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Israel, Egypt keep Tony Blair's sister-in-law stranded in Gaza

Posted : Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:18:04 GMT
By : DPA
Category : Middle East (World)
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Gaza City - The sister-in-law of former British prime minister Tony Blair accused Israel Wednesday of human rights violations because the country is not allowing her to leave the Gaza Strip via Israeli territory. British journalist Lauren Booth has been stranded in Gaza for the past six days, along with three other pro-Palestinian foreign activists who had arrived a week earlier on two vessels that sought to peacefully challenge Israel's blockade of the strip.

The SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty, which carried some 46 human rights activists, had reached Gaza on August 23, passing unhindered through Israeli-patrolled waters.

The vessels left Gaza on Thursday last week, returning to Cyprus, but Booth as well as an American, Irish and an Australian activist stayed behind.

They have tried since Friday to leave by land, but neither Israel nor Egypt has allowed them passage through Gaza's southern border crossing of Rafah and the northern border crossing of Erez respectively.

"Israel's siege on Gaza and the restrictions it places on everyone here, in this case on internationals, have to be a breach of international human rights, specifically the right to travel to your home and the right to travel to your country," said Booth.

She called Israel's restrictions on the entry of Palestinians aged 18 to 45 from Gaza into Israel via the Erez border crossing "institutionally racist."

"Putting restrictions on people in this way has created the largest internment camp in the world and it is controlled by Israeli guards," she told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Booth, 41, said she had tried to leave Gaza not only via the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing, but also via the Rafah border with Egypt, where she was turned back by Egyptian border guards. She would not blame the Egyptian authorities, however, saying they acte

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Ms Booth
By: MazalUK , Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:05:16 GMT

"Ms Booth said yesterday she was anxious to get back to her two young children, aged five and seven, in the UK although the next "peace boat" is not due in Gaza for another three weeks.

"That is a pretty long time for my kids to wait," she said.

"I am between the devil and the deep blue sea."

So whoes fault is that you daft woman? You knew what the situation was before and during you self-serving escapade - and now you moan about it?

Please tell me - just why should the Israelis allow you into their country?

Just sit on your fat **** and wait for the next propaganda boat to arrive!


Silly woman
By: Ron Day , Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:00:31 GMT

Silly rich European, thinks she can trample over the laws of the insignificant Mid East countries.
I say keep her there. She is nothing special, and she should realize that.


tony blair's sister-in-law
By: jaytee333333 , Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:47:10 GMT

being a native american that has lost all of our land to the rest of the races on the planet I say we send all the jews back to isreal along with all the palestinians as well and after you all duke it out the last man standing inherets that part of the world - just stay out of mine


tony blair's sister-in-law
By: marilyn rega , Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:04:31 GMT

why does she feel she should get special treatment?
is tony is embarrassed by her lack of compassion for the true victims here, israel, she's the real racist one. she's unjust and insensitive to the jews who have a legal right to the land of palestine. the hope of israel. marilyn



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