Chicago Solidarity Activists to Travel to Gaza

CHICAGO, IL.- In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to answer calls for a solidarity presence from Gaza-based organizations, international activists and grassroots journalists are forming delegations headed to the Gaza Strip.  

Travelers include Kathy Kelly, Johnny Barber and Joshua Brollier of Voices for Creative Nonviolence who will be leaving for Gaza via Egypt on Thursday, November 22^nd. 

“We travel in opposition to the United States government’s callous silence about continued Israeli war crimes happening in Gaza.  The United States supplied Israel with approximately 3.1 billion dollars in military aid in 2012 alone. We have a moral obligation to speak out when this money is used to kill Palestinians in Gaza,” says Joshua Brollier.  At least 130 Palestinians and 5 Israelis have been killed since Operation Pillar of Defense began 9 days ago.

The activists aim to enter Gaza regardless of whether a ceasefire is implemented. They intend to document and amplify the stories of ordinary Gazans affected by this war and ongoing siege, providing a more balanced narrative on the conflict.       

“We can not stand by and watch another Operation Cast Lead unfold unchallenged. It is unconscionable for the fourth largest military in the world to maintain a crippling blockade against an entrapped population and then send US-made F16s to rain down missiles on civilians,” says Kathy Kelly. 

To view reports from this delegation, visit, www.vcnv.org. Please contact Voices co-coordinators in Chicago, Buddy Bell and Gerald Paoli, for updated information and cell phone numbers for the activists in Cairo and Gaza.

Voices for Creative Nonviolence (www.vcnv.org) has deep, long-standing roots in active nonviolent resistance to U.S. war-making. Begun in the summer of 2005, Voices draws upon the experiences of those who challenged the brutal economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and U.N. against the Iraqi people between 1990 and 2003.

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