AS HE ENTERED Gaza through the Rafah checkpoint Monday evening, British MP George Galloway said he was overwhelmed with happiness at the convoy's arrival on the anniversary of Prophet Mohamed's birth. "The trip was long and difficult during which we travelled thousands of miles and crossed many borders. We faced difficulties and lost some of the participants, but at the end, we arrived by the grace of God to the holy land," the head of the convoy said. The goodwill ambassadors were buried in flowers and tears by grateful Gazans. Palestinians emerged from tents and their bombed-out homes, rubbing their eyes in disbelief that the siege had been broken. The Viva Palestina convoy of 300 public figures, 111 trucks of relief supplies and 20 ambulances started its journey from outside the British House of Commons on 14 February, passing through Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya before arriving in Egypt. Galloway said all shipments would enter through Rafah except for two ambulances, one fire truck and some equipment going through the Awja crossing, and some Red Cross workers driving aid trucks through Israeli checkpoints into Gaza. It was a close call after Egyptian authorities tried to break up the convoy and force most of the convoy to go through Israeli checkpoints. The convoy was attacked by thugs in Arish, with some peace activists suffering head injuries requiring hospital treatment. Organiser Yvonne Ridley said the provocation only made them "unite and bond together more and created a wave of international media interest in Viva Palestina". When Galloway heard about the "battle of Arish" he refused to cross the Rafah border into Gaza and returned to sort out the problem. The convoy was attacked again at Rafah without police taking any action. Galloway held an urgent meeting with the governor of the region and secured assurances this would not happen again and that they would be allowed to proceed as planned. The governor kept his word and the convoy broke the siege. British journalist Yvonne Ridley and filmmaker Hassan Al-Banna Ghani are on the Viva Palestina convoy making a documentary about the journey.
