In continuity of the popular impulse embodied by the Soumoud caravan-a convoy of solidarity which recently crossed North Africa to the Egyptian border-a new international wave should converge on Gaza in mid-June. But this time, it was in Cairo that the movement came up against a wall. More than 200 activists from around the world to participate in the World march to Gaza were arrested and expelled from Egypt between June 15 and 19.
The operation, of an unprecedented scale, targeted Irish, Australian, French, Dutch, Moroccan and Algerian citizens as soon as they arrived at Cairo airport. Some were even picked up in their hotels before being quickly turned back to their countries of origin. This peaceful march was to be held on the border of Rafah to denounce the Israeli blockade which has suffocated Gaza for more than a year and a half.
Irish deputy Paul Murphy called these measures as “unjustifiable”, stressing that the walkers had no intention of crossing the border but simply wanted to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people. In a declaration at The Journalhe added: “These early arrests are a clear message: solidarity with Gaza will be hampered at all costs. Dublin mobilized his consular services to assist his nationals taken in this administrative trap.
According to Mada Masrsome Algerian and Moroccan activists were detained up to 24 hours before being expelled, while Turkish participants were arrested in front of their hotels. An anonymous Egyptian official told the media that the government’s priority was to prevent any passage to Rafah, “for reasons of sovereignty and security”.
Egypt invokes its “imperatives of sovereignty and security” to justify these measures, recalling that access to North Sinai requires prior authorization. But behind this official posture, it is the Israeli pressure that dictates the conduct of Cairo. Such Aviv multiplies diplomatic pressures to prevent any international gathering near Gaza.
This operation perfectly illustrates the contrast between world popular momentum and the reluctance of Arab states. While peoples continue to express their support for Gaza, governments give in to geopolitical pressures. The future of these citizen initiatives remains more than ever suspended from the diplomatic calculations of the Chancellery, far from the aspirations of their own populations.
The organizers persist in their desire to dialogue with Cairo, but no alternative has yet been proposed to channel this bridled international solidarity. The continuation of the events will now depend on the official position of Cairo and the capacity of activists to maintain international pressure.
