UPDATE, 15 July: Jenny and Natalie are now free! Thanks to everyone who helped put on the pressure!
Jenny and Natalie, both British passport holders, and both long term ISM human rights workers in the Gaza strip, are being prevented from leaving Gaza via the Rafah Crossing. Please take action on their behalf.
Jenny Linnell is a co-founder of the ISM Rafah group, and an original crew member of one of the “Free Gaza” boats. For the last year she has been accompanying Palestinians and documenting events in the Gaza strip, both before, during and after the war. You can see footage of her work with fishermen and farmers under fire at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDD8ANFgwtA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTUYivihoTE
Natalie, from Lebanon (but with a British passport) also entered Gaza via one of the Free Gaza boats and has been working as part of the International Solidarity Movement within Gaza since November 2008. You can see her work at http://gaza08.blogspot.com
Since the end of May Jenny has been trying to leave and return home via the border crossing at Rafah into Egypt. She keeps getting turned away, most recently under pretty extreme circumstances, as outlined in the detailed letter below. Natalie also needs to leave Gaza in order to take up her place at a British University. The Egyptian Border Guards told both women that they were being refused exit because of their work with the Free Gaza boats. They were told that they would ‘never be let out’.
Natalie has written an account of their treatment, and their inhuman treatment of so many Palestinians at the Rafah crossing, in ‘The Gates of Hell’: http://gaza08.blogspot.com (June 30th post)
For the sake of both women and other peace workers it is vital that this treatment is not allowed to continue unchallenged. Please help us get them back by ringing the numbers below, and please sign the letter pasted below in your name and email it to the British Embassy in Cairo
BELOW IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER
The British Embassy in Cairo
Tel: 0020 227916000
Email: Richard.Fielder@fco.gov.uk
The Foreign Office
Middle East Desk
Tel: 020 70088784
Email: jill.bayliss@fco.gov.uk and trish.wise2@fco.gov.uk
Office hours for the British Embassy in Cairo are 8.30am – 3.30pm with a 2 hour time difference (Egypt 2 hours later than the UK). It’s cheaper to call Egypt via Telediscount on 08719994994, or obtain a phonecard for the Midlle East. Faxes can be better sent during office hours so there’s someone on the receiving end. Emails can probably be sent anytime.
To Whom It May Concern,
I am concerned about the continued refusal at the Egyptian Border with Gaza to let British citizens Jenny Linnell and Natalie Abou Chakra leave Gaza for return via Egypt to the UK.
On behalf of British Citizens Ms. Jenny Linnell and Ms. Natalie Abou Chakra, I entreat the British Embassy to kindly urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt to investigate why the afore-mentioned have been refused passage from Gaza to Egypt and denied entry on the 28th June at the border despite having previously been granted permission to enter Egypt.
Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra have been engaged in humanitarian work in Gaza over the past months and it is now important that as British Citizens they are given whatever legal protection and entitlement is necessary for their safe return to the UK and passage out of Gaza.
They had been previously assured that their documentation was in order and yet on the 28th of June it was deemed to be inadequate despite assurances made to the contrary. There appears to be a missing link in the coordination between the MFA and the Egyptian Intelligence Services, which in turn filters down to the officials working in the crossing, resulting in their continued refused entry into Egypt.
As a matter of urgency, it is essential for the British Embassy to seek a ‘greater level of assurance’ from the MFA that all the necessary coordination has been done between the relevant Egyptian authorities in order to facilitate Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra’s exit from Gaza. It would appear there is a need for further documentation to be provided to enable the undersigned to physically demonstrate this ‘greater level of assurance’ from the MFA, in conjunction with the Intelligence Services, when they deal face to face with Egyptian officials at the Crossing.
It is the duty of the British Embassy to safeguard their rights as British citizens and also as human beings. The matter seemingly cannot be solved by a simple note to the Egyptian authorities. A note does not guarantee entry to Egypt and the freedom of movement to leave the Gaza Strip. I would also respectfully request that a representative from the British Embassy be present in the crossing on the Egyptian side to facilitate the liaison with the Egyptian officials and address any problems that the authorities there might confront them with unexpectedly.
Their preparations to cross the Egyptian border on the 28th June were as follows:
Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra informed the British Embassy in Cairo by way of Mr. Kamal Kalloub of the Britsh Information and Services Office (BISO) in Gaza city, that they would like the Embassy to liaise with the appropriate Egyptian authorities regarding their safe passage out of the Gaza Strip (the Gaza International Airport was destroyed by the Israeli military in 2001 and the Gaza sea route is now sealed off by the Israeli Navy). On the 31st of May, 2009, the British Embassy in Cairo sent a request to the Office of the Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs (Mr. Yasser Othman) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt, for Ms.. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra, along with two other British nationals, to be granted permission to exit the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing.
On the 9th of June, 2009, Ms. Dina Hayek from Mr. Othman’s office at the MFA, informed Ms. Linnell by telephone that British citizens Jenny Linnell, Natalie Abou Chakra, Wala Ashi, and Mohamed Shaath had the required coordination from the MFA to leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing and that the staff at the Crossing had been informed. The following day, on the 10th of June, 2009, a document (Note Verbale) from the MFA was sent by fax directly to the British Embassy in Cairo, of which a copy was provided to each of the four British nationals via the BISO office in Gaza. Ms. Hayek told Ms. Linnell that she recommended that the British nationals each take a copy of this fax to the Crossing when they attempted to pass, to prove they had permission to do so.
The document specified that “with reference to the [British] Embassy’s request for providing necessary permits for entry to Egypt by four British citizens (Jenny Linnell, Natalie Abou Chakra, Wala Ashi and Mohamed Shaath) via Rafah Crossing in order to travel to Britain. The MFA has the honour to inform that approval has been granted for this to take place when the Crossing is opened for the transit of stranded people.”
However, Ms. Hayek had specifically notified Ms. Linnell that it was acceptable for the British nationals to leave before the date of the official opening of the Crossing and that there should be no problem with the Egyptian officials at the Crossing. Therefore, on the 10th of June, Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra headed to the Crossing and gave their papers and passports to the Palestinian official responsible for coordination, Mr. Riad Madhi (also known as Abu Farouq at the Crossing) who took the papers and passports back and forth three times. After hours of waiting they were told by Mr. Madhi that the Egyptian Intelligence office at the Crossing had informed him that we were not allowed to go through at that time and said things would work out once the Crossing opened. Despite several calls to Ms. Hayek from the MFA, they were refused entry.
On Saturday 27th June, 2009, the first day of the officially announced three-day opening of the Rafah Crossing, Ms. Linnell, Ms. Abou Chakra, Ms. Ashi and Mr. Shaath headed to the crossing passing through six phases of checkpoints, before finally being allowed onto a bus waiting before the gates to the Egyptian side of the Crossing. This meant that they were still on the Palestinian side, in a bus in a queue of around seven buses and dozens of ambulances, stranded waiting for the Egyptians to open the entry gate to the Egyptian terminal. At 7.30pm local time, the Egyptians called the Palestinians to return back. The Egyptians then allowed some ambulances through, although 20 ambulances and the buses were left stranded again until 11pm, when all were returned back to Gaza.
The following day, Sunday 28th June, the four British nationals mentioned above headed to the crossing in the early morning. At 2pm they were asked to get on a bus heading to the Egyptian gate.. At 3pm, the four British nationals had gained entry to the Egyptian terminal. At 7.30pm, the other two British nationals were allowed into Egypt, however Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra were told their passports were being checked and were then questioned by the border officials regarding the purpose of their stay in Gaza, their arrival, and marital status. An hour later, Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra’s names were called as part of the list of those to be “returned back” to Gaza. The afore-mentioned protested against this, thinking that there must have been a misunderstanding, reiterated that they had “tanseeq”, or coordination from the MFA based on the request of the British Embassy and repeatedly showed the document from the MFA.
They were told by a uniformed officer that the faxed document was in fact a letter from the British Embassy [sic] and what they actually needed was a letter from the Egyptian Government, despite the fact that it was written on letter-headed notepaper from the MFA emblazoned with a governmental emblem and that it bore a governmental stamp below the text, as well as referring to the fact that it had been sent by the MFA twice within the body of the text – all in Arabic. They were also told that they weren’t being allowed to pass because the British Embassy hadn’t approved of their departure from Gaza. The officers and Intelligence personnel threw the faxed document on the ground. Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra attempted to refuse to leave the Crossing, demanding to know why the permission they had previously been granted was now not being honoured. No answer was given although an Intelligence officer there, Mr. Saeid, insisted that they needed “tassdeeq” which constitutes a call by the MFA to their office at the Crossing. He said the document from the MFA meant nothing. Ms. Dina Hayek from the MFA had previously explained to Ms. Linnell that it would have been impossible for her to have sent the fax to the British Embassy without the approval of the Intelligence Services.
Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra then approached someone else from the Intelligence office and gave the same explanation of their situation and again showed the faxed document granting permission to pass through the Crossing. The Intelligence officer asked them to go to the Government Security office to speak to the officials there. However, they were denied entry to that office. At around twelve midnight, when one of the undersigned was speaking to the media about the situation at the Crossing, Mr. Saeid, approached her saying “I will make sure you will not leave Gaza,” and assured her “We are untouchable” (literally, “meen hayhasibna”). During these hours, Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra were speaking on the telephone with family members who contacted the British Embassy in Cairo. “We are working on it,” was a repetitive answer.. Hours later, they received a ‘phone call from Caroline, the Duty Officer at the Embassy saying, “I’ve seen this happen before,” “Wait till tomorrow when we can sort things out,” and “You have everything you need to cross, the problem is from them [Egyptian Intelligence Services].”
The two British women informed the Embassy that they would remain in the crossing until an explanation was given as to why they had been denied entry based on unjustifiable and potentially false grounds. The Egyptian officials at the border asked how they entered Gaza, and then upon the reply that they arrived on the Free Gaza Movement Boats they were told, “So, you don’t need us to answer. You already know why you’re not being allowed out.” This would then seem to be that they are being detained as a form of unofficial punishment for their humanitarian work in Gaza, which I find most alarming. Officers then forcibly removed them from the departure hall to where there was a bus waiting outside. Moments later, Ms. Abou Chakra was also assaulted and lost sight of Ms. Linnell. Officers again threatened Ms. Abou Chakra with her continiued detention in Gaza saying “We will make sure you will never get out,” and, “You are lucky you are not in Jordan. Our boots would be in your mouths by now.”
The treatment Ms. Linnell and Ms. Abou Chakra were subjected to was abusive and unnecessary. The Egyptian authorities at the Crossing have failed to acknowledge their right of passage. As is evident from the verbal exchange mentioned above, this is a direct challenge from the Egyptian authorities to the democratic rights of any person who has been working aiding the desperate situation in Gaza.
I would be grateful if you would fully investigate this matter further and urge you to act on this information to secure an efficient and safe passage from Gaza for these two humanitarian workers, which they have so far been unjustly denied.
I would appreciate you keeping me informed of the results of your enquiries.
In appreciation of your time,
Yours faithfully,
NAME OF SENDER
On behalf of British humanitiarian workers and human rights observers: Natalie Abou Chakra and Jenny Linnell