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We're Going!

By Greta Berlin, May 2008

We’re going! Nothing will stop us from sailing to Gaza. And we’re here to tell you that we need your support, your donations, and your desire to see the Palestinians of Gaza free from this horrible occupation.

--Dr. Paul Larudee and Greta Berlin, Free Gaza Movement

More than 75 people have asked to be on the list of potential boat passengers sailing from Cyprus to Gaza on August 5, 2008. They come from 15 countries; the oldest is 84 and the youngest is 25. The list includes Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals, all with the same goal: to break the siege of Gaza and bring attention to Israel’s slow-motion genocide of 1.5 million people locked into an outdoor prison.

Gaza’s people are being slowly starved to death, denied medical treatment, and forbidden to leave their prison. Only an action as bold as sailing to Gaza will bring the world’s attention to the plight of these people. Israel tells the world that it no longer occupies Gaza, so we don’t need their permission to sail into the port. And we won’t ask for it. Nor will we allow the Israeli military to stop us, since we are sailing from international waters directly into the waters of Gaza.

We will depart from Cyprus for the 20-hour trip to Gaza. We expect to be met at the Mediterranean border by Palestinian fishermen who have invited us and know we are coming. We have on board several media outlets, which will be documenting the trip and sending their reports back to their home offices, so, if Israel decides to intervene in any way, its actions will be caught on real-time video.

Abu Jameel Street, Rafah, Gaza Strip. In 2004, the Israeli army completely destroyed what remained of this neighborhood.

photo credit: Jon Jackson

Many of us will stay for two to three weeks once there. Our doctors on board will stay and work in the clinics, while others will go fishing to make sure the Israeli military does not shoot at the fishermen while they fish for their families and their community.

We are busy raising money to buy the boats right now, and we have one almost purchased.

So, what can you do to help?

1. Get organizational endorsements. We have both the Carter Center and Desmond Tutu endorsing. You can check our hundreds of endorsements on our website, www.freegaza.org.

2. Invite us to your home or group, anywhere in the U.S. or overseas.

3. Recruit passengers. Everyone is welcome, but we are still looking for imams, priests and rabbis.

4. Donate to us, either through PayPal, or by sending us a check. Since we are now a 501c3, your donations are tax-exempt. We will take any amount.

As of the time of writing, we have raised over $150,000 to purchase one boat. However, to make this trip successful, we will need to raise another $150,000, and we think we can do that. In just a few short months, we raised most of the money we now have.

For more information, go to www.freegaza.org, or call 510-236-5338 or 310-422-7242.

Greta Berlin resides in Los Angeles and has been a volunteer with ISM since 2003. She has visited the occupied West Bank three times in the past five years and is one of the founders of the Free Gaza Movement.