Sheffield dad Musheir
al Farra set sail with the Free Gaza campaign on a mission to enter
Palestine and raise awareness of the situation in the Middle East. He is the first Palestinian in 41 years to enter Gaza without an Israeli permit.
The Free Gaza campaign consisted of 44 individuals from 17 countries (including Tony Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth) left from Cyprus on two boats and braved a 40 hour overseas crossing in rough seas.
Two of Musheir
al Farra's relatives have died recently in Gaza due to a severe inability to gain access to medical treatment. His terminally ill mother also died in Gaza last year and he was unable to enter the area to be with her.
Musheir
al Farra stated "when we arrived there were thousands and
thousands of people in the port waiting for us. People were jumping in
the water. To think that we were the first two boats to reach
the Gaza Strip for 41 years and to think how much jubilation we brought
was unbelievable. I was crying my eyes out and it was a
really jubilant time. For the first time in my life I entered the Gaza
Strip with my head held high. It was a moment of real pride that I hope every Palestinian man, woman and child will experience for themselves. I have two little children and looking
back it scares me a lot but to be honest I was so focused that if I
didn't take a stand I would have lost all respect for myself because we
really made history."
The Free Gaza campaign took years of hard planning to reach the point where they set foot in Gaza, and the group of travellers were branded as terrorists and analogies were drawn with the Nazi regime at times but they just kept repeating their peaceful message and support of human rights.
Musheir
al Farra has also thanked people in Sheffield for
the support they have shown him and the city's Free Palestine campaign,
which sends much needed items to specific children's projects in Gaza.
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