My information is that the convoy was blocked by the Israeli government from bringing the assistance to the Gaza border. I think it was mentioned on one of the Mosaic reports, but maybe I saw it somewhere else.

Loch:This is an interesting posting,today,from your previously mentioned website ref,
(http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/ConvJan08.htm)

"Saturday 26.1.08: A countrywide relief convoy and Israeli demonstration in solidarity on the Gaza border with a parallel Palestinian demonstration in the Strip.
It is impossible to keep one and a half million people in a huge prison, and if you try an explosion is bound to happen, as happened today at the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. The residents of the Gaza Strip, like those of Israel and every other place in the world, have the fundamental right of free access to the outside word, for people and goods.
The Israeli Coalition Against the Siege continues preparations for the protest convoy to the Gaza border, on Saturday January 26, in coordination with the Palestinian Coalition which prepares parallel actions inside Gaza and in Ramallah, demanding a complete end to the blockade of Gaza.The policy of naked force, undertaken by Olmert and Barak, has utterly failed. It is neither desirable nor possible to renew the blockade. Nor will the continuing military offensive on Gaza end the shooting of missiles at Israeli territory. We’ll go to the Gaza border, in co-operation with Palestinian partners inside Gaza, to show there’s an alternative to siege and rocketfire – an alternative of ceasefire, peace and quiet, and the flourishing of Sderot and Gaza alike."

I hope they cover this on the Mosaic media?

Yes Grassroots, in honor of Martin Luther King, truly one of my heroes, I am willing to concede that it is not yet "too late."

If we all want to do something right now to help the prisoners in the Gaza strip, here's how:

Gush Shalom Convoy information and addresses
http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/ConvJan08.htm

Eschaton Foundation
515 Broadway,
Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

The convoy of humanitarian supplies is being readied as we speak.

Palestine needs a Martin Luther King. Palestine need a dozen of them. Palestine needs millions of them. Just one, and the Israelis will assassinate him. A handful, and they will machine gun them into oblivion. Israel is just as ruthless as the Nazis. They will not respond to non-violence unless it is a satyagraha by the entire Palestinian population. But I will not say it is impossible. I will not say that it is too late. However, if I were in Gaza tonight, I might be tempted to pick up an AK47...

Back at you Loch! But I don't agree with "No,it's too late..."
Call me a optimistic realist,but bordering on Martin Luther King Jr's day,I might be able to get my binoculars out and attempt to SEE his "long arc of justice".
Think back to South Africa Loch,and the festering apartheid that created 'townships'(concentration camps)for the indigenous peoples.
At that time no-one saw any possible or probable end to THAT racism and ethnic cleansing.
BUT,somewhere,whether by political strategy or from the depths of decent human conscience a light appeared to illuminate the path to mutual,respectful and dignified justice.
MLK was always aware that the just path would not be easy because it's very hard to get people to unburden themselves of past bitterness,hatred and revenge.But I see all those burdens as the very black-hole which will swallow the same people up,if they don't cast them aside,AND QUICK!
But I figure that ANY boulders(burdens)blocking the highway to mutual peace for a ONE-NATION Solution can be EASILY thrown right to the end of MLK's "arc" and will shatter and crumble to become healthy compost.
Forget the insipid "two-state" diversion.That's just an eternal excuse to differ and hurt.
Why build a dry barren hill for a lonely isolated bitter people(Zionists)who can build their apartheid 'wall of denial' all they like,but will only end up blocking out the rest of humanity,most of the real fresh air and sunight and replace it with stagnant air or SMOG!And the REALITY of life will STILL remain on the other side of the wall.And,when the day dawns that they realise they have merely imprisoned themselves and locked the gate so tight with their bigotry that NOT EVEN a Messiah could,or would want to,GET IN!
Whether they like it OR NOT the rest of universal humanity HAPPENS to be in the healthy MAJORITY.And,Israel relies VERY heavily STILL on handouts from that very same majority,JUST AS the Palestinians are surviving on handouts from the Israelis.
Handouts which are actually their own possessions to begin with.
So,why waste time,money and effort on a dry,barren hill when both sides can unite to build,AND SHARE EQUALLY,a green,arable MOUNTAIN and valleys filled with orchards,crops and livestock ONCE MORE that will sustain them ALL equally.
With the strength,power and incentive of MLK's achievable "dream",it would be FAR EASIER,and less painful to remove those obstacles(boulders)than to continue the pain and suffering that is visible on all sides right now!
I tell you what folks,in my humble opinion,as a proud ordinary universal human,if I were Jesus,Mohammed,Abraham,Moses(or any of the great teachers)on a return trip to the Holy Land,looking forward to seeing EVERYONE INCLUSIVE,and I looked around and saw what my fathers people had done by devasting and dividing HIS land,building vile myopic walls of denial,polluting HIS valleys and rivers,herding men,women children and elderly into death camps to make room for lavish 'settlements' for some deluded people who called themselves 'unique'from humanity,I would REFUSE TO ENTER such a hateful wilderness!
And,again probably fall,weeping,to my knees in the dirt and shout,"Father,why hast thy people forsaken thee? GET ME OUTTA HERE'("Don't te-aze me bro!")
BUT,if I were one of those great men and returned for a lil' seasonal sabbatical and saw,instead,ONE NATION for all,green and prosperous,self-reliant,multi-cultural,multi-ethnic,multi-whatever,living respectfully,with mutual dignity and integrity side by side,MAN I WOULD FIGHT TO GET IN and enjoy spending my money there!
And instead of crying in the dirt,I could lift my hands and eyes to the sky and shout,'Hey dad! Look,these people(all) have done you sooooo proud! I think I'll stay awhile!'
SO Loch,as an optimistic realist on the eve of MLK Jr. day,I have to say that if one does look FAR ENOUGH along "the arc of justice" it's ALL very achievable and NOT too late.
If it's happened already in other areas of the world where indigenous peoples have successfully returned and over time(and temporary obstacle)lived side by side with previous occupiers,it can darn well happen in the Holy Land!
And whatever Bush and Olmert have planned fo 2010,if it doesn't resemble something that God would be proud of for ALL humanity,they may as well scrap it now!
To MLK,Jr. Peace,Salaam,Shalom!

Right on, Grassroots, I agree with you 100%. Israel would see peace inside of TWO WEEKS, if it gave up the notion of a Jewish State, gave full and comprehensive civil and human rights to everyone, and then annexed the Palestinian territories, to be included in a Greater United State, a State for Everyone.

The two-state "solution" is a non-starter, and it hasn't moved an inch from it's still-born grave for the past 50 years. It is nothing but a smoke-screen behind which the plot for a greater Eretz-Yisrael can creep forward.

If there isn't a single-state entity that gives full and comprehensive human and civil rights to ALL, there will eventually be either a single Palestinian state, or a single Jewish state. Yikes! Can't we all get along? No, it's too late for that...

Loch,As much as I would love to see the ideal of a one-nation of Israel,multi-cultural,multi-ethnic and adhering to unversal human rights and dignity of ALL human beings,in reality I know this will never happen. The only time in history that this ever came near to it was when the whole region was MANDATED under some foreign landlord,a third party/oppresser that distracted the Muslims,Christians and Jews and ACTUALLY made them ALL feel EQUALLY the victims and thereby UNIFIED!
Again,it's the old sad line of,when the situation requires it,and desperation is on the doorstep 'the enemy of my enemy becomes(temporarily)my friend'.
I have a different view of real "friend-ship" and never confuse it with convenient,selfish acquintance-ship.
Loch,when you come down to,"what will Israel do?" I can't,personally,ever see the zionists getting that far. Maybe their mentality is so tunnelled-visioned that it will eventually become it's own black-hole of immorality and unethical blindness and they will end up destroying themselves,by being swallowed up in it.It's like watching someone you care about destroy themelves,and others with them,because they are selfish and won't listen to reason and logic.
This really annoys and saddens me because I think of my moderate Jewish(and Muslim)friends who already realise that the myth of Zion WILL NEVER come about as long as the orthdox few consider themselves to be the ONLY humans(chosen),and all other non-believers to be sub-human bordering on insects!!!!.LOL.
The moderate,secular and more universal Jewish people,for many years have had to put up with their own isolationist orthodox zionist relatives,just like Chrisianity and Islam have had their own 'pain-in-the-butt'fundamentalist/revisionists within,whose focus is tunnelled on myth and legend of millenia past,and continue on the present path of MORE isolationism and EVENTUAL self-destruction.
It's like watching a Boa constrictor squeezing the life out of it's prey BUT in it's selfish determination ENDS up strangling itself.
I think what really makes me sick,is seeing a people who WERE in the past oppressed NOW BECOMING the same oppressors that they wanted the rest of the world to depise,on their behalf,SO MUCH! Which of course we did!
They were given the STATE(not nation Loch) of Israel by the previous 'landlords' who thought that that would FINALLY provide a home for a "homeless" people,and would atone for the horrors of WW2 which cannot be denied.I don't think the world imagined that the actions of Israels zionists would end up resembling those of the dreaded Nazis!
If only Israel WAS a PROUD multi-cultural/ethnic NATION,with a proud Constitution that acknowledged universal human rights,then maybe MORE JEWISH people would actually choose to live there,instead of seeing the Holy Land deteriorate into a wasteland on ALL sides.
Heck,forget the two-state solution,maybe The United Nations should issue a NEW MANDATE,signed by ALL Nations,that the Holy Land becomes a Universal/Planetary Protected Park,for the free movement of all religions and cultures EQUALLY!!!
A PARK OF PEACE,for contemplation,learning,music,poetry,fun,good food and spiritual retreat(without the isolationism!)Jeeez! I'd go there EVERY YEAR on vacation and boost the near-east economy.In fact they could name it 'Rachel's Park' after American citizen Rachel Corrie who was killed in 2003,when she defended the Palestinian land,against the illegal Israeli bulldozer.
But,in present reality,Israel remains the lawless self-destructive,immoral and unethical transient State,only because it REFUSES TO acknowledge the rights of other people(non-Jewish).
To me,the abhorrent actions of people who consider themselves UNIQUE(minorities),at the expense of all others(majority)INCLUDING THEIR OWN PEOPLE(different sects etc)will eventually be their own downfall,because the majority will come to the point where their compliance with,or denial of,such disgusting behaviours will leave a smell on their OWN skin,and scar their OWN GOOD conscience,also turning it bad!
On Bush's recent 'lavish' trip to Israel,when I heard that Bush was staying at the King David Hotel,I remember thinking,"How terribly,sadly ironical,wasn't that the very same hotel('slightly' modernized since of course)that the infamous 'zionist'Stern Gang BLEW UP in 1946?"
I think it was hosting the British mandate 'big-wigs'then? I seem to remember that quite a few Jewish people sadly died,also,in that bombing?
'Chosen people' murdered by "Chosen people". That,to me,is as abhorrent and lo-life as Osama Bin Laden etc,killing his own Muslims.
So Loch!I believe(in my secular but spiritual universal way)that God who belongs to US ALL and made us'ALL in his image'to be accepting,tolerant,fair,just,and respectful of others dignity and identity EQUALLY,will not himself tolerate those who consider themselves UNIQUE from all others!
There can NEVER be mutual peace in Israel as long as Israel insists on it being a Jewish-Only State! By asking for it to be a Jewish-only State,to me, this cancels out their OWN idea of the 'heavenly garden'of Zion and actually abandons their own dream and turns it into a nightmare,because even then there would be Jewish people deemed not 'good enough'by Zionists and denied their citizenship,to te promised land,LOL!
It's a vicious cicle,because the Palestinian people have a right to defend their historical land.But every time Hamas etc fires a rocket or rock,in defense of their land,they merely re-stoke the excuse for the Israelis to fire back,which is what they WANT to achieve the mythical land of 'Zion',which will never be,ON ANY CONTINENT,because as long as it remains isolationist and continues to UNIQUE-ify itself it wouldn't be compatible with the rest of Gods universal humanity.
Here we go round the mulberry bush.....
I need some tea!
Peace,Salaam,Shalom!

Right on, Grassroots, and yes, Israel will need Lots Of Luck, because although today the Zionist state appears to be invincible, its back is against the wall...literally, as well as figuratively. A short list of Israel's problems:

1. George Bush. I wonder what it is like to be the subject of universal execration. (Except in Zionia, where Bush is treated with exasperation, due to his continual bungling of his orders) His very existence saps Israel of its legitimacy, day in and day out. The Arabs Bush visited treated him like a pitiful retard, and subjected him to a humiliation as complete as it was subtle. They treated Bush for what he is- a wuss. Hmmm, a better analogy would be how a rich, but socially inept kid is treated in High School by the cool kids he wants to hang out with. This richkid is tolerated only for his money, and his car, and his weed, and is constantly humiliated and teased, the more so because he doesn't have the courage to tell his "friends" to shove off.

2.The economy. I can't tell if Israel is the 51st state, or if America is Israel's Belgian Congo. Either way, it doesn't matter, the economy has been ruined by crazed Zionists, and the only thing to tell now is how bad it will get. Will it be like 1932 (the depths of the Great Depression), or only as bad as the panic of 1873? (Food shortage riots) America's economic problems are Israel's economic problems. Worthless dollars equal worthless sheckels. How much paper money does it take to make a helicopter gunship fly? Israel sells its stuff... (what does Israel make, exactly? Oranges and private executive jets? Will anyone miss Israel if it lost it's export market??? What have I seen lately that said made in Israel, besides a $20 dollar bill?) to America and Western Europe. The European economy is already feeling sneezy from the cold it has caught from the US. Lots of Luck, Zionist overlords!


3.The Other Superpowers. Russia and China, specifically, but also India. They are playing Wait and See. Russia figured that 75 years of Zionist domination was enough for them, and wants nothing to do with Israel. Even as the Soviet Union, intelligent Russian leaders saw the opportunity to get rid of their Zionist dry-rot, and shipped them all to Israel, beginning in the 1970's. What happens to them now, well, Russia could care less. They sure as hell won't be allowed to immigrate back! The Russians and Chinese are playing the game America should have played in the 1940's, as Chas. Lindbergh so eloquently urged- let the evil powers spend themselves without our involvement. Of course, the arch--Zionists, Churchill and Roosevelt, would not allow wisdom to prevail. The non-involvement of China and Russia, is like the lid of a pressure cooker. Where will the weak point be?

4.The Arab world. The Arabs have taken the approach of Russia and China, and play Wait and See to the extent possible. Although they still have to pretend to be allies of America, their contempt and hatred of Israel's Protector is palpable. They could come right out and say it, but why? The unspoken message, as conveyed through subtle contempt, is so much more eloquent. Bush has to BEG the Saudi king to ramp up oil production. "Oh, thou most august and revered Eminence! If it would please my royal liege, would he not grant that his most humble and obsequious servant be given a wee bit more oil???" It sickens me to see an American, even one as worthless as Bush, behaving in such a fashion. I can only imagine how it makes the Arabs feel towards him.

The Arabs have quietly abandoned Fatah. It is obvious from the behavior of the leaders. Abu Mazen wears a continual expression of desperation. My guess is that he has already planned where he will live out the days of his exile, (I give him two weeks to a year after fleeing Palestine before he is killed) and his big worry is when to bolt. A miscalculation will see him hanging from a lamppost with the word "collaborator" carved into his forehead. On the other hand, how does Mr. Haniyeh appear, despite the desperate situation in Gaza? The leader of Hamas exudes a calmness, a resolute courage that inspires me in his leadership. If I were a Palestinian, I know who I would support! And I know who the Arabs are supporting, and so does Abu Mazen and Mr. Haniyeh.

The Arabs are also supporting Iran. Yeah, they are Shia. but I am beginning to wake up to the fact that the Muslims have decided to unite based on a common religion, rather than allow the Zionists to separate them along sectarian lines. I mean, if the Chinese were to invade America, I don't think anyone would allow them to divide the Protestants from the Catholics in order to gain power. The Arabs have been making some serious conciliatory noises to Iran of late.

5. Iran. Do I think Iran wants an atom bomb? Hell yes! If I were faced with an aggressive and belligerent nation with a virulent racist ideology, and long-range nuclear-tipped missiles, I'd want a nuclear weapon too! The thing is, Iran will get it, if Israel doesn't bomb Iran first. This is Israel's dilemma, and is the great illustration of the Zionist's dire predicament. I call it a "coffin corner". It's a phrase from aviation, and refers to a certain problem encountered at trans-sonic speeds at high altitudes. If the pilot speeds the plane up, the sonic shock wave makes the plane dive uncontrollably due to a phenomenon called "mach tuck". If he slows down, he induces a stall condition, and the plane will tumble out of control.

It's a bad place to be, and it's where Israel finds itself. If Israel attacks Iran
personally, it is finished as a nation. It may survive as a besieged entity for a little while, but Israel has no resources to win a protracted war. If Israel doesn't attack Iran, then it is faced with the eventuality of a nuclear-armed state that will impose a balance of power upon Zionist territorial aspirations in the region. Then it will be Israel who finds itself on the wrong side of a wall, not the Palestinians.

Israel's only hope is to induce it's American puppet to attack Iran for it. But the American war machine and the economy to drive it is in tatters. Add to that the unanimous public sentiment AGAINST any more Mid-East wars. The NIE was a rebellion of patriotic Americans against the Zionist plot. America has no more allies in the region, and so, she cannot attack. Every day that Israel waits, its problems grow more intractable.

6. Hamas and Gaza. I keep saying, "Remember Nahr Al Bared!!!" The opponent with nothing to lose will always win. This is the universal truth that Israel rails against with impotent fury. If every single man, woman, and child in Gaza is murdered and bombed to death by the Zionist war machine, Israel will be defeated by the weight of its own evil behavior. If Israel leaves even a handful of Palestinians alive in Gaza, the resistance will continue. I am sure as hell glad I am not an Israeli. I would consider it an honor to be a Gazan, any day.

What will Israel do to get out of this mess? Alas, there is an evil plan, and it just might work in the short term. Here it is:

America must be taken over completely. It is Israel's only hope. Anyone who is even half awake knows that 9-11 was a Zionist hit. The "Arab hijackers?" Not Arabs at all, but Mossad assassins who murdered the pilots and put the planes on remote control. Space does not allow 9-11 info here. Educate yourself!

What will Israel do? They will detonate an atomic device here. I say Miami or Houston- the fallout problem isn't so bad. They will place America under martial law, with electronic surveillance, internal checkpoints, a gulag system, etc, and use what is left of America's military might to crush all resistance in the Middle East. In the meantime, they will engineer a global economic meltdown, causing the death of hundreds of millions via starvation, thus bringing Russia and China to their knees, and as a "solution" institute a global government, run by Zionists.

You say this is far-fetched. Tell me how Israel will escape its destruction otherwise. The motive and the opportunity are within Israel's power. Watch it happen!

Alack and Alas! The problem is that Bush-boy,sadly,DOESN'T WANT TO MAKE PEACE!
It is all cheap empty vaudeville to cover up reality.It's glossy lipstick to hide chapped starving lips!Call it what you like!
"Peace" is the last thing that's wanted by orthodox Israel,(except if it is based on zionist priorities)because it would scupper their media drum-beating AGAINST Iran right now.
And,"peace" would mean reaching a reciprocal agreement of respectful equality and recognition of universal human rights with their neighbouring Arab countries,and that,tragically,is not 'compatible' with the myth of 'zion'.
Plus,they would have to get rid of their nuclear arsenal LOL,and a 'transparent'Israel would reveal exactly what the Jewish extremists within have been getting away with for sixty years(at least),including the human abuse and MASSIVE ECOLOGICAL devastation that is in progress in Gods 'garden',in order to turn a once multi-national,multi-ethnic Holy Land for all people,into "the promised land" for ONE ethnic people!
Besides Israel would not,visibly(or covertly),be able to 'acquire' more land from their neighbours under a "peace" agreement,and they would have to 'obey'the United Nations LOL! Imagine that!
In fact that would be TOO much to ask,being a law unto themselves,for too long now,LOL!
But,then again......was that a pig that just flew over my house????
Could it be......? Doesn't matter anyway,I'm vegetarian LOL!
Peace,Salaam,Shalom!

The problem is that Bush-boy won't be able to "make peace" within the next year. He's just saying that to make himself look good and is actually DOing something during his last year of office.

If Bush can make peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis before leaving office I'll reverse my opinion about him being a warmongor and all.