Chaos on The Hope Convoy
When activists from around the world gathered in solidarity to fight against the injustices and racism of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, I bet they never expected to encounter injustice and prejudice from amongst their own ranks; yet this is precisely what happened on the recent humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza.
The Hope Convoy, led by Dr. Arafat Al Mady, set off from Italy on 3rd May with the noble aim of delivering medical aid and assistance to the besieged citizens of Gaza. Workers from fourteen nations took part in an effort to deliver wheel chairs, dialysis machines, and much-needed vital medicines.
I joined the convoy with the aim of gaining access to Gaza to produce a documentary about the recent Israeli terror attacks and to humanise the suffering of the Palestinian people. My attempt, however, was abruptly thwarted, not by the obstructive nature of the Egyptian authorities, nor the belligerent Israeli military, but by the short-sighted prejudices of the leadership of the Hope Convoy.
The convoy leadership were restricted by the Egyptian authorities to only 22 delegates being allowed to enter Gaza, out of the 93 people forming the convoy. The declared aim of the leadership was to represent fairly the convoy members in terms of nationality, purpose and contribution in terms of aid to Palestine.
The chaotic and arbitrary nature of the selection process soon became apparent. None of the numerous British Asian members of the delegation accompanying the convoy were selected to enter Gaza, despite the fact that they represented the largest number of delegates, had raised tens of thousands of pounds worth of medical aid, and have tirelessly supported the Palestinian people for many years. They were left abandoned at the port terminal without so much as a “thank you for coming” or a departing statement from Dr. Arafat.
The convoy leadership were also given the choice to select someone to enter Gaza as a media representative from a list of two people; I was one of them. Yet the convoy leadership chose a white female circus performer with absolutely no media experience, over myself, a black male with over twenty years of media experience and the equipment to do the job.
A Monty Python script writer could not have written anything so bizarre. When I proceeded to ask by what criteria the young woman had been chosen and what equipment she was going to be using to document the activities of the convoy, I was informed by the dithering Sinn Fein councilor Gerry Maclochlainn, that mistakes had been made and that I had identified a clear gap. One group leader stated that he had voted the way he had because most of the delegation were Muslim and he felt, it would look better with a “white woman” as part of the delegation.
The surreal nature of this experience was only added to, when, to the surprise and shame of the leadership, a twelve-year old British-Palestinian boy, Omar Timraz, who had never been to Palestine and who had lost fifteen members of his family in the recent Israeli bombardment, tearfully approached me and announced to the convoy, that he was giving up his place on the delegation for me to go in. He hugged me tightly and said: “You go in and show the world what is happening to the Palestinian people.” His brother then stepped forward and offered his place too.
After a brief protest from other delegates, an embarrassed leadership then rushed back to the authorities in an attempt to alter the delegation list to have me added, but the authorities refused the request to alter the original selection.
Since returning to the UK, I have received an apology from the organisers who have conceded that what took place should never have happened and that Dr. Arafat Al Mady and the group leaders had made hasty decisions. However, it is not an apology that is needed; it is a correction of the prejudicial, elitist attitudes that resulted in many on the convoy being treated with such disdain and contempt.
Future convoys and activists must learn from this; we are all fighting the same cause. It is an international struggle, not defined by black or white, rich or poor, Muslim or Jew. It is a fight for a free and independent Palestine, a fight to end a holocaust that is a stain on the conscience of the world.
Ishmahil Blagrove, Jr.
Editor, Rice N Peas
1st June 2009