Two familiar youth, Hannah Carter, 27, and Laura Ashfield, 23, left for Cairo on Christmas Day to join a march demanding that Israel open its borders to the people of Gaza.
The duo attended at the request of the Canadian Friends of Sabeel and did not represent the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
The Gaza Freedom March was organized by an international coalition formed after Israel’s 22-week conflict in Gaza in 2008 and 2009. About 1,300 international walkers from 40 countries planned to enter Gaza through Egypt, join local residents, then meet an Israeli-led solidarity march at the Erez border crossing, Gaza’s main entry and exit point for journalists, diplomats and aid workers. The march was intended to mark the one-year anniversary of the Gaza attacks, which left about 1,400 Palestinians and over a dozen Israelis dead.
Egyptian officials barred the group from meeting together in Cairo and entering Gaza, citing security concerns. According to Al Jazeera, only 92 delegates eventually crossed the borders. The remainder protested in Cairo on Dec. 31 before disbanding on Jan. 2.
Carter and Ashfield, as representatives of the Canadian Friends of Sabeel, were among those who signed their names to the “Cairo Declaration,” a controversial public statement crafted by the activists, which equates Israel with South Africa during apartheid and backs a United Palestinian call for a boycott and sanctions against Israel.
The two young women have participated in the International Youth Conference at the Sabeel Centre, Jerusalem, with sponsorship by the Presbyterian Church’s Youth In Mission program. Ashfield was one of four Sabeel delegates who entered Gaza two years ago to worship with a local church.
The duo provided their own funds for the recent trip. At press time, both were in Jerusalem meeting with Sabeel’s partner churches. They planned to travel to the West Bank.
Carter is a professional photographer and founder of From Palestine With Love, a movement that seeks to educate Canadians about the situation in Israel and Palestine through firsthand accounts and photography.
Ashfield is a PCC-sponsored intern at Project Ploughshares, an ecumenical agency that develops policies for nuclear disarmament and peace.
About 1.5 million people live in Gaza, which has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since Hamas took power in the region in 2007.
