Egyptian police deport Galloway and rest of convoy

BRITISH MP George Galloway, leader of the Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy, was yesterday bundled into a police van as he left Gaza, driven to Cairo airport and put on a plane to London.

The other 513 members of the convoy, which included a number of Irish activists, were bused to Cairo and deported.

Egyptian officials said Mr Galloway and those who took part in the month-long overland drive to Israeli-blockaded Gaza will be put on a blacklist and will be barred from entering Egypt.

On Thursday night Israel staged four air strikes on southern and central Gaza in response to the firing by Palestinian fighters of 10 mortars into the Negev region, and of a rocket towards the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.

The mortar barrage, which caused no casualties and did no damage, was the largest attack since the end of Israel’s war on Gaza on January 18th last year.

At that time, Hamas imposed a moratorium on mortar and rocket fire, but has been unable to prevent all attacks by dissidents.

The Israeli air force targeted a tunnel linking Gaza to Israel, a workshop on the outskirts of Gaza city and two smuggling tunnels on the Egyptian border.

John Hurson, of Co Tyrone, told The Irish Timesthat Gaza city was rocked by the explosion, but that none of the activists had been near the site of the bombing.

Three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed and two injured.

Cairo decided to take tough action against Viva Palestina, which has organised three convoys to Gaza since March, because of disputes over the number of vehicles and participants allowed into the strip.

On Tuesday activists staged protests at the port of el-Arish when the Egyptians declared that some vehicles and personnel could not enter Gaza through the Egyptian crossing at Rafah, reneging on a pledge to allow the entire convoy to pass if they were to do so through el-Arish. Activists were attacked by Egyptian police and 40 were injured, including members of the Derry contingent.

On Wednesday an Egyptian policeman was killed when several hundred Palestinians, awaiting the convoy, rioted in Gaza.

While in the strip, activists circulated freely, Mr Hurson said. There were no security restrictions. Commenting on Egypt’s decision to blacklist the activists, he said: “This is what we get when we try to bring aid to Gaza. It’s a badge of honour.”