcomes in every city we have been in and a delegation was received in parliament. We are told there3 has been wall to wall

media coverage here, and also whilst we were here Hosni Mubarak, the head of state of Egypt has been on a state visit, and the coverage for him has been

eclipsed by ours - we think thismay change the balance of forces around our entry into Egypt in our favour as Egypt is seeking closer ties with Turkey

currently as Turkeys relationship with Syria improves........ plus ca change !!!!

You may have heard about the fact that we have lost one of the Gloucester vehicles! Abi and I were in the sprinter coming down a hill when the vehicle in

front of us braked suddenly, so we had to brake as well, and were rear ended by a 20 ton cement lorry, which took about 2 feet of the end, rammed the drive

shaft forward and split the engine block - kaput. Bit shocked but the 'F Group' (our imme3ditate vehicle family) worked like clockwork. Aid redistributed to

other vehicles, deal struck with local garage, on the road again within 3.5 hours. Sad to lose the vehicle, but we will get the insurance which can go into

the funds for next

We have heard the news about the arrest warrant issued in the English courts for Tzipi Livni,to answer we assume a prima facie case for war crimes against

the inhabitants of GAZA, and were all encouraged by this. WE also understand that the government has appealed - presumably on the grounds that international

law shouldn't apply to serving minsters of national governments. The whole convoy seems clear on this point that the Israeli state has to be internationally

isolated in any way possible to stop the normalisation of the ethnic cleansing that is underway.

There are still fantastic conversations going on all over the place - my favourites include ' a horse walks into a bar and the barman says 'why the long

face?', and my friend Yousuf from Dewsbury explaining why it was really important that we all understand that the religious, ethnic and gender diversity of

the convoy is its primary strength, and that we all stand to learn from each other, and how unacceptable it is that a few of the sistsers on the convoy who

are muslims have been pressured to cover their hair by unnaqmed persons.

Mustafa has left us to go back to England. His daughter has bene ill and he has an exam to revise for. WE are really sad to see him go and hope his baba gets

over her chest infection..... One really really nice guy with a dry sense of humour - Jeadly misses him and the constant banter - now he hasd to make do with

me.......One really really nice guy with a dry sense of humour - Headley misses him and the constant banter - now he dash to make do with me.......

We are tired and must go to bed soon - this connection is very slow and I am going to try to upload a couple of photos but not completely confident of the

bandwidth(Brian - where are you?). Apparently Hadley is on the VP website - Hope they got his best side. Abi well and Ahmed (known as the doctor by everyone

also........

All love to everyone and remember - the UK, EU, USA and others are all complicit in the actions of the Zionist state in GAZA - remember David Milliband's

refusal to condemn instantly the use of illegal weapons against civilians,or Blair's refusal to condemn the attack on Lebanon, or the USA's £4bn a year to

the Isreali military and oher state institutions, or the EU's refusal to recognise and engage with the democratically elected HAMAS government ( a refusal

that directly ( and deliberately) lead tot he current impasse in palestinian society and the divide and rule approach now being adopted by the Isreali's. We

all need to ask ourselves about what is done in our names.....This situation is no more intractable than South Africa or N Ireland- but external actors need

to pull out and broker open ended negotiations. Stop the aid to Isreal and they'd be at the table overnight.

Rant over its time to go to ZED land

17/12/2009 (Turkey)

Joined up with 60 turkish lorries yessday. Spent the day getting ambulance fixed $300 .missed the first political rally in taxsim sq. 4 33 yrs(last one lead

2 the ousting of the generals) drove till 4 am and 2 hrs sleep and off again great god almighty on the road again! Xx

December 13/12/2009 (Thessaloniki)

now its the Sunday 13th. We've been in Thessalonian for a day. Greek society is very pro Palestinian so we were welcomed last night by the mayor of the

suburb where we are staying, two agree MP's, and a Greek MEP, and a Palestinian community leader. We are staying in a huge basketball court in a working

class suburb, so there was this 70's feel to the whole event - a platform at the front of the room, with all the speakers sitting in a line, and that very

formal leftist protocol that I last came across when I was a member of the ligue communiste revolutionnaire in France in the 70's ! WE went out for a coffee

last night and chatted to people who were all very supportive and seemed to have some knowledge of the situation in the Palestinian territories. This morning

we had a police escort to drive all 100 vehicles into the centre of the city and rallied on the sea front. Lots of ambulance sirens, lights flashing, noise,

people waving and all.......

There are lots of conversations everywhere - political, theological, discussions about the rights of women, the role of marriage and I have made some friends

I think. The Gloucester group are in good form and everyone getting on well and we are all really sad that Mustafa has to come bail from Istanbul. He's got

an exam, but also feels as an Algerian that going to Egypt is a bit of a risk at the moment (something to do with football apparently!) He's one seriously

nice geezer. Some of us are beginning to talk about what happens after the convoy and how we all keep in touch afterwards for political support and to keep

ourselves active to repay the investment that the People of GAZA will be making by hosting us. We have to keep active raising consciousness about the issue.

At the rally this morning, Kevin, the convoy leader made refere3nce to the fact that where were were there had been a massacre of the Jewish population of

the city in 1943 under the Nazis. What a thread of abuse! The holocaust was most savage expression of racism that Europe has ever seen, and it is commonly

used as an excuse or explanation for the actions of a racist Israeli state - The Palestinians have been paying the price for Europe's racism for 60 years and

we are all responsible for doing what we can to bring about an equitable solution in the region. Rant over. Love from Abi, Bob, Mustafa, HEadley and Ahmed.

Will next communicate from Istanbul

07/12/2009 (Bruxelles)

We arrived in Bruxelles this evening - the convoy is parked in a deserted but huge car park on the outskirts - in the day it looks like it is a huge market.

Cold and soulless and we were getting ready to sleep in the cab, when Ahmed's sister turns up and offers all 5 of us accommodation in their flat - a

magnificent town house in the centre of the city - so we have spent the evening with Faisal and Fazilla, who are south African and Zimbabwean. Very nice

people and a really pleasant evening> I have also decided that Hedley and Mustafa, who are thankfully in the other vehicle, are actually certifiably insane.

I know this because I drove them across Bruxelles this evening and I laughed so much I was crying. Luckily no traffic around. Last night we stayed with

Mustafa's boyhood friend KEmel in Chingford. 2 moro we head for Germany and the Swiss border. I can't get the laptop to work at the moment but it’s a small

problem to do with the battery - so should hopefully get on line tomorrow somewhere. This is like a mobile politics seminar - everywhere you go there are

political, cultural and other arguments being explored - tune in tune out - it’s absolutely fascinating and a really powerful experience to be amongst a

large group of people who share one thing - a determination to break the siege of GAZA. Time for beddy bies - its two am. Sleep tight to one and all. Sorry

about the spelling - can't be bothered to correct it