By Iqbal Tamimi
No one understands why the Egyptian authorities are insisting on making any effort to help the Gaza people a total misery.
The humanitarian convoy ‘Miles of Smiles’ that is bringing aid to disabled people in Gaza is made of many good ordinary people who abandoned their jobs and home comforts to bring some help to the needy in Gaza, yet since 3 weeks they are held in Port Said in Egypt and forced to pay a $5.000 fine every single day for being on an Egyptian ‘floor’ even though they are held and delayed by the Egyptian authorities.
The Egyptian authorities are insisting that the convoy should only go by sea to AlAreesh instead of the usual path of previous convoys. Even though there is no reason what so ever that they should not be allowed to go by land.
The convoy members proposed to the Egyptian authorities that they can travel at night and load the aid in big trucks, but they were refused such permission.
The convoy also offered to cover all the vehicles just in case the Egyptian authorities are worried that Israel would know that Egypt is helping the disabled and the needy in Gaza, or should the authorities were worried that such convoy will gain the emotional support and momentum from the local Egyptians who are frustrated by their own government's policies, but they were refused such solution as well.
They also offered to go in individual vehicles one at a time and not as a convoy, and their request was denied too.
They even proposed that instead of paying $100.000 cost fee just to go through the sea from Port Saed to AlAreesh, that they can donate $30.000-£40.000 for any local charity project in Port Said, and be allowed to continue their trip by land, but the Egyptian authorities also refused this proposal and said NO.
Every single solution proposed by the humanitarian aid group ' Mile of Smiles' was rejected by the Egyptian authorities.
All the above proposals were refused by the Egyptian government, even though the same people on the convoy came earlier in June along with the 'Hope' convoy and entered then from Rafah.
The Egyptian authorities also allowed the convoy of George Galloway to go through the same route only two months ago, what is going on? Why they are tightening their fists on every help coming to Gaza?
Is Egypt benefiting financially and economically and politically from the Gaza plight? By the way does anyone know how much money was pouring in Egypt through fining the convoys? Pricing the supplies that are bought in Egypt? The expenses and costs those humanitarian convoy members have paid on stamps and living cost day by day? Thousands of people came to help Gaza through Egypt and held against their will in Egypt for long periods...does anyone have a calculator guys?
I would love to receive any comments on such costs.
Shame on those whose pockets' swell with money out of the misery of the hungry, the poor, the homeless and the disabled.
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