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Malaysia aid ship allowed to off load cargo for Gaza's collapsed sewage system after 7-week delay


Readers will remember The Spirit of Rachel Corrie (MV Finch) first entered Palestinian waters some time ago - on 16 May to be precise, and has only now been allowed to unload its Cargo by the Egyptian authorities who still appear to be doing their best to collude with Israel's blockade and siege. From Global Research
The Spirit of Rachel Corrie finally was allowed to berth at the El-Arish Port on Tuesday July 5, 2011 at 7.10 pm (Egypt time) for the unloading of the UPVC pipes to Gaza.

The cargo of 32 tonnes took almost 4 hours to be transferred to 7 awaiting trailers.

The humanitarian aid cargo will be taken to Ouja at the Israeli border where it will be reassigned to other trailers sponsored by the Palestinians to be delivered to Gaza via Karem Shalom. The impasse finally ended after Perdana Global Peace Foundation President, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad met the Prime Minister of Egypt, Dr. Essam Sharaf on June 29 in Cairo.

The Perdana Global Peace Foundation records with sincere gratitude the initiative taken by Dr Essam Sharaf , the Prime Minister of Egypt in enabling the cargo of sewage pipes to be delivered directly to the people of Gaza. The vessel left the Port of Piraeus, Greece on May 11 carrying 7.5 kilometers of UPVC (plastic) sewage pipes to help restore the devastated sewerage system in Gaza. On board the ship were anti-war activists and journalists, consisting of 7 Malaysians, 2 Irish, 2 Indians and 1 Canadian. All of them have since been permitted to disembark on June 3, 2011.

On 16 May, the boat entered Palestinian territorial waters and was just 400 meters from land when it came under attack by the Israeli Navy. After coming under gunfire from the Israeli Navy, the boat was forced to divert to Egyptian waters; and later on the same day, anchored off El Arish Port where it remained for the last 7 weeks waiting for permission to dock. PGPF would like to convey our deepest appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia and especially to the Malaysian Embassy in Egypt for their assistance and cooperation throughout the ordeal. This humanitarian initiative is sponsored by the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF). Global Research

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