A Handful of Land

Yesterday was amazing! We were joined by 125 people from the North African convoy. They are buying their vehicles from here in Latakia, which probably means that we will stay in our somewhat basic refugee camp for a few more days.

A few hours later the convoy from Jordan drove triumphantly through the gates of our camp. We clapped and cheered them as so many others have clapped and cheered us. It was a wondrous sight, seeing vehicle after vehicle swing round from the dusty road outside and under the arch of the camp. There were at least 40 vehicles - some women only. They were a fantastic sight, driving in their full burkers, sporting snazzy glasses and brilliant English. I have lost count of the full convoy size, but estimate that we are in the region of 175 vehicles right now.

News from Egypt has been concerning. They have said they don't want the convoy to proceed through the gates of Rafah (on the Egyptian border) , so late last night we sent a delegation to Damascus to conduct negotiations with the several sovereign states involved, including the Egyptians. These negotiations are delicate, and I would not want to speculate on the outcome for fear of jeopardising our quest.

Last night, as we entertained the Palestinians in exile- as we do every night - I promised one old lady that I would scoop up a handful of Palestinian soil, take it back to Wales and then post it to her in Syria. This is a dispute over land, so I shall relocate some of it. It is the least I can do.