Huge blast shakes Egypt gas terminal

Six gunmen targeted the gas terminal in Egypt's North Sinai on March 27 and blew up the pipeline that carries natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/176915.html

A massive explosion has rocked a natural gas terminal in North Sinai near Egypt's border with Israel and leapt huge flames into the air.

The blast ripped through al-Sabil terminal near the town of El-Arish, located 344 kilometers (213 miles) northeast of the Egyptian capital of Cairo, at about 3:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

The huge blast forced the pipeline to be shut down and gas supplies to Israel and Jordan were halted as a result. There were no reports of casualties and the extent of the damage was not immediately known.

An unnamed Egyptian security official said that "an unknown armed gang" attacked the pipeline.

“Authorities closed the main source of gas supplying the pipeline and are working to extinguish the fire,” he further explained.

The attack was the second on the pipeline over the past few weeks. On March 27, unknown armed men placed explosives at al-Sabil gas terminal to blow it up, but had failed to carry out their act of terror.

The terminal was previously sabotaged on February 5 during a revolution that finally drove 82-year-old Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power. Supplies of gas to Israel to Jordan were disrupted as a result of the attack.

On April 13, Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf ordered a review of the pricing deals with Israel because of the low price at which Egypt's gas was sold.

Israel depends on Egyptian gas to generate 40 percent of its electricity.

Galloway: New Gaza convoys won't cross Egypt

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115576§ionid=351020202



British lawmaker George Galloway says no more aid convoys destined for the besieged Gaza Strip will pass through Egyptian territory as its authorities caused troubles for Viva Palestina convoy to enter the Palestinian enclave.

"I cannot see any more visits to Egypt since we find it very difficult to deal with the officials who cheated us. They signed a binding agreement with us in Aqaba, Jordan, and they broke it," Galloway said in an interview with Press TV on Thursday.

"There are other ways into Gaza and we are exploring them. You'll see Viva Palestina coming from all corners of the world," he added.

The British anti-war activist added that the third international convoy organized by the British-based group Viva Palestina arrived in the Gaza Strip with no more than three quarters of what the organizers had planned.

It is believed that the remaining quarter of the humanitarian supplies, intended for impoverished Gazans living under crippling Israeli siege, will never reach its intended target in the Gaza Strip.

The Viva Palestina aid convoy entered Gaza Wednesday, after it received the approval of Egyptian authorities to bring into the blockaded coastal sliver of Gaza several tonnes of aid supplies. The activists of the pro-Palestinian movement had earlier entered the Egyptian port of al-Arish in order to get access into Gaza.

The third international convoy to Gaza departed from London on December 5, 2009. The convoy was made up of volunteers from Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Malaysia who had raised hundreds of thousands of pounds in their local communities to pay for ambulances, minibuses, vans and lorries. These vehicles were then filled with medical and other aid supplies desperately needed in Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has been under a complete Israeli siege, with full cooperation of Egypt, ever since the Hamas resistance movement, which does not recognize Israel as a sovereign state, won parliamentary elections in a surprise victory in 2007.

Israel's three-week offensive against Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead, deteriorated the already dire situation there.

The Israeli assault led to the destruction of schools, mosques, houses as well as UN compounds, inflicting $1.6 billion damage on the Gazan economy.

Egypt Deports Aid Convoy Leader

Source: Al-Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/01/201018973051973.html


George Galloway, the British MP leading the Viva Palestina international aid convoy to the Gaza Strip has been forced to leave Egypt, the group has said on its website.

Galloway was apparently picked up by Egyptian officials at the Rafah border crossing on Friday and driven to Cairo where he was placed on a flight back to London.
Galloway told Al Jazeera by telephone from the airport that he had been harassed by about 25 Egyptian police officer as he attempted to re-enter Gaza to join the rest of the Viva Palestina activists.

He said Egyptian officials told him he was being sent out of the country and was now "persona non grata".
There was no immediate comment on the situation from Egyptian officials.

Galloway has been vocal in his criticism of Egyptian authorities in recent days after their decision not to allow the about 200 vehicles in the convoy to arrive in Egypt through the port at Nuweiba.

Cairo insisted that the aid be sent back through Syria and then by ferry to the port of El-Arish on the Mediterranean.

Arrests ordered

Seven other members of the Viva Palestinian convoy have also been ordered arrested after being accused of inciting riots in El-Arish.
The decision by the attorney-general in North Sinai means the activists could be detained after passing through the Rafah border crossing from Gaza.

It was not clear if they were in Egyptian custody on Friday.

Late on Tuesday, more than 50 people were wounded during a clash between Egyptian authorities and international members of the convoy.
The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139 vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, but requiring a remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel.
Afterwards, clashes between Egyptian security forces and Palestinians waiting for the aid convoy led to the death of one Egyptian policeman.
Severe restrictions

Israel and Egypt have severely restricted travel to and from the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized power there in June 2007, after winning Palestinian legislative elections in 2006.
The siege has severely restricted essential supplies and placed Gazans in a dire situation, made worse by Israel's military assault last winter that reduced much of the territory to ruins.

Aid convoy breaks Gaza seige

Source: Al Jazeera

A humanitarian aid convoy carrying food and medical supplies has arrived in the Gaza Strip nearly a month after it embarked from the UK.

Members of the much-delayed Viva Palestina convoy began passing through Egypt's Rafah border crossing into Gaza on Wednesday, waving Palestinian flags and raising their hands in peace signs.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Gaza, said the first wave of vehicles was greeted by Gaza's Hamas leaders as well as members of a Turkish humanitarian organisation that aided in bringing the convoy to the strip.

"We had been expecting the arrival of the convoy amid much fanfare but it almost caught the Palestinians here by surprise," he said.

"The doors suddenly flung open and within minutes the first batch of about 12 or so vehicles made their way from the Egyptian side to the Palestinians."

More than 100 vehicles followed the first batch into Gaza shortly afterward, he said.

Violent Clashes

Participants of the convoy are expected to spend the next 48 hours distributing the aid supplies.

Viva Palestina's arrival in Gaza followed violent clashes between Egyptian security forces, Palestinians and members of the convoy.

Hours before the convoy's arrival, an Egyptian soldier was shot dead during a clash with Palestinian protesters who had gathered along the border to protest a delay in the convoy's arrival.

Egyptian forces opened fire to disperse the stone-throwing protesters, and at least 35 Palestinians were wounded in the ensuing clash, according to Hamas officials.
Late on Tuesday, more than 50 people were wounded during a clash between Egyptian authorities and international members of the convoy.

The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139 vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, but requiring a remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel.

Bitter Disputes

The convoy, led by George Galloway, a British MP, had already been delayed by more than a week, after he and a delegation of Turkish MPs failed to persuade the Egyptians to change their mind.

The convoy of nearly 200 vehicles arrived in Egypt's port city of al-Arish on Monday after a dispute with Cairo on the route.
But the arrival came after a bitter dispute between its organisers and the government, which banned the convoy from entering Egypt's Sinai from Jordan by ferry, forcing it to drive north to the Syrian port of Lattakia.

Al Jazeera's Amr El Kahky, who has been travelling with the convoy, said Viva Palestina's organisers had hoped to reach Gaza by December 27.
"We're talking about an almost 10 day delay. The convoy members are happy to have reached their destination," he said.

"Many of them have taken time off from their jobs in Europe and other areas and that's why they're happy to deliver the aid and go back home to resume their normal lives. So their jubilation is justified."

Gaza Blockade

Israel and Egypt have severely restricted travel to and from the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized power there in June 2007, after winning Palestinian legislative elections in 2006.

The blockade currently allows only very basic supplies into Gaza.
The siege has severely restricted essential supplies and placed Gazans in a dire situation, made worse by Israel's military assault last winter that reduced much of the territory to ruins.

Galloway, the convoy organiser, said the mission represents only "a drop in the ocean" as long as the siege on Gaza continues.

"No number of convoys is going to solve the problems here," he told Al Jazeera.

"So we're not only trying to bring in aid, we're trying to show the world there is a siege.

"If there is anyone who doubted there is a siege on Gaza, they certainly aren't doubting it now after the events of the last 31 days with this convoy."

Aid Convoy Breaks Israeli Blockade of Gaza

Source: PressTV

The Viva Palestina aid convoy entered Gaza Wednesday, after it received the approval of Egyptian authorities to bring into the besieged, impoverished coastal sliver several tons of humanitarian supplies.

The activists entered Gaza through Rafah border crossing. More than 500 international activists accompany the convoy organized by the British-based group Viva Palestina, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Fifty-nine vehicles were not allowed into the strip but the supplies were unloaded and taken through by the activists.

The Egyptian approval came after activists and security forces clashed earlier in the day when Cairo refused to allow part the aid convoy to pass through its land to the Hamas-ruled territory.

More than 55 activists and over a dozen members of the security forces were injured in the clashes. Some sixty convoy-members were also arrested.

Gaza has been under a tight Israeli blockade since June 2007 when the democratically elected Hamas took control of the area. Egypt has come under fire from Arab and Muslim groups for cooperating with Israel.

British lawmaker George Galloway, who is accompanying the convoy, said that the activists had been forced to renegotiate with the Egyptian authorities.

"We refused this because it's a breach of the agreement which we reached in Aqaba between the government of Egypt and the Turkish side," he said. "It is completely unconscionable that 25 percent of our convoy should go to Israel and never arrive in Gaza, because nothing that goes to Israel ever arrives in Gaza."

Egyptian authorities had also refused the convoy entry into the country from the Red Sea, forcing it to change course to a Mediterranean port.

Egypt Police Injure 35 Palestinians

Source: PressTV

Egyptian forces injured at least 35 Palestinians on Wednesday when they clashed with protesters who staged rallies against Cairo's steeling its border with the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The incident occurred when security forces confronted the protesters on the Egypt-Gaza border, Reuters reported. Two of the injured are in critical condition.

The Egyptian government is building a steel wall along the border to prevent the trafficking of any goods to the strip.

The coastal sliver continues to suffer from an all-out Israeli-imposed blockade which has deprived it of its basic necessities for over two years.

Cairo has also been keeping shut the Rafah border crossing — the Gaza Strip's only border that bypasses Israel— claiming that the border post is an Egyptian-Israeli crossing and should not be used without the Tel Aviv's permission.

The Egyptian riot police earlier injured 55 people in the port of El-Arish during clashes with the Gaza-bound human rights activists Viva Palestina.

The scuffles broke out after Egypt said it would not allow 59 humanitarian assistance trucks of Viva Palestina's relief convoy to enter Gaza.

The convoy is comprised of 210 trucks carrying basic food items and medical supplies.

The 450-strong group, led by British lawmaker George Galloway, set out for the port after being barred from taking the most direct route into Egypt by entering the country via the Red Sea.

Turks Protest Egypt’s Attack on Viva Palestina

Source: PressTV

Thousands of angry protesters in Turkey have staged a demonstration in the capital Istanbul to condemn the Egyptian police crackdown on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.

At least 55 people were injured in clashes that broke out between riot police and Viva Palestina activists at the Egyptian port of El-Arish on Tuesday, after Egypt said it would not allow 59 trucks for the relief convoy to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Following the incident, Turkish protesters poured into streets and assembled in front of the Egyptian consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday.

They carried flags of Palestine and chanted slogans in condemnation of Cairo's use of force against the human rights activists and Israel's ongoing siege of the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Led by British politician George Galloway, Viva Palestina has over 200 vehicles laden with basic food items and medical supplies, and is set to break Israel's months-long closure of the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, Cairo had said it would only permit 157 members of the convoy to drive to Gaza, but later agreed to allow the group's 400 volunteers to enter the impoverished Palestinian territory.

The Egyptian government's denial of entry for Viva Palestina trucks came despite talks in which a delegation of Turkish lawmakers sought to convince Cairo officials to open its border to Gaza for the aid convoy.

Clash in Egypt Over Gaza Aid effort

Source: Al Jazeera

At least 55 people have been injured in clashes between Egyptian police and pro-Palestinian activists who were trying to deliver aid into the Gaza Strip, eyewitnesses say.

Some 520 activists broke down the gate at the port in El-Arish late on Tuesday in protest against an Egyptian decision to ship some of the goods through Israel, medical workers and protesters said.

The protests were sparked by an Egyptian decision to allow 139 vehicles to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, about 45km from the port in al-Arish, but requiring a remaining 59 vehicles to pass via Israel.

Around 40 members of the convoy had minor injuries while over a dozen policemen were hurt in the clashes with protesters, who also blocked the two entrances to the Sinai port with vehicles, medical workers said.

The Viva Palestina convoy, led by George Galloway, the outspoken British MP, had already been delayed by more than a week, after he and a delegation of Turkish MPs failed to persuade the Egyptians to change their mind.

Disputed Route

The convoy of nearly 200 vehicles arrived in al-Arish on Monday after a dispute with Cairo on the route.

But the arrival came after a bitter dispute between its organisers and the government, which banned the convoy from entering Egypt's Sinai from Jordan by ferry, forcing it to drive north to the Syrian port of Lattakia.

The convoy with 210 lorries full of medicine and other supplies set out from the UK nearly a month ago.

Israel and Egypt have severely restricted travel to and from the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized power there in June 2007, after winning Palestinian legislative elections in 2006.

The blockade currently allows only very basic supplies into Gaza.
The siege has severely restricted essential supplies and placed Gazans in a dire situation, made worse by Israel's military assault last winter that reduced much of the territory to ruins.

In other Gaza-related news, a Palestinian fighter was reportedly killed and four others wounded in an Israeli air attack on Tuesday in the city of Khan Younis, according to a security source.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said Israel had launched the raid against fighters "planning to fire rockets at southern Israel".

The armed wing of a group called the Popular Resistance Committee said its members had been targeted by the attack.
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55 Activists Injured in Clashes in Egypt



Source: PressTV

Around 55 people have been injured in clashes between Egyptian riot police and Viva Palestina activists at the Egyptian port of El-Arish.

The scuffles broke out after Egypt said it would not allow 59 humanitarian assistance trucks of the Viva Palestina convoy to enter Gaza.

Talks in which a delegation of Turkish lawmakers sought to convince Egyptian officials to change their minds proved fruitless.

The convoy arrived in El-Arish to attempt to break the siege of Gaza.

Earlier, Cairo had said it would only allow 157 members of the Viva Palestina convoy, which is led by British politician George Galloway, to drive to Gaza. However, later the Egyptian government agreed to allow 400 of the group's volunteers entry to the Gaza Strip.

The convoy has over 200 vehicles laden with basic food items and medical supplies.

Viva Palestina Arrives in Egypt to Enter Gaza

Source: PressTV

Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy has arrived in the Egyptian port city of El-Arish to pass thought the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip.

A Turkish ship, which carries the convoy from the Syrian port of Lattakia to Egypt, arrived in El-Arish on Sunday evening, said Gamal Abdel Maqsoud, head of El-Arish port.

The ship carrying the 250-vehicle convoy will be unloaded at the port and be transferred to the Gaza Strip via Rafah crossing, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency.

According to the report, 528 activists from 17 countries who are onboard the convoy will also travel to Gaza.

Five Turkish lawmakers will also join the UK-based convoy on Monday.

They are expected to enter Gaza on Tuesday evening and will stay for 24 hours to deliver all humanitarian aids to the Gazan authorities.

The convoy, which departed from London on December 6, was scheduled to deliver medical, humanitarian and educational aid to Gazans on December 27.

It was, however, forced to return to Syria from the Jordanian port city of Aqaba after Cairo refused to allow it to go through the Red Sea port of Nuweiba — the most direct route.

Cairo insisted that the convoy can only enter through the Mediterranean port city of El-Arish.

Cairo Forces Viva Palestina to Take Detour

Source: PressTV

Thanks to Cairo's obstruction, Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy en rout to the Gaza Strip will take a detour and head to Syria Latakia, in a bid to enter Egypt through El-Arish.

The convoy of 250 vehicles has been stranded in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba after Egypt refused to allow it to go through the Red Sea port of Nuweiba — the most direct route. Cairo insisted that the convoy can only enter through the Mediterranean port city of El-Arish.

"The aid convoy will leave Aqaba for (the Mediterranean port of) Latakia in Syria before going to El-Arish, in line with Cairo's decision," said Maysara Malas, of Jordan's powerful trade union federation, which has been helping to organize the aid convoy.
"We hope that Egypt does not put more obstacles. It's unfortunate that Israel has interfered in Egypt's decision, which serves the Zionist entity," he added.

Around 250 trucks, ambulances and other vehicles laden with Arab, Turkish and other European aid — both food and medical supplies — in Aqaba arrived on Thursday hoping to take the ferry across to Nuweiba.

"After talks between the Turkish government's envoy and the Egyptian consulate in Aqaba, we agreed to go to Syria," Zaher Birawi, spokesman for the convoy told AFP on Monday.

The convoy was scheduled to deliver medical, humanitarian and educational aid to Gazans on December 27, which marks the first year anniversary of Israel's three-week war against the sliver.

Egyptian police also stopped some 200 protesters from renting boats on the Nile to hold a procession to commemorate the death of over 1,400 victims of Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.