Arab-Jewish movement plans to guard Gaza aid convoys from right-wing looters

A grassroots movement focused on an Arab-Jewish partnership plans to mobilise Israelis to quell the recent spate of attacks on trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza perpetrated by right-wing settlers.

The group – Standing Together – is dedicated to "mobilising Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice” and to changing prevailing attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

They plan to assemble a "Humanitarian Guard" at the Tarqumiya Border Crossing, where aid convoys prepare to enter Gaza from Israel. On Monday, Israeli right-wing activists looted one such convoy, ripping open bags of flours, smashing boxes of food and later setting fire to two trucks.

The Guard plans to use cars to form a buffer zone around the aid trucks as they travel towards Gaza. Around 100 Standing Together members have signed up to help.

Standing Together’s national co-director Rula Daooud stressed that they are hoping to avoid violent confrontation.

"Engaging with the settlers is not our goal," she said. "Instead, we not only want to call attention to what is happening at the border crossing, but we hope that our presence there will bring accountability to the police and the army."