A Caravan to Gaza
Dr. Sandeep Pandey writes about the peace caravan winding its way to Palestine.
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IRANIAN SENTIMENTS OVERWHELM THE GAZA CARAVAN
After overcoming the initial obstacles in South Asia, where, first the Pakistani government denied visas to some Indians, then Indian government delayed permission to those of its citizens who had obtained visas from the Pakistani government to cross the Wagha border on foot, and the biggest disappointment in the form of denial by Pakistani government to permit the caravan to travel the land route through Balochistan, the peace activists assembled in Zahedan after flying via Tehran into Iran. This is where they would have arrived if they had followed the land route from Delhi through India and Pakistan.
Two members of Iranian parliament were there to receive the caravan at Tehran airport when it arrived from India on 8th December at 5 am in the morning. This signalled a positive response to the caravan from the Iranian authorities. The caravan was flagged off from Rajghat in Delhi and finally hit the road in Iran on 9th December, 2010. It went from Zahedan to Kerman, Yazd, Esfahan, Qom before reaching Tehran on 12th December, covering a distance of 1400 kms.
Spontaneous welcome were accorded at airports, several places on roadside in every city and at educational institutions to the caravan. Men, women and children came out to warmly receive the caravan. In Qom, a seat of religious and educational learning, when the caravan reached past midnight it appeared as if the entire city had come out on streets to welcome the caravan. Students on motorcycles criss-crossing and assembled men, women and children made it difficult for the three buses carrying the caravan members to move on the street. The enthusiam of youth, especially, was only to be seen to be believed.
Ummate Waheda, a voluntary organization was the host of caravan in Iran. The young members of this organization, both men and women, were taking care to ensure that the caravan was hosted properly in each city where it stopped on the way. They had organized meetings, roadside receptions, stay and food for the caravan. Its members were travelling with the caravan inside Iran acting as guide and coordinating with local hosts. The etire credit for mobilization inside Iran can be given to them. The media which picked up the story of caravan slowly was highlighting it on the front pages of newspapers and prime time television talk shows by the time it reached Tehran.
It was a coincidence that the period of caravan in Iran coincided with the Moharram, remembrance of martyrdom of Imam Hussain for Shia Muslims, a community which is present in majority here. Since in Iran religion dominates politics and society, there was display of religious emotions associated with Moharram in all public programmes. The spirit of sacrifice of the caravan in approaching Gaza knowing fully well the dangers posed by a belligerent Israel, were immediately related to the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Mohammed. So, the caravan with a political message acquired the undertones of religious sentiments.
University of Sistan and Balochistan in Zahedan, Shahid Bahonar University of Kemran, Esfahan University and Tehran University hosted meetings for the caravan. Mayor of Esfahan and Mayor of Tehran hosted reception for the caravan. Meetings were arranged with Imam Juma, representative of the Supreme religious leader of Iran in Esfahan, Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi and Ayatollah Jawadi Amuli in Qom for the caravan. On the way from Zahedan to Kerman Naroi tribal community hosted a breif reception for the caravan. Hence no segment of the Iranian society wanted to be left behind in welcoming the caravan. At Esfahan, in one of the meetings, a Jewish speaker also got a chance to speak. He condemned the Zionist regime of Israel.
The high point of the caravan was appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in the meeting at Tehran University. He said in his speech that the Palestinian issue is not a question of struggle between Jews and Arabs or Muslims alone but it was a question of human rights violations of an entire population and hence was a global issue on which everyone who is concerned about democracy and human rights must act. He extended warm welcome to the caravan and even hugged caravan members. His simple clothing and down to earth behaviour enthralled everybody. He still continues to live in the government apartment where he used to live as a civil engineering professor before he became the president. His speech was preceded by that of Ashim Roy, one of the Indian organizers of the caravan.
Later the caravan got an opportunity to visit the parliament of Iran, Majlis-e-Shura. Nine members of parliament present were each gifted an autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. Feroze Mithiborwala, another Indian organizer who spoke on the occasion hightlighted the role of Iranian government along with Venezuala in challenging the might of imperialist forces. The Iranian parliament, in a magnanimous gesture donated 11, 50, 00, 000 Tomans, equivalent to about seventy lakhs of Indian rupees, as aid to Gaza to be sent along with the caravan. The money is to come from the Palestine Relief Fund created in Iran and the donations from salaries of members of parliament. Medical-surgical equipment will be bought with this money from Syria before the caravan enters Egypt. Incidentally, Egypt, who has given visas only to Indian members of the caravan has put a condition that it'll allow only 100 members of the aid caravan with every ambulance going as aid. Other nationalities which are represented in this caravan are Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Japan.
Meanwhile, an Israeli website run by a former intelligence official has described the caravan from India as a group of 50 terrorists consisting of left liberals, Islamic extremists and self-proclaimed human rights activists. In response, the Prime Minister of Palestine, Ismail Haniya, has welcomed the caravan. It remains to be seen whether the caravan will be allowed a safe passage to Gaza or would get entangled in a showdown.
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An Asia to Gaza caravan is being planned from New Delhi to Gaza during the month of December, 2010, as part of the international effort to break the two year old blockade of Gaza by Israeli forces. This is probably the first time such an ambitious caravan, through land route, has been planned to express solidarity with the Palestinian cause. It is to travel through Pakistan , Iran , Turkey , Syria and Egypt . On the way a part of the caravan will also visit Jordan and Lebanon . Meetings will be organized along the route to mobilize public opinion against the blockade of Gaza by Israel , the anniversary of which falls on 27th December. If everything goes alright the caravan will reach Gaza to coincide with this date.
A young activist from Mumbai, Feroze Mithiborwala, with Gandhian roots, conceived of this caravan about a couple of years back and with the institutional support provided by New Trade Union Initiatives he was able to give it a practical shape. A forum called Indian Life-line to Gaza was created to organize this caravan and an Asian People’s Solidarity for Palestine was formed to bring together all organizations from different countries of Asia like Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt which support the Palestinian cause. The response received was overwhelming. Activists from India, Iran and Japan are part of the caravan from New Delhi and others will join en-route. The embassies of Iran and Egypt waived the fees of Rs. 800 and Rs. 3500, respectively, required for obtaining visas for about 50 Indian activists who are part of this caravan as a gesture of support.
The struggle of the Palestinians is probably one of the most difficult ones going on around the world presently. A population has been rendered homeless in their own homes and are being subjected to continuous humiliation. Israelis have literally entered the homes of Palestinians and are now refusing to move out. Jewish immigration from Europe altered the demographic balance of the area between 1917 and 1948. It is almost an every day struggle for the Palestinians to retain whatever they have in their possession. The US has been blindly supporting the brazen and brutal ways of Israel . A country which goes around all over the globe considering it its responsibility to establish democratic rules doesn’t care a damn about the autocratic ways of Israeli government or the blatant human rights violations of Palestinian people. US, and all western powers, follow a double standard when it comes to dealing with Israel . India , which used to be an open supporter of the Palestinian cause is slowly changing its stand since it decided to liberalize its economic policy and is falling in line with the US position. This perceptible change is also witnessed in its stand with respect to Iran . Under US pressure first it relented on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, which was in its interest, and now is taking a hypocritical position on Iran ’s right to run a nuclear programme after having developed its own programme.
The worst attitude of Israel is reflected in the attack in Mediterranean Sea on relief flotilla on 31 May, 2010, from Turkey . Six ships were carrying humanitanrian aid, construction material, etc., on behalf of Free Gaza Movement and Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief. Nine activists, including one Turkish American, on the ship MV Mavi Marmara were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire. UNHRC report describes six of the nine killings as ‘summary execution‘ by the Israeli commandoes. Other activists were detained till 6 June, 2010. This unfortunate event generated widespread worldwide condemnation.
The fifty member India delegation was flagged off from Rajghat on 2nd December, 2010, by Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Mani Shankar Aiyar. Also present on the occasion were Syeda Hameed, member, Planning Commission and Harshmander, member, National Advisory Council. The caravan met its first obstacle at the first border it had to cross. Paksitan denied visa on 1st December but after bad publicity at home of having denied visa to an India peace delegation headed for Palestine , they gave visas to 34 members of the delegation after its flag off. On 4th December morning the India government denied permission to this group to cross Wagha border on foot. The caravan was held up for 24 hours.
Pakistan was essentially reluctant to give permission to the Indian group because the route to Iran passes through Balochistan where it claims that the movement for autonomy is being fuelled by India . So, the Indian contingent is returning from Pakistan and will fly to Tehran along with the rest of the group which has been denied visa by Pakistan . This gives an idea of what is in store for this peace caravan – hurdles at every step. But the peace activists are determined and will clear the obstacles one by one, as they come along. This peace caravan will take along with it an ambulance and medical-surgical aid worth Rs. 27 lakhs to deliver in Gaza .
As the symbol of democracy, India , more than US, where marginalized groups have found political voice should be the champion of all struggles for establishing democracy and human rights. Hence it is only appropriate that a group of Indians, albeit without their government’s support, have embarked on this journey which will express solidarity of crores of struggling ordinary Indians with the people of Palestine . The Indian delegation mostly consists of activists of people’s movements and trade unions, journalists, students and representatives of minority communities. They will share the daily suffering of Palestinian people and develop a human bond with them. It is a modest effort but of great symbolic significance. It is the might of these ordinary citizen which will challenge the forces of imperialism and authoritarianism. It will also convey to the government of India that it has done wrong by abandoning the Palestinian cause in favour of Israel . India should stand with the struggling masses of the world rather than with forces aiming to establish their hegemony over others.
By Sandeep Pandey
A-893, India Nagar, Lucknow-226016, U.P., India
Telephone: 91 522 2347365, Mobile : 91 9415022772, e-mail: ashaashram@yahoo.com
Posted by collective at December 18, 2010 12:09 AM
