On Fight to Break Gaza Siege 

Three weeks after leading the third Viva Palestina aid convoy into Gaza, British Member of Parliament George Galloway will speak in New York City about his most recent convoy and new efforts to Break the Siege on Gaza.  The event, an Evening for Gaza , will take place at 6 PM Sunday, Jan. 31, at Widdi Catering Hall, 5602 Sixth Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn . It will be hosted by the Break the Siege on Gaza Coalition.

On Jan. 7, after a monthlong drive and a two-week  struggle with Egyptian authorities, Lifeline to Gaza 3 entered the besieged strip with 520 people from 17 countries and 156 aid vehicles filled with aid. It was the third time the Viva Palestina Campaign has defied Egyptian and Israeli efforts to prevent food and medicine from entering Gaza.

MP Galloway launched the Viva Palestina aid effort  early last year, in the immediate aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli assault on Gaza that took the lives of over 1,400 Palestinians and ravaged the area's infrastructure. For three years, the Palestinians of Gaza have been living under an Israeli-imposed blockade that restricts their access to food, medicine and other neccesities.

The convoy delegates overcame bureaucratic obstacles and a physical attack by Egyptian security forces in order to break the blockade. When they finally entered Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians lined the roads to greet them. The Egyptian government has said it will deny  future Viva Palestina Convoys entry into Egypt .

"Viva Palestina is part of a massive response from people all over the world to the tragedies inflicted on Palestinains by 62 years of israeli occupation," said Lamis Deek, cochair of Al-Awda NY, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, one of the event organizers. "We are excited to host MP Gallowayand help build for the next Viva Palestina Convoy."

For More Information Contact Al-Awda at info@al-awdany.org