10am, 23 August, 2008
A Statement from the International Human Rights Workers Aboard the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty, Sailing to Gaza
*At 10am this morning, the Cyprus team of the Free Gaza Movement was able to briefly speak with our people on board the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty. They are all fine, and they asked us to release the following statement:
"The electronic systems which guarantee our safety aboard the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty have been jammed and scrambled. Both ships are flying Greek flags, and are in international waters. We are the victims of electronic piracy. We are currently in GMS P area A2 and we are relying on our satellite communications equipment to make a distress call, if needed.
We are civilians from 17 nations and are on this project to break the siege of Gaza. We are not experienced sailors. As a result, there is concern about the health and safety of the people on board such an emergency develop.
We are currently experiencing rough sea conditions, and we call on the Greek government and the international community to meet their responsibilities and protect the civilians on board our two ships in international waters."
Intimidation will not stop our boats sailing for Gaza
Our perilous, non-violent mission should now be nearing its destination, bearing a message that some want to silence
Please follow this link for video that was taken aboard the SS Free Gaza earlier today as it makes its way to Gaza:
http://p373.net/freegaza_20080822.1.movWe'll try to post more video as the voyage continues.
All rights are reserved for this video. It is freely available for not-for-profit use. If you would like to use our video for-profit, please contact Osama Qashoo at:
Tel. +44 78 333 81660 / +357 97 793 595
http://www.FreeGaza.orgPress Release
Two Boats Break the Inhumane Israeli Siege
23.8.2008
46 activists from 17 nations - Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, farmers, fishermen, officials, language teachers, piano technicians and one 85-year-old Holocaust survivor – are right now sailing to Gaza, united in their determination to break the inhumane Israeli siege and shed light on the slow-motion Genocide taking place before the eyes of an indifferent world.
They left Cyprus yesterday morning with a cargo of 200 hearing aids for a school for the deaf in Gaza and 5000 balloons for Gaza's children.
One passenger, Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian with Israeli and US citizenship, said: "The siege that the Israelis have imposed on Gaza is not only illegal in terms of international law, it is also immoral. Global institutions and the governments of the world know what is happening and are not doing anything about it." The UN has called the situation in Gaza a humanitarian disaster, but the inhumanity goes on. More than 240 civilians have already died as a result of this medieval siege on us.
We in Gaza and the One Democratic State group take heart from this courageous mission by ordinary people from all corners of the globe. Their brave and direct action will remind the world of our incarceration and force the eyes of the world to look in our direction once more. We will be waiting anxiously for their safe arrival and look forward to meeting them and thanking them for their amazing action.
Actions such as theirs shame governments and multilateral organisations which have stood by silently, and worse, even supported the barbaric Israeli siege on Gaza's 1.5 million people. Today it is just two boats that are trying to reach us, but we know that if we remain steadfast - and the people of the world stand by us - some day soon, thousands of boats will reach our shores.
The One Democratic State Group
Gaza-Palestine
Can a Handful of International Activists and Two Boats Break the Siege of Gaza?
by Sharat G. Lin
August 18th, 2008
The voyage to "break the siege of Gaza" was originally planned for the summer of 2007. But it did not materialize for lack of funds and because of logistical challenges in arranging for purchase and delivery of the boats. Many observers wondered whether the ambitious grassroots project without the backing of any major organization or agency would ever get off the ground.
But on August 10, 2008, two small Greek-flagged boats finally arrived from Greece to Chania, Cyprus. They were the 21-metre long SS Free Gaza and the 18-metre SS Liberty, named in memory of the 34 American sailors who were killed when Israel attacked the USS Liberty in apparent error during the Six Day War in 1967. Before their arrival in Chania, the identity of the vessels had been a closely-guarded secret for genuine fear of Israeli sabotage. Once the vessels were renamed and presented at a press conference, activists remained on board both vessels 24 hours a day for security reasons.
After days of additional delays due to soaring prices for supplies and diesel fuel, a shortfall in funds, and turbulent weather, the vessels finally departed Crete en route to Cyprus, where they will take on the remaining half of the activists waiting apprehensively in Nicosia. Along the way, the activists have received tremendous support, including material assistance, from local residents in Crete and Cyprus.
Some forty peace and justice activists from 17 countries will be on board, including Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper, founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Other notable individuals include 84-year-old Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein of Saint Louis, Missouri; Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; members of the European Parliament; a survivor of the Palestinian catastrophe (al-Nakbah); and Free Gaza Movement co-founders Paul Larudee and Greta Berlin. Including professional crewmembers and journalists, the number of people on the two boats could reach as high as sixty.
Threats
The Israeli government and Zionist organizations like the Anti-Defamation League have tried (unconvincingly) to link the Free Gaza Movement and its affiliations to the International Solidarity Movement to armed Palestinian resistance organizations that they have labelled as "terrorists." In fact, the Free Gaza Movement and the Break the Siege campaign in particular have received no funding from any Palestinian organizations, armed or otherwise. The $200,000-300,000 raised for the voyage from Cyprus to Gaza has been entirely from small fundraising dinners in private homes and restaurants, individual contributions, and from the sale of fair-trade Palestinian olive oil rebottled in Berkeley, California by community volunteers. Donna and Darlene Wallach, twin sisters of Eastern European Jewish descent who have lived for many years in Israel and the Palestinian territories, were among those tireless volunteers and will be on the boats to Gaza.
More ominously, Lauren Booth reported on August 15, 2008 that a dozen threatening anonymous calls, text messages, and voice mails had been received by Free Gaza participants in Nicosia. This escalated to family members of activists. Booth reported that on August 14, an anonymous call to her husband in France threatened, "Your wife is in great danger. These ships will be blown up." Who but a state intelligence agency like the Mossad could readily obtain private telephone and mobile numbers around the world?
Meanwhile, the Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz reported on August 17, 2008 that Israeli "defense officials favor forcefully blocking two boats which a group of U.S.-based activists plan to sail to Gaza to protest what they call 'the Israeli siege on the Strip.'"
The statement was based on a position paper by the legal department of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, arguing that Israel has the right to use force against the protesters under the Oslo Accords, which gives Israel responsibility for Gaza's territorial waters.
Why Gaza?
When the Israeli government withdrew thousands of Israeli settlers and troops from Gaza at the end of 2005, it called the move "disengagement." Many thought that the occupation of Gaza would come to an end. But on January 25, 2006, the day of Palestinian elections, Israel sealed off Gaza by closing the last open crossing at Erez owing to "security concerns" relating to the anticipated strong turnout for Hamas. Karni crossing had been closed since January 15, 2006, and three other checkpoints had been open only intermittently.
The final election results gave Hamas 74 seats out of 132 in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and an overwhelming majority in Gaza. After the elections, Israel proceeded to tighten control over the flow of goods and people into and out of Gaza in an attempt to destabilize popular support for Hamas and block Hamas' participation in the Palestinian government headquartered in Ramallah in the West Bank.
Gaza is a strip of land approximately 40 kilometres long by 7 kilometres wide. It includes cities, towns, 8 major refugee camps and several minor ones, agricultural land, and uncultivable sand dunes and saline intrusion areas. With nearly 1.5 million people, Gaza has an overall population density twice that of a typical large U.S. city or roughly comparable to a European city. Gaza cannot possibly feed itself. It has no natural sources of energy — neither fossil fuels nor hydroelectric potential. It has no natural aquifers to provide a renewable source of fresh water. As a relatively unindustrialized territory, it is completely dependent on the outside for nearly all of its consumption needs and the majority of its viable employment.
After 1967, Gaza residents gained employment inside Israel and became dependent on the crossings for daily commutes to their jobs in Ashkelon, Tel Aviv, the Negev, and elsewhere. But that source of employment was largely cut off by Israel during the Second Intifada, and completely eliminated with the economic siege imposed on Hamas in Gaza in 2006. In reality, the drastic lack of employment, and the obstacles placed on the supply of food, drinking water, medicines, fuel, and electricity became a chronic collective punishment on all Gaza residents in full violation of international law.
Israeli "disengagement" from Gaza changed nothing with respect to the wall and fence that completely encircle Gaza from its northern boundary with Israel to its southern boundary with Egypt. Even the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is effectively controlled by Israel through European Union monitors who have acceded to Israeli demands to have veto power over any person or baggage moving through the Rafah crossing. The Kerem Shalom crossing for goods from and to Egypt is controlled directly by Israel because it operates on an intervening sliver of Israeli territory. The remaining checkpoints not only are opened by Israel very sparingly, but are each used by Israel for very restricted purposes. The Erez crossing in the north is the primary gateway for people, but not for goods. Nahal Oz crossing is exclusively for liquid fuels. Karni crossing is the primary entry point for food, medicines, and manufactured goods. Sufa crossing is mainly for bulk aggregates and building materials.
Kissufim and Elie Sinai crossings are effectively closed.
Gaza has a commercial airport southeast of Rafah, but all Palestinian air traffic is banned by Israel. That leaves the sea.
The Israeli Navy controls all waters around Gaza and does not allow any vessels in or out of Gaza's fishing limits. There are over 700 boats, mostly fishing boats, registered in Gaza. The boats provide a livelihood for 3000 Palestinian fishermen according to a United Nations survey. Under the 1993 Oslo Agreement, the fishing limit for Gaza fishermen was set at 20 nautical miles from the shore. A "no fishing zone" 2 nautical miles wide was established as a security buffer from the Israeli sea boundary (as if fishermen were a threat to Israel's security) within Gaza's territorial waters and extending out from shore to the fishing limit. A similar "no fishing zone" one nautical mile wide was established on the sea border with Egypt. But in 2002 as a result of the comprehensive Israeli military assault on all the occupied Palestinian territories launched at the end of April, the Bertini Agreement restricted Gaza's fishing limit to 12 nautical miles. Then, as part of the ever-tightening noose around Hamas-ruled Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces began enforcing a 6-nautical-mile fishing limit from October 2006. Not only has Gaza effectively become the world's largest open-air prison, but some of the walls of the prison have been progressively closing in on the inmate population.
So it is not surprising that perhaps hundreds of Gaza fishing boats may be preparing to greet the uncertain arrival of the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty. In Gaza Port alone, there are over 470 registered boats. If the Israeli siege is broken by sea, it will be a tremendous morale boost to Gaza fishermen whose operating territory has shrunken from the Eastern Mediterranean before 1967 to a mere sliver of coastal water under Israeli military control. Even in the years following the Israeli occupation, Gaza Port continued to be a bustling hub not only for fishing but for international shipping as well. I remember well in 1973 how ocean freighters used to wait in queue offshore for a berth in Gaza City's cargo port. Few places on Earth have witnessed such a drastic and comprehensive economic decline under military occupation.
The SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty either may pave the way for unrestricted international access to Gaza by symbolically breaking the Israeli naval blockade, or they will be stopped by the Israeli Navy which will prove that Israel still occupies Gaza despite its denials. The action places the Israeli government on the horns of dilemma, out of which neither outcome will work in its favor. It is only regrettable that no Arab government or organization has had the courage to challenge the Israeli blockade.
It is the responsibility of all activists for human rights and social justice worldwide to stand behind the courageous passengers of the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty in the coming critical days as they prepare to depart from Cyprus. This is an act of nonviolent civil disobedience following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi — unarmed ordinary people with an unshakable moral conviction facing down one of the most powerful military machines on Earth. Global awareness is key. The probability that they will be harmed is drastically reduced if the eyes of the world are focused on Gaza's coastal waters. The siege of Gaza must be broken!
Sharat G. Lin writes on migrant labor, global political economy, the Middle East, India, public health, and the environment. Read other articles by Sharat.
Memorial for fishermen of Gaza and sailors from the USS Liberty
Wed 8/20/08
Greta Berlin
Free Gaza Movement
www.freegaza.org
Tomorrow at 1:30 pm, the passengers and crew of the SS FREE GAZA and the SS LIBERTY will hold a memorial service at the Northern end of the commercial port in Larnaca. This service will commemorate the 14 fishermen of Gaza who have been killed by the Israeli Navy over the past four years as they were fishing off their coast.
The service will also be held for the 34 American sailors killed aboard the US LIBERTY by Israeli forces in 1967.
We will lay flowers in the water for these forgotten seamen from two countries, the Palestinians killed while trying to feed their families and the American sailors who were attacked by Israeli fighter jets and submarines for 75 minutes on June 8, 1967.
Please join us for this short memorial service. Afterwards, we will be available for interviews. We will also be able to announce when we are leaving for Gaza.
Despite Israel's blockade, boats in Cyprus pass inspection for Gaza
protest
By The Associated Press
Thu, 21 Aug 2008
LARNACA, Cyprus - Cyprus will allow two boats carrying members of a U.S.-based activist group to sail for Gaza in defiance of Israel's
blockade of the Palestinian territory, authorities here said
Wednesday. The two wooden sailboats have passed a safety inspection, Cyprus' Merchant Shipping Director Serghios Serghiou said. He said the boats have also been given safety certificates from Greece, where the vessels are registered.
We have not prohibited the departure of the boat, Serghiou told The
Associated Press.
Protest organizer Paul Larudee said the boats - the 21-meter Free
Gaza and 18-meter Liberty - will set sail around midnight tonight
from Larnaca port for the estimated 30-hour trip. Members of the
Free Gaza protest group said some 40 activists from 16 countries,
including 81-year-old Catholic nun Anne Montgomery, will attempt to
break the blockade Israel imposed on Gaza last year in a bid to set
a precedent for others to follow. They plan to deliver 200 hearing
aids to a Palestinian charity for children andhand out 5,000
balloons.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said the ministry had told
activists in aletter that all humanitarian aid should be delivered
through Israeli-controlledborder crossings. But Mekel refused to say
how Israel would respond if theactivists tried to break the
blockade. Thomas Nelson, 64, said the group expects the Israeli navy to intercept theboats and arrest those onboard. The Portland, Oregon-based attorney said activists plan to resist any attempts to arrest them in a non-violent way.
Nelson said there is no security threat to Israel here, except the
truth and Israel is afraid of the truth. Nelson said lawyers from
the U.S.-based National Lawyers' Guild would file legal action
against Israel in an appropriate legal forum if Israeli authorities
kidnap activists in international waters.
SS Free Gaza Makes its Approach
Council for the National Interest Foundation
(cnif @ democracyinaction.org)
Fri 8/22/08 9:17 PM
cnif@democracyinaction.org
Last week we sent you an appeal from the SS Free Gaza, and they are very grateful for the donations they received. Although they remain under-funded, they are continuing ahead with their journey into Gaza. Their boats departed from Cyprus this morning, and they are approaching Gaza as we speak. For the full press release, CLICK HERE.
Israel claims that it has not occupied Gaza since its
2005 "disengagement," yet it has controlled the tiny strip of land
since 2006 with a crippling blockade. Because of the blockade,
Palestinians have suffered needlessly as they have been prevented
from accessing medical care, jobs, and education. Essentially,
Israel is denying independence to Gazans, yet failing to uphold its
responsibility for the well-being of an occupied people under the
provisions of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.
This journey by the SS Free Gaza is aimed at breaking the
stranglehold on Gaza. The boat was inspected and certified by
Cypriot authorities to carry no arms or contraband of any kind, and
it is now approaching Gaza with much-needed supplies.
However, Israeli defense ministry spokesmen have stated that any
attempt to approach Gaza would be interpreted as assistance to a
terrorist regime. According to Shlomo Dror, the approaching boat of
humanitarians is "some kind of pirate ship."
Keep in Touch With Free Gaza Ships
The Washington Post
August 19, 2008
communications @ wrmea.com
A storm has delayed two boats, carrying 40 pro-Palestinian
activists, from sailing to Gaza according to the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the vessels. The ships left Nicosia, Cyprus on August 7 and arrived in Chania, Crete, on Saturday, August 9,
The activists (now waiting for clear weather to set sail) and their
families back home, are receiving anonymous threats, claiming that
the ships will be blown up or destroyed, killing all on board.
Human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists who make up the Free Gaza Movement plan to break the siege in Gaza. Forty passengers from 16 countries are transporting badly needed medicine, hearing aids and other humanitarian supplies on sailing ships named Free Gaza, and Liberty (in honor of the 34 Americans killed aboard the USS Liberty when Israel attacked the American ship during the Six-Day War in 1967).
More than 170 prominent individuals and organizations have endorsed Free Gaza efforts, including the Carter Center, former British Cabinet member Claire Short, and Nobel Peace Prize laureates Mairead Maguire and Desmond Tutu.
So far the U.S. media is ignoring this story.
To keep up with the ships' progress, see photos, read the
passengers' interesting blogs, or donate to help this vital mission
succeed, please visit their Web site: www.freegaza.org.
To read Amos Harel's article "Israel may use force to halt boat
trying to break Gaza siege" in Haaretz see:
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1012171.html
The Free Gaza Movement hopes to draw attention to the devastating consequences of the Israeli blockade by actively demonstrating the power of non-violent direct action to change inhumane governmental policies.
For more information, please contact:
Greta Berlin, Cyprus
+357 99 081 767
Iristulip (at) gmail.com
Angela Godfry-Goldstein, Israel
+972 547 366 393
Angela (at) icahd.org
Support the Free Gaza Movement
Daniel McGowan - mcgowan @ hws.edu
www.deiryassin.org
Deir Yassin Remembered encourages all its members to support the Free Gaza Movement. DYR endorses the Free Gaza Movement and has contributed to it financially.
Former DYR Board member, Jeff Halper, is one of the best known
activists aboard. As a dual American-Israeli citizen who has for
many years opposed the destruction of Palestinian homes as part of
Israel's ethnic cleansing, Jeff's presence on board is especially
important.
So too is the presence of Hedy Epstein, an 84-year old Holocaust
survivor and a current Board member of DYR. Unlike Holocaust
survivors like Elie Wiesel, who pontificate against sitting in
silence while ethnic cleansing and genocide take place, but who
remain totally silent when Israel commits these crimes, Hedy is a
brilliant symbol of speaking truth to the power of Zionism.
The mission of the Free Gaza Movement is to expose the illegality of
Israel's siege of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza and in the West
Bank.
To remove any "security" pretense that Israel may raise, the Free
Gaza boats have been inspected and certified by Cypriot authorities
that they carry no arms or contraband of any kind. Each human
rights activist has vowed to do no violence, in either word or
deed.
If they are arrested and brought to Israel, the Free Gaza activists
will protest and prosecute their kidnapping in the appropriate
forums.
Deir Yassin Remembered is a charitable and educational not-for-
profit 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to the Free Gaza
Movement can be made at www.freegaza.org. They are tax-deductible and may be sent by check or by PayPal.
SS FREE GAZA AND SS LIBERTY HAVE ARRIVED IN LARNACA, CYPRUS
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
At 8:30 am Cyprus time, the Free Gaza and the Liberty rounded the last corner of this lovely island, escorted by the Cypriot Coast Guard, and pulled into on the Northern side of the commercial port in Larnaca.
"We've been waiting a long time to unify our group, which has been split between Cyprus and Crete. We are excited to combine both groups who have worked so hard on this project and are so enthusiastic about setting out for Gaza. On the way in today, we had the Cypriot authorities escorting us. Now, it's time for the world to escort us to Gaza." Said Paul Larudee, one of the organizers.
After a thorough inspection of both boats, the port authority will let the 20 passengers from Cyprus on board to make final preparations, including a memorial service for the more than 5000 Palestinians who have lost their lives since September 2000 as well as the 34 sailors aboard the USS Liberty who were assassinated by Israel in 1967. They, like the Palestinians, will not be forgotten. That service should be on Thursday, August 21 just before the boats
begin their final journey to Gaza.
"It was exhilarating to watch the boats come in after waiting so patiently over the past two weeks. Seeing the sail on the Free Gaza followed to port by the Liberty has been worth the wait. Now we will get the boats ready to sail to Gaza, because that is our final destination. We are looking forward to going as soon as possible. " Said a delighted Fathi Jaouadi, one of the passengers on board.
The boats will be in port for the next two days for media to photograph. The human rights workers on board will also be available for interviews.
Threats and Intimidation
http://www.FreeGaza.org
Across the world, there are laws against threatening other people. Verbal threats give rise to great personal and emotional insecurity, and they can be the midwives to terrible violence. Many of us on board the SS Liberty and SS Free Gaza have been threatened in these past few days. It's appalling enough to receive phone calls, warning us that our boats will be blown up or asking us if we know how to swim, but when the callers go after our families, then that crosses the line from adolescent intimidation to psychological terrorism. This past Thursday, Lauren Booth received one such call.
"On the 14th of August 2008, an anonymous man called my home in France as my daughters played hide and seek in the garden. This stranger spoke to my husband, warning him that 'your wife is in great danger. These ships will be blown up.' My husband asked how it was this person had obtained our private home number. No response was forthcoming, but the illicit threats carried on."
Other members of our nonviolent project have had their families in Occupied Palestine threatened with violence as well. From these threats, a pernicious pattern of intimidation is beginning to emerge. The question, of course, is just who benefits the most by trying to terrorize and stop us from breaking Israel's terrible siege on 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza?
In April, 2008, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel released a report stating, "The illegal exploitation of family members, who, in most instances, are not suspects themselves, has on many occasions caused severe psychological suffering to interrogees and to their innocent relatives. In more extreme cases, this method takes the form of psychological torture of a detainee rendering him a victim of a cruel psychological manipulation via the illegal exploitation of a close relative."
Today in the Israeli newspaper, Haartez, Amos Harel writes: "Defense
officials favor forcefully blocking two boats, which a group of U.S.-based activists plan to sail to Gaza ... A position paper by the Foreign Ministry's legal department says Israel has the right to use force against the demonstrators as part of the Oslo Accords ... the Foreign Ministry's paper means that security forces could detain the vessels upon entry to Gaza's territorial waters, arrest the passengers and haul the ship to Israel, where the detainees could be interrogated."
The Oslo accords expired in 1999, but even when they were in place they never advocated or allowed Israel to use deadly force against nonviolent human rights workers. However, Israel has decided to interpret the now-defunct accords as giving them permission to act violently against us.
Given this situation, we, the members of the Free Gaza Movement, would like to make two things very clear to the government of Israel:
1) We are nonviolent human rights activists and we have vowed to take no violent action, in either word or deed, against any other human beings - including against Israeli government and military officials who, apparently, wish us harm.
2) The threats and intimidation that we have received these past few days, though disturbing, do not even come close to the suffering imposed on 1.4 million Palestinians through the illegal and immoral Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Given the enormity of this crisis, we will not be deterred.
We will sail to Gaza, and this siege will be lifted.
Members of the Free Gaza and Liberty, setting sail this week.
by Sharat G. Lin
August 18th, 2008
The voyage to "break the siege of Gaza" was originally planned for the summer of 2007. But it did not materialize for lack of funds and because of logistical challenges in arranging for purchase and delivery of the boats. Many observers wondered whether the ambitious grassroots project without the backing of any major organization or agency would ever get off the ground.
But on August 10, 2008, two small Greek-flagged boats finally arrived from Greece to Chania, Cyprus. They were the 21-metre long SS Free Gaza and the 18-metre SS Liberty, named in memory of the 34 American sailors who were killed when Israel attacked the USS Liberty in apparent error during the Six Day War in 1967. Before their arrival in Chania, the identity of the vessels had been a closely-guarded secret for genuine fear of Israeli sabotage. Once the vessels were renamed and presented at a press conference, activists remained on board both vessels 24 hours a day for security reasons.
After days of additional delays due to soaring prices for supplies and diesel fuel, a shortfall in funds, and turbulent weather, the vessels finally departed Crete en route to Cyprus, where they will take on the remaining half of the activists waiting apprehensively in Nicosia. Along the way, the activists have received tremendous support, including material assistance, from local residents in Crete and Cyprus.
Some forty peace and justice activists from 17 countries will be on board, including Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper, founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Other notable individuals include 84-year-old Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein of Saint Louis, Missouri; Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; members of the European Parliament; a survivor of the Palestinian catastrophe (al-Nakbah); and Free Gaza Movement co-founders Paul Larudee and Greta Berlin. Including professional crewmembers and journalists, the number of people on the two boats could reach as high as sixty.
Threats
The Israeli government and Zionist organizations like the Anti-Defamation League have tried (unconvincingly) to link the Free Gaza Movement and its affiliations to the International Solidarity Movement to armed Palestinian resistance organizations that they have labelled as "terrorists." In fact, the Free Gaza Movement and the Break the Siege campaign in particular have received no funding from any Palestinian organizations, armed or otherwise. The $200,000-300,000 raised for the voyage from Cyprus to Gaza has been entirely from small fundraising dinners in private homes and restaurants, individual contributions, and from the sale of fair-trade Palestinian olive oil rebottled in Berkeley, California by community volunteers. Donna and Darlene Wallach, twin sisters of Eastern European Jewish descent who have lived for many years in Israel and the Palestinian territories, were among those tireless volunteers and will be on the boats to Gaza.
More ominously, Lauren Booth reported on August 15, 2008 that a dozen threatening anonymous calls, text messages, and voice mails had been received by Free Gaza participants in Nicosia. This escalated to family members of activists. Booth reported that on August 14, an anonymous call to her husband in France threatened, "Your wife is in great danger. These ships will be blown up." Who but a state intelligence agency like the Mossad could readily obtain private telephone and mobile numbers around the world?
Meanwhile, the Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz reported on August 17, 2008 that Israeli "defense officials favor forcefully blocking two boats which a group of U.S.-based activists plan to sail to Gaza to protest what they call 'the Israeli siege on the Strip.'"
The statement was based on a position paper by the legal department of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, arguing that Israel has the right to use force against the protesters under the Oslo Accords, which gives Israel responsibility for Gaza's territorial waters.
Why Gaza?
When the Israeli government withdrew thousands of Israeli settlers and troops from Gaza at the end of 2005, it called the move "disengagement." Many thought that the occupation of Gaza would come to an end. But on January 25, 2006, the day of Palestinian elections, Israel sealed off Gaza by closing the last open crossing at Erez owing to "security concerns" relating to the anticipated strong turnout for Hamas. Karni crossing had been closed since January 15, 2006, and three other checkpoints had been open only intermittently.
The final election results gave Hamas 74 seats out of 132 in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and an overwhelming majority in Gaza. After the elections, Israel proceeded to tighten control over the flow of goods and people into and out of Gaza in an attempt to destabilize popular support for Hamas and block Hamas' participation in the Palestinian government headquartered in Ramallah in the West Bank.
Gaza is a strip of land approximately 40 kilometres long by 7 kilometres wide. It includes cities, towns, 8 major refugee camps and several minor ones, agricultural land, and uncultivable sand dunes and saline intrusion areas. With nearly 1.5 million people, Gaza has an overall population density twice that of a typical large U.S. city or roughly comparable to a European city. Gaza cannot possibly feed itself. It has no natural sources of energy — neither fossil fuels nor hydroelectric potential. It has no natural aquifers to provide a renewable source of fresh water. As a relatively unindustrialized territory, it is completely dependent on the outside for nearly all of its consumption needs and the majority of its viable employment.
After 1967, Gaza residents gained employment inside Israel and became dependent on the crossings for daily commutes to their jobs in Ashkelon, Tel Aviv, the Negev, and elsewhere. But that source of employment was largely cut off by Israel during the Second Intifada, and completely eliminated with the economic siege imposed on Hamas in Gaza in 2006. In reality, the drastic lack of employment, and the obstacles placed on the supply of food, drinking water, medicines, fuel, and electricity became a chronic collective punishment on all Gaza residents in full violation of international law.
Israeli "disengagement" from Gaza changed nothing with respect to the wall and fence that completely encircle Gaza from its northern boundary with Israel to its southern boundary with Egypt. Even the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is effectively controlled by Israel through European Union monitors who have acceded to Israeli demands to have veto power over any person or baggage moving through the Rafah crossing. The Kerem Shalom crossing for goods from and to Egypt is controlled directly by Israel because it operates on an intervening sliver of Israeli territory. The remaining checkpoints not only are opened by Israel very sparingly, but are each used by Israel for very restricted purposes. The Erez crossing in the north is the primary gateway for people, but not for goods. Nahal Oz crossing is exclusively for liquid fuels. Karni crossing is the primary entry point for food, medicines, and manufactured goods. Sufa crossing is mainly for bulk aggregates and building materials.
Kissufim and Elie Sinai crossings are effectively closed.
Gaza has a commercial airport southeast of Rafah, but all Palestinian air traffic is banned by Israel. That leaves the sea.
The Israeli Navy controls all waters around Gaza and does not allow any vessels in or out of Gaza's fishing limits. There are over 700 boats, mostly fishing boats, registered in Gaza. The boats provide a livelihood for 3000 Palestinian fishermen according to a United Nations survey. Under the 1993 Oslo Agreement, the fishing limit for Gaza fishermen was set at 20 nautical miles from the shore. A "no fishing zone" 2 nautical miles wide was established as a security buffer from the Israeli sea boundary (as if fishermen were a threat to Israel's security) within Gaza's territorial waters and extending out from shore to the fishing limit. A similar "no fishing zone" one nautical mile wide was established on the sea border with Egypt. But in 2002 as a result of the comprehensive Israeli military assault on all the occupied Palestinian territories launched at the end of April, the Bertini Agreement restricted Gaza's fishing limit to 12 nautical miles. Then, as part of the ever-tightening noose around Hamas-ruled Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces began enforcing a 6-nautical-mile fishing limit from October 2006. Not only has Gaza effectively become the world's largest open-air prison, but some of the walls of the prison have been progressively closing in on the inmate population.
So it is not surprising that perhaps hundreds of Gaza fishing boats may be preparing to greet the uncertain arrival of the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty. In Gaza Port alone, there are over 470 registered boats. If the Israeli siege is broken by sea, it will be a tremendous morale boost to Gaza fishermen whose operating territory has shrunken from the Eastern Mediterranean before 1967 to a mere sliver of coastal water under Israeli military control. Even in the years following the Israeli occupation, Gaza Port continued to be a bustling hub not only for fishing but for international shipping as well. I remember well in 1973 how ocean freighters used to wait in queue offshore for a berth in Gaza City's cargo port. Few places on Earth have witnessed such a drastic and comprehensive economic decline under military occupation.
The SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty either may pave the way for unrestricted international access to Gaza by symbolically breaking the Israeli naval blockade, or they will be stopped by the Israeli Navy which will prove that Israel still occupies Gaza despite its denials. The action places the Israeli government on the horns of dilemma, out of which neither outcome will work in its favor. It is only regrettable that no Arab government or organization has had the courage to challenge the Israeli blockade.
It is the responsibility of all activists for human rights and social justice worldwide to stand behind the courageous passengers of the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty in the coming critical days as they prepare to depart from Cyprus. This is an act of nonviolent civil disobedience following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi — unarmed ordinary people with an unshakable moral conviction facing down one of the most powerful military machines on Earth. Global awareness is key. The probability that they will be harmed is drastically reduced if the eyes of the world are focused on Gaza's coastal waters. The siege of Gaza must be broken!
Sharat G. Lin writes on migrant labor, global political economy, the Middle East, India, public health, and the environment. Read other articles by Sharat.
Memorial for fishermen of Gaza and sailors from the USS Liberty
Wed 8/20/08
Greta Berlin
Free Gaza Movement
www.freegaza.org
Tomorrow at 1:30 pm, the passengers and crew of the SS FREE GAZA and the SS LIBERTY will hold a memorial service at the Northern end of the commercial port in Larnaca. This service will commemorate the 14 fishermen of Gaza who have been killed by the Israeli Navy over the past four years as they were fishing off their coast.
The service will also be held for the 34 American sailors killed aboard the US LIBERTY by Israeli forces in 1967.
We will lay flowers in the water for these forgotten seamen from two countries, the Palestinians killed while trying to feed their families and the American sailors who were attacked by Israeli fighter jets and submarines for 75 minutes on June 8, 1967.
Please join us for this short memorial service. Afterwards, we will be available for interviews. We will also be able to announce when we are leaving for Gaza.
Despite Israel's blockade, boats in Cyprus pass inspection for Gaza
protest
By The Associated Press
Thu, 21 Aug 2008
LARNACA, Cyprus - Cyprus will allow two boats carrying members of a U.S.-based activist group to sail for Gaza in defiance of Israel's
blockade of the Palestinian territory, authorities here said
Wednesday. The two wooden sailboats have passed a safety inspection, Cyprus' Merchant Shipping Director Serghios Serghiou said. He said the boats have also been given safety certificates from Greece, where the vessels are registered.
We have not prohibited the departure of the boat, Serghiou told The
Associated Press.
Protest organizer Paul Larudee said the boats - the 21-meter Free
Gaza and 18-meter Liberty - will set sail around midnight tonight
from Larnaca port for the estimated 30-hour trip. Members of the
Free Gaza protest group said some 40 activists from 16 countries,
including 81-year-old Catholic nun Anne Montgomery, will attempt to
break the blockade Israel imposed on Gaza last year in a bid to set
a precedent for others to follow. They plan to deliver 200 hearing
aids to a Palestinian charity for children andhand out 5,000
balloons.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said the ministry had told
activists in aletter that all humanitarian aid should be delivered
through Israeli-controlledborder crossings. But Mekel refused to say
how Israel would respond if theactivists tried to break the
blockade. Thomas Nelson, 64, said the group expects the Israeli navy to intercept theboats and arrest those onboard. The Portland, Oregon-based attorney said activists plan to resist any attempts to arrest them in a non-violent way.
Nelson said there is no security threat to Israel here, except the
truth and Israel is afraid of the truth. Nelson said lawyers from
the U.S.-based National Lawyers' Guild would file legal action
against Israel in an appropriate legal forum if Israeli authorities
kidnap activists in international waters.
SS Free Gaza Makes its Approach
Council for the National Interest Foundation
(cnif @ democracyinaction.org)
Fri 8/22/08 9:17 PM
cnif@democracyinaction.org
Last week we sent you an appeal from the SS Free Gaza, and they are very grateful for the donations they received. Although they remain under-funded, they are continuing ahead with their journey into Gaza. Their boats departed from Cyprus this morning, and they are approaching Gaza as we speak. For the full press release, CLICK HERE.
Israel claims that it has not occupied Gaza since its
2005 "disengagement," yet it has controlled the tiny strip of land
since 2006 with a crippling blockade. Because of the blockade,
Palestinians have suffered needlessly as they have been prevented
from accessing medical care, jobs, and education. Essentially,
Israel is denying independence to Gazans, yet failing to uphold its
responsibility for the well-being of an occupied people under the
provisions of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.
This journey by the SS Free Gaza is aimed at breaking the
stranglehold on Gaza. The boat was inspected and certified by
Cypriot authorities to carry no arms or contraband of any kind, and
it is now approaching Gaza with much-needed supplies.
However, Israeli defense ministry spokesmen have stated that any
attempt to approach Gaza would be interpreted as assistance to a
terrorist regime. According to Shlomo Dror, the approaching boat of
humanitarians is "some kind of pirate ship."
Keep in Touch With Free Gaza Ships
The Washington Post
August 19, 2008
communications @ wrmea.com
A storm has delayed two boats, carrying 40 pro-Palestinian
activists, from sailing to Gaza according to the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the vessels. The ships left Nicosia, Cyprus on August 7 and arrived in Chania, Crete, on Saturday, August 9,
The activists (now waiting for clear weather to set sail) and their
families back home, are receiving anonymous threats, claiming that
the ships will be blown up or destroyed, killing all on board.
Human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists who make up the Free Gaza Movement plan to break the siege in Gaza. Forty passengers from 16 countries are transporting badly needed medicine, hearing aids and other humanitarian supplies on sailing ships named Free Gaza, and Liberty (in honor of the 34 Americans killed aboard the USS Liberty when Israel attacked the American ship during the Six-Day War in 1967).
More than 170 prominent individuals and organizations have endorsed Free Gaza efforts, including the Carter Center, former British Cabinet member Claire Short, and Nobel Peace Prize laureates Mairead Maguire and Desmond Tutu.
So far the U.S. media is ignoring this story.
To keep up with the ships' progress, see photos, read the
passengers' interesting blogs, or donate to help this vital mission
succeed, please visit their Web site: www.freegaza.org.
To read Amos Harel's article "Israel may use force to halt boat
trying to break Gaza siege" in Haaretz see:
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1012171.html
The Free Gaza Movement hopes to draw attention to the devastating consequences of the Israeli blockade by actively demonstrating the power of non-violent direct action to change inhumane governmental policies.
For more information, please contact:
Greta Berlin, Cyprus
+357 99 081 767
Iristulip (at) gmail.com
Angela Godfry-Goldstein, Israel
+972 547 366 393
Angela (at) icahd.org
Support the Free Gaza Movement
Daniel McGowan - mcgowan @ hws.edu
www.deiryassin.org
Deir Yassin Remembered encourages all its members to support the Free Gaza Movement. DYR endorses the Free Gaza Movement and has contributed to it financially.
Former DYR Board member, Jeff Halper, is one of the best known
activists aboard. As a dual American-Israeli citizen who has for
many years opposed the destruction of Palestinian homes as part of
Israel's ethnic cleansing, Jeff's presence on board is especially
important.
So too is the presence of Hedy Epstein, an 84-year old Holocaust
survivor and a current Board member of DYR. Unlike Holocaust
survivors like Elie Wiesel, who pontificate against sitting in
silence while ethnic cleansing and genocide take place, but who
remain totally silent when Israel commits these crimes, Hedy is a
brilliant symbol of speaking truth to the power of Zionism.
The mission of the Free Gaza Movement is to expose the illegality of
Israel's siege of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza and in the West
Bank.
To remove any "security" pretense that Israel may raise, the Free
Gaza boats have been inspected and certified by Cypriot authorities
that they carry no arms or contraband of any kind. Each human
rights activist has vowed to do no violence, in either word or
deed.
If they are arrested and brought to Israel, the Free Gaza activists
will protest and prosecute their kidnapping in the appropriate
forums.
Deir Yassin Remembered is a charitable and educational not-for-
profit 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to the Free Gaza
Movement can be made at www.freegaza.org. They are tax-deductible and may be sent by check or by PayPal.
SS FREE GAZA AND SS LIBERTY HAVE ARRIVED IN LARNACA, CYPRUS
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
At 8:30 am Cyprus time, the Free Gaza and the Liberty rounded the last corner of this lovely island, escorted by the Cypriot Coast Guard, and pulled into on the Northern side of the commercial port in Larnaca.
"We've been waiting a long time to unify our group, which has been split between Cyprus and Crete. We are excited to combine both groups who have worked so hard on this project and are so enthusiastic about setting out for Gaza. On the way in today, we had the Cypriot authorities escorting us. Now, it's time for the world to escort us to Gaza." Said Paul Larudee, one of the organizers.
After a thorough inspection of both boats, the port authority will let the 20 passengers from Cyprus on board to make final preparations, including a memorial service for the more than 5000 Palestinians who have lost their lives since September 2000 as well as the 34 sailors aboard the USS Liberty who were assassinated by Israel in 1967. They, like the Palestinians, will not be forgotten. That service should be on Thursday, August 21 just before the boats
begin their final journey to Gaza.
"It was exhilarating to watch the boats come in after waiting so patiently over the past two weeks. Seeing the sail on the Free Gaza followed to port by the Liberty has been worth the wait. Now we will get the boats ready to sail to Gaza, because that is our final destination. We are looking forward to going as soon as possible. " Said a delighted Fathi Jaouadi, one of the passengers on board.
The boats will be in port for the next two days for media to photograph. The human rights workers on board will also be available for interviews.
Threats and Intimidation
http://www.FreeGaza.org
Across the world, there are laws against threatening other people. Verbal threats give rise to great personal and emotional insecurity, and they can be the midwives to terrible violence. Many of us on board the SS Liberty and SS Free Gaza have been threatened in these past few days. It's appalling enough to receive phone calls, warning us that our boats will be blown up or asking us if we know how to swim, but when the callers go after our families, then that crosses the line from adolescent intimidation to psychological terrorism. This past Thursday, Lauren Booth received one such call.
"On the 14th of August 2008, an anonymous man called my home in France as my daughters played hide and seek in the garden. This stranger spoke to my husband, warning him that 'your wife is in great danger. These ships will be blown up.' My husband asked how it was this person had obtained our private home number. No response was forthcoming, but the illicit threats carried on."
Other members of our nonviolent project have had their families in Occupied Palestine threatened with violence as well. From these threats, a pernicious pattern of intimidation is beginning to emerge. The question, of course, is just who benefits the most by trying to terrorize and stop us from breaking Israel's terrible siege on 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza?
In April, 2008, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel released a report stating, "The illegal exploitation of family members, who, in most instances, are not suspects themselves, has on many occasions caused severe psychological suffering to interrogees and to their innocent relatives. In more extreme cases, this method takes the form of psychological torture of a detainee rendering him a victim of a cruel psychological manipulation via the illegal exploitation of a close relative."
Today in the Israeli newspaper, Haartez, Amos Harel writes: "Defense
officials favor forcefully blocking two boats, which a group of U.S.-based activists plan to sail to Gaza ... A position paper by the Foreign Ministry's legal department says Israel has the right to use force against the demonstrators as part of the Oslo Accords ... the Foreign Ministry's paper means that security forces could detain the vessels upon entry to Gaza's territorial waters, arrest the passengers and haul the ship to Israel, where the detainees could be interrogated."
The Oslo accords expired in 1999, but even when they were in place they never advocated or allowed Israel to use deadly force against nonviolent human rights workers. However, Israel has decided to interpret the now-defunct accords as giving them permission to act violently against us.
Given this situation, we, the members of the Free Gaza Movement, would like to make two things very clear to the government of Israel:
1) We are nonviolent human rights activists and we have vowed to take no violent action, in either word or deed, against any other human beings - including against Israeli government and military officials who, apparently, wish us harm.
2) The threats and intimidation that we have received these past few days, though disturbing, do not even come close to the suffering imposed on 1.4 million Palestinians through the illegal and immoral Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Given the enormity of this crisis, we will not be deterred.
We will sail to Gaza, and this siege will be lifted.
Members of the Free Gaza and Liberty, setting sail this week.
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