Palestinians' Quest for Freedom: New Zealanders in Cairo Encounter Brutal Repression

Strategic Insights -

In spite of their extensive planning, a delegation of 4000 international aid volunteers was thwarted in its mission to walk from Cairo to Gaza to lend support to the Palestinian people. The Global March To Gaza (GMTG) participants were met with brutal repression, including being herded like cattle, having their passports seized, and being violently attacked by Egyptian state security forces and embedded provocateurs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Egyptian regime showed its support for Israel rather than Palestine, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the humanitarian mission of the GMTG.
  • New Zealanders among the delegation were dragged and beaten, with several being forced into unmarked vans and subjected to further violence.
  • The GMTG members witnessed authorities acting as provocateurs, shoving people, stepping on them, and throwing objects to create a false image for media.
  • The peace participants experienced a "surreal and dystopian" experience, moving swiftly through the streets of Cairo in the pitch of night to avoid arrest.
  • The genocide in Palestine cannot be sustained when people from around the world push against the Israeli regime and support the people on the ground with food and healthcare.
  • The GMTG members agreed that "impotence and helplessness was an illusion" that led to inaction, and that concrete action is needed to protect the people of Palestine from a clear campaign of extermination.
  • Arab members of the March were primarily targeted, with several being forcibly "disappeared" and their whereabouts still unknown.
  • The experience has inflamed rather than deflated the passion for human rights and compassion for Palestinians among the New Zealanders involved.

Statistics:

  • 4000 international aid volunteers were part of the Global March To Gaza delegation.
  • Several New Zealanders were dragged and beaten by Egyptian state security forces and embedded provocateurs.
  • The GMTG members witnessed at least three incidents of women being attacked, and two men being targeted.
  • The dehydration of the Palestinian people is not just a crisis, but a call to action for the world.
  • 20 months of suffering and injustice had accumulated before the GMTG delegation's arrival.

Sources:

  • The New Zealand Herald
  • Asia Pacific Report
  • EveningReport.nz
  • Contify.com
  • Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)