Peace caravan prevented from entering Palestine

Caravan member Hayet Thomasson said 150 peace activists had been blocked at the Allenby Bridge since July 19, after arriving on the Jordanian side of the border in "a caravan for Palestine and the law" -- a convoy of cars and a bus belonging to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, AFP reported.

The caravan activists were hoping to join a demonstration against the apartheid wall alongside Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, she added.

Israeli border police said that only 50 requested permission to cross into the occupied West Bank.

"We arrived Tuesday (July 19) at the Allenby Bridge, but the Israeli authorities made us wait hours to check our passports and then refused to allow us through, without giving any explanation," Thomasson said.

The convoy of about 50 vehicles arrived in Jordan on July 18.

The peace caravan, which took off July 4 from outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France with people from 20 European nations, was organized by the Earth Association for International Development and supported by the UN Commission on Human Rights (Geneva) and the European Parliament.

Organizers said they are campaigning to raise awareness for the implementation of international law to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and were planning a protest near the controversial apartheid wall.

The caravan traveled through France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Jordan.

Earlier on the trip, Croatian police violently stopped the peace caravan on the border between Slovenia and Croatia, Indymedia reported.

One of the activists was arrested and deported back to Slovenia. Police used violence on the activists, who were peacefully protesting with their hands in the air.

Croatian police pushed and beat the gathered crowd, including older people and small children.

After a seven-hour delay, the caravan was allowed to continue on its way.

On the Palestine-Jordan border, a member of the caravan said that the Israelis’ behavior proved that the Zionist regime has no respect for international law.

“We are the messengers of peace and love from European nations, but the Israelis behave as if we are their enemies. I believe that the systematic terrorism of Israel is the most savage kind of terrorism in the world. Seventy percent of the people in Europe believe that the Zionist regime is a threat to world peace and security,” he added.

He went on to say that the peace activists sought to uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinians and to encourage Israel to observe international law, which United Nations resolutions have also emphasized.

Israel is always wary about the activities of foreign peace activists, reporters, and representatives of international organizations in the occupied territories, fearing their presence would reveal the crimes the Zionists commit against the innocent Palestinian nation on a daily basis.

Thus, the Zionist regime has adopted a policy of either preventing foreign observers from entering Palestine or obstructing their activities in the occupied territories.

Despite the international community’s objections, the Zionist regime is committing more crimes than ever with impunity, largely due to the all-out support of the United States and most European countries.

The peace caravan mission to the occupied territories to defend the inalienable rights of the Palestinians is a sign that European public opinion is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

However, such measures will only be effective when European governments submit to the will of European public opinion, and, in line with their claims about being defenders of human rights, pressure the Zionist regime to implement the UN resolutions on Palestine and stop oppressing the innocent Palestinians.

SA/HG

End

MNA