The first Asian Humanitarian Aid Convoy carrying relief material for the besieged Gaza Strip has arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The Asian People’s Solidarity for Palestine convoy, which is travelling through Iran before heading to Turkey, arrived in Tehran on December 12 and was greeted by the city’s people and officials, including Tehran’s Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
On December 11, the caravan arrived in Qom, where members of the convoy met with a number of religious figures. The convoy began its journey from New Delhi, India, earlier this month and entered Iran thorough the south-eastern city of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province on December 9. It entered Kerman province, continued their journey to Yazd province, and arrived in Isfahan on December 10.
The convoy will travel through Zanjan and Tabriz en route to Turkey. Last week, 200 Iranian lawmakers issued a statement expressing their support to the humanitarian convoy with the aim of showing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The convoy will pass through a number of other countries, including Turkey, Syria, and Egypt, before entering Gaza via the Rafah crossing on December 27, which marks the second anniversary of the Israeli offensive against the people of Gaza at the turn of 2009.
The convoy consists of 150 human rights activists with different nationalities and religions from all walks of life, and is established to support the oppressed people of Gaza and collect aid for them. Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu and Buddhist activists from Asian countries, including Japan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Iran, are travelling about 10,000 km, hoping to break the Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza. In addition, there are some people in the convoy who were injured in Israel’s attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in spring 2010.
SIO PART OF THE CONVOY
SIO (Students Islamic Organisation of India) is part of the Asia Life Line to Gaza Road Caravan which started from New Delhi on December 2. The convoy which was flagged off by Manishankar Aiyer (Senior Congress leader) from Rajghat is Asia’s first humanitarian aid to Palestine.
As many as 200 members of Iranian parliament, in a statement, voiced support and solidarity with the Asian continent’s first humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza which arrived in Iran on December 9. Activists accompany the Asian Gaza Solidarity Caravan, organised by the Asian People’s Solidarity for Palestine, a coalition of social movements, trade unions and civil society institutions, student activists of the region.
Shaheen KM, Central Advisory Council Member of SIO is the official delegate representing SIO in the caravan. Former SIO National President Bashiruddin Sharqi is also the part of this caravan.
“The caravan will be joined by more people as it passes through the various countries. Eventually, we will be a more than 200-strong contingent, in addition to the 50-odd activists from India. We firmly believe that the occupation is against international law and we will show the people of Palestine that the people of India are with them in their struggle,” said Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, editor of the Milli Gazette.
The event was attended by senior Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyer and Digvijay Singh. Praising the initiative, Mani Shankar Aiyer said, “I congratulate the organisers for taking Mahatma Gandhi’s message of non-violence from Rajghat to Gaza.”
The caravan is a revolutionary solidarity to the courageous people of Palestine in their struggle and resistance against the occupation of their land. Israel’s occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories has lasted for more than six decades in violation of international law, international humanitarian law and numerous United Nations resolutions. The occupation of Palestine must end! Gaza has been turned into a vast open-air-prison-cum-concentration camp for its 1.5 million inhabitants.
The Palestinian population in the West Bank and in Jerusalem is under continuous repression, assaults and in a permanent state of siege due to the ever expanding settlements and the apartheid wall. The Palestinian people must have the freedom to exercise their right to self-determination including their right to establish on all the territories that Israel has occupied an independent sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The structure of Zionist apartheid, based on ethno-religious discrimination that Israel has established, must be dismantled and it must grant equal rights to all its citizens, including the “Right of Return” to the Palestinians refugees.