AMMAN: Jordanian activists and trade unionists slammed Egypt on Thursday for denying them entry to the Gaza Strip for the second time in less than a month to deliver aid to the blockaded Palestinians.
"We are shocked that Egypt prevents us from delivering aid and medical supplies to Gaza," Ahmad Armuti, president of the Islamist-dominated unions’ council, said in a statement emailed to AFP.
"We regret, reject and condemn Egypt’s unacceptable position, not only towards our brave people of Gaza, but also towards all Jordanians."
Armuti called on the Jordanian government to demand clarification from Egypt, which "should be pressed to change its position."
"This will not stop the Jordanian trade unions from working hard to break the unjust blockade and resisting any form of normalization with the Zionist entity," he said.
The group of 150 people, including unionists, journalists and academics, left for Gaza on Tuesday, with 25 vehicles carrying supplies and medical aid as well as equipment to establish a hospital for children, the unions said.
Late last month, Egypt banned several Jordanian trade unionists from Gaza through Rafah, Gaza’s only crossing to bypass Israel, saying they had failed to give prior notice of their arrival.
Egypt had kept Rafah largely closed since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, but President Hosni Mubarak ordered it open after a deadly Israeli naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on May 31.
The Israel government has since announced an easing of its blockade.
