(
haaretz) The organizer of one of the flotillas to the Gaza Strip sought assistance from the office of Syrian President Bashar Assad, requesting it facilitates their departure from the Syrian port at Latakia.
Ths request came to light through the disclosure of emailed correspondence between former British MP George Galloway, who heads an organization called Viva Palestina, and Bouthaina Shaaban, who serves as media adviser to Assad.
What do you think about the leaked emails from Assad's media adviser's account? Follow Haaretz.com on Facebook and share your views.
The correspondence, which was
obtained by Haaretz, was leaked following an attack by the hacker group Anonymous.
Galloway, who is identified with the extreme left in Britain, served as a member of the British parliament until May 2010. A former member of the Labour Party, he was thrown out in 2003 in the wake of his attacks against party chairman and then-prime minister Tony Blair, and his opposition to the war in Iraq.
Galloway has for many years
carried on close contacts with dictators and extremist elements in the
Arab world. In the late 1990s, he was closely linked with Iraqi
president Saddam Hussein, the Assad regime in Syria, Hamas in Gaza and
the Iranian regime.
In July 2011, at a time when Assad was
perpetrating massacres of his own people, Galloway was interviewed on
Hezbollah's al-Manar network, where he heaped praises on the Syrian
president. "Bashar Assad wants reform and change, to realize the
aspirations of his people," he said in the interview, which was quoted
in the official Syrian news agency Sana. "They are trying to pressure
Syria and President Assad because of the good things that he did, such
as supporting Palestinian and Lebanese resistance and rejecting to
surrender to Israel."
In January 2009, Galloway founded
the Viva Palestina organization, which began to organize aid flotillas
to the Gaza Strip. The Shin Bet security service describes the
organization as being "pro-Hamas" and assesses that Viva Palestina
activists are involved in the transfer of funds to Hamas.
Galloway
is considered persona non grata in several countries. In March 2009,
Canada refused to permit his entry, stating that his organization was
aiding Hamas in several ways, including the transfer of funds. In
January 2010, Galloway was deported from Egypt following a visit he made
to the Gaza Strip in the course of which members of his organization
clashed with Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah border crossing, leading to
the death of an Egyptian policeman. Egypt has since then refused to
permit his entry into Gaza from its own territory.
On
August 11, 2010, Galloway wrote to Bashar Assad's media adviser,
Bouthaina Shaaban, who is considered to be one of the closest aides to
the Syrian president. In an email message that bore the subject heading
"IMPORTANT - private and confidential," Galloway asked Shaaban for
Syrian help in organizing the aid flotilla to Gaza.
"I am
writing once again to ask for Syria's co-operation although I do not
doubt it for one moment. Syria is as I have often said is the last
castle of Arab dignity," Galloway noted. "This convoy sets out
simulataneously [sic] on September 18th 2010 from London, from
Casablanca and from the Gulf. The London and Gulf columns of vehicles
would like to converge on Latakia and sail from there to Al Arish."
Galloway listed the organizations that would be taking part in
the flotilla, including IHH, the Turkish group that organized the
flotilla to Gaza in May 2010. "It is intended that the vehicles and
passengers should sail to Al Arish on board the Mavi Marmara, which as
you know is owned by IHH," he wrote. "If His Excellency the President
Bashar al Asad and his government can accept this proposal in principle
perhaps you could nominate partner organisation(s) and individuals with
whom my colleagues could liaise about the practical details?"
Galloway
informed Shaaban that the two members of Viva Palestina responsible for
the flotilla were Kevin Ovenden and Zaher Birawi. The Shin Bet charges
that Birawi is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He lives in
England, where he engages in intensive anti-Israeli activity. Birawi has
been linked to the organizing of past convoys and flotillas to the Gaza
Strip. Ovendon is a far-left British activist who was aboard the Mavi
Marmara in the May 2010 flotilla to Gaza.
Three days
later, Shaaban sent an emailed response to Galloway in which she
expressed enthusiasm for the idea. "God bless your amazing efforts and I
will be honored to be part and parcel of it and to be the catalyst for
my country too," she wrote. "You will find me happy to put my time and
energy to help with this most important cause of the Twenty First
Century."
Galloway responded in another email, in which he
wrote, "I knew that I could rely on you and the last Arab country in
this historic endeavour. Can I respectfully request that you task
officials in Damascus and Latakia to make contact with my comrades in
advance of your arrival back to Syria?"
The flotilla
ultimately sailed from Latakia on October 18, 2010 and arrived in Al
Arish three days later, and from there continued in a land-based convoy
comprising dozens of vehicles and hundreds of activists to the Gaza
Strip. The entry into Gaza by Galloway and 16 others was denied by the
Egyptian security services, although the convoy itself was permitted to
enter following talks between the Egyptian and Syrian governments.
The following is the original correspondence between George Galloway and Bouthaina Shaaban:
From:
b.shaaban@mopa.gov.sy
Sent: Sun 15/08/10 6:30 PM
To:
buthainak1@hotmail.co.uk
Fwd: VivaPalestina5 convoy to Gaza
Your Excellency dear Ambassador and honourable lady Dr Shaaban,
Assalam o Aleukum.
Thank
you for your beautiful reply. I knew that I could rely on you and the
last Arab country in this historic endeavour.
Given the
shortness of the time (we leave London Casablanca Doha on September
18th, and these three columns joined by big contingents from Turkey
Jordan and Lebanon hope to sail from Latakia aboard the Mavi Marmara
between October 5-7th) can I respectfully request that you task
officials in Damascus and and Latakia to make contact with my comrades
in advance of your arrival back to Syria?
I remind you they are Kevin Ovenden
kevin.ovenden@gmail.com and Dr Zaher Birawi
zkb2002@hotmail.com
This would be very helpful to us.
I hope you are enjoying your travels and have a safe journey back to Damascus.
With all my good wishes,
Yours fraternally
George Galloway
VivaPalestinaArabia
From:
b.shaaban@mopa.gov.sy
Sent: Sat 14/08/10 12:05 PM
To:
office@georgegalloway.com
Re: IMPORTANT - private and confidential
Dear George
Thank
you very much for your email which I was delighted to receive. God
bless your amazing efforts and I will be honored to be part and parcel
of it and to be the catalyst for my country too. I am now abroad for
about 10 days and expected to be back in Syria on August 24. If we can
touch base then and get further details about what is really required
and from whom in more details you will find me happy to put my time and
energy to help with this most important cause of the Twenty Firtst
Century. I hope you are following my writings in Counter Punch. Take
care and God bless you and your efforts.
As ever
Bouthaina
On Wed 11/08/10 3:05 PM , Ayesha Bajwa <
office@georgegalloway.com> wrote:
Your Excellency Dr Bouthaina Shaaban
Special Advisor to President Bashar al Asad
President of the Syrian Arab Republic
Damascus
By e-mail
Your Excellency, dear Dr Shaaban
I
hope this letter finds you well. Please be assured of my warmest
fraternal greetings always. I am writing on behalf of Viva Palestina
whose world-wide family of solidarity organisiations and registered
charities will soon be setting out for beseiged Gaza again with our
fifth convoy of aid. You will recall the outstanding assistance
afforded
us in Syria on previous occasions over the last period. I am writing
once again to ask for Syria's co-operation although I do not doubt it
for one moment. Syria is as I have often said is the last castle of Arab
dignity. My only regret is to have to ask for your help again.
This
convoy sets out simulataneously on September 18th 2010 from London,
from Casablanca and from the Gulf. The London and Gulf columns of
vehicles would like to converge on Latakia and sail from there to Al
Arish. The Casablanca column hopes to join us in Al Arish and we hope
all three columns - hundreds of vehicles strong – will enter Gaza
through Rafah without hinderance.
The aid on board the vehicles will be 50% medical equipment and 50% educational, construction and other aid.
The
organisers of the convoy are Viva Palestina UK, Viva Palestina USA,
Viva Palestina Arabia, Viva Palestina Malaysia, Viva Palestina Ireland,
the Turkish NGO IHH,the International Committee to break the Seige on
Gaza, Kia Ora - the Viva Palestina sister organisation in New Zealand,
Viva Palestina Australia, Viva Palestina South Africa, Viva Palestina
Spain, Viva Palestina Italia, and Viva Palestina France.
It is
intended that the vehicles and passengers should sail to Al Arish on
board the Mavi Marmara, which as you know is owned by IHH.
If His
Excellency the President Bashar al Asad and his government can accept
this proposal in principle perhaps you could nominate partner
organisation(s) and individuals with whom my colleagues could liaise
about the practical details? The liaison from our side would be Mr
Kevin Ovenden and Mr Zaher Birawi of Viva Palestina UK (as we believe 2
is enough).
In any case please convey my respect and my admiration to His Excellency the President.
With all good wishes
George Galloway