CAIRO, May 6, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) - An ambitious
campaign launched by the Arab Doctors Union in Cairo Friday, May 5, to
raise one billion euros for the Palestinian people has whetted the
appetite of Egyptians, who raced to make generous donations.
In just a couple of hours, the "Palestine Will
Never Die" campaign got donations worth LE7 million ($1.2 million) from
Egyptians of different cross-sections and age groups.
A young girl donated LE10,000 ($1,800) and her
brother came up with LE1,000 ($180).
Stunning the participants, a young lady went on the
stage just to offer her engagement ring for the Palestinians as a small
toke for their sacrifices.
Many female attendees followed suit and give away
their jewelry.
Men were in no way less generous than women as a
young man has put up his 80-meter flat for sale and allocated the
highest offer to the campaign.
The organizers are planning similar campaigns
across the Arab world as part of grassroots efforts to stave off a
humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories.
The Palestinians are facing serious shortages of
food and medicine after the United States and the European Union
suspended in March direct aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
Israel has further since February stopped
transferring customs duties worth around $50 million a month and
previously collected for the PA.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned on
Friday, May 5, that a humanitarian crisis was now "on our doorstep" in
the Gaza Strip due to the aid freeze.
Auction
The organizers further held an auction on the
sidelines of the campaign launching ceremony to selling some belongings
of Palestinian martyrs, which were donated by their families in support
for the Palestinian people in their financial crunch.
A watch of a female martyr was sold at $11,000,
while a leather bag of another was estimated at $5,000.
In one of the moving scenes, a five-year-old girl
went with her money box to raise funds on her own.
Jailed Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour also
offered $3,000, telling the Palestinians through a close friend that his
jail term would not ban him from supporting them.
Campaign coordinator Ibrahim El-Zaafarani unveiled
a series of initiatives to help break the international blockade on the
Palestinians and raise funds for them.
"Several Palestinian musical troupes will visit
Cairo soon to throw support-Palestine parties," he said.
"Palestinian businessmen will also market
traditional Palestinian products such as olive oil at a Cairo
exhibition," he added.
Around 160,000 civil servants and security officers
have not been paid since March, affecting the livelihoods of around one
million people or a quarter of the population of the Gaza Strip and West
Bank.
