Catholic Worker Peace Team delayed at Rafah Border; Medical supplies sit idle.
Frank Cordaro
From: Scott Schaeffer-Duffy <there...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, May 11, 2009
Catholic Worker Peace Team delayed at Rafah Border; Medical supplies sit idle.
RAFAH, Egypt. 3 PM
Members of the Catholic Worker Peace Team, carrying medical supplies
for Al Shifa Hospital on Gaza City, have been delayed by the Egyptian
authorities at the Rafah border in Egypt. Authorities have told the
six team members, who have been waiting at the border since 6AM, that
they need security clearance, despite the fact that a minister from
the Palestinian side of the border has appealed for them to come
through.
The Peace Team, made up of Colon Gilbert of California, Beth Brockman
of North Carolina, Jenny Thomas of Vermont, Mark Colville of
Connecticut, Scott Schaeffer-Duffy and Brenna Cussen, both of
Worcester, Massachusetts, hopes to gain first hand information about
the situation in Gaza, which has deteriorated since the 3-week siege
by the Israeli military in late December/early January. They also plan
to visit Sderot, the Israeli city most affected by Hamas rockets, and
the West Bank, where they will learn of the effect of the Separation
Wall erected by the Israeli government.
The border to Gaza, a territory of less than 45 square miles, is
sealed on all sides. Except for its border on the Mediterranean Sea,
which is heavily patroled by the Israeli military, Gaza is completely
surrounded by the Separation Wall. The vast majority of Gaza's 1.5
million inhabitants are unable to leave or enter Gazavia the the only
two border crossings in operation: the Eretz Crossing, which borders
Israel, or the Rafah Crossing, bordering Egypt. In addition,
authorities at both crossings have placed harsh restrictions on food,
medicine, and other supplies entering Gaza.
Ahmad, a dermetologist who has been waiting for two days to enter
Gaza, and who now says he has arranged with the Egyptian government to
enter today, does not know whether that permission will be honored, or
if it is, at what time he will be able to go through. "Here you cannot
ask, 'What time?' Here (at the Rafah Crossing) there is only waiting,
waiting, waiting. This is the life for all Palestinians. Only waiting,
waiting, waiting." he referred to the fact that Gazans are not the
only Palestinians with severely restricted travel: the five million
Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied Wedt Bank face hundreds of
checkpoints and roadblocks within their own territory, greatly
limiting their freedom of movement.
Members of the CW Peace Team Beth, Jenny, and Scott, met with three
women and their three young children (ages 1, 3, and 4) who recently
had heart surgery in Egypt. The families are now attempting to cross
back to their homes on Gaza. The women had been granted permission to
travel to Egupy for a month for their children's medical operation.
They now wait outside the checkpoint, trying to shade themselves from
the hot sun, hoping they will eventually be allowed through. One of
the women, told Scott that during the three-week Israeli siege on Gaza
in December and January, which resulted in the deaths of over 1400
Gazans, her 20 year-old son was killed, and her 23 year-old son
suffered an injury on the arm. Unable to receive proper medical
treatment in Gaza, his arm developed a severe abscess. He remains in
serious condition. A 21 year-old cousin of Mouna Abu Hasida, another
of the women, was also killed. Beth, Jenny, and Scott presented the
children with toys given to the Peace Team by children from Wayland,
Massachusetts. Their mothers expressed gratitude for the Peace Tem's
effort to bring medical supplies into Gaza.
After more than nine hours of waiting, the Peace Team was told by a
representative of Egyptian security that they would not be allowed to
pass into Gaza without communication from the US embassy to their
Foreign Ministry. The team told the head of security that an embassy
spokesperson said today that the affidavits the team was issued
yesterday are sufficient fir them to pass.
The team is considering a prayerful, nonviolent appeal at the border
crossing for permission to pass.
Sent from my iPhone
For more info contact:
Saints Francis and Therese Catholic Worker House
52 Mason St., Worcester MA 01610
508 753 3588
theresecw2(at)gmail.com
----------------------------------------
Previous Postings:
The “Catholic Worker Peace Team” model explained by Scott
Shaeffer-Duffy and Brenna Cussen
http://groups.google.com/group/National-CW-E-mail-List/browse_frm/thread/f7f9bccbaa3fcaac?hl=en#
CW Peace Team arrive in Cairo with Medical Supplies and Toys for Gaza
http://groups.google.com/group/National-CW-E-mail-List/browse_frm/thread/7f64d91eff3300fc?hl=en
"Rafah Crossing Closed: CW Peace Team Will Attempt to Enter Gaza in
the Morning" first report from CW Peace Team in Gaza
http://groups.google.com/group/National-CW-E-mail-List/browse_frm/thread/1b403a448bebaf70?hl=en