Volume [5]
No. [1]
July 2008
December 2008
Free Gaza Heroes Do What Cowardly Governments Dare Not
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Volume [5]
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No. [1]
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July 2008
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December 2008Free Gaza Heroes Do What Cowardly Governments Dare Not |
Other Editions |
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Introduction |
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The Israeli siege of Gaza continues, but we are happy to report that the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) successfully challenged the occupation three times since August. FGM voyages from Cyprus to Gaza City brought members of the European Parliament, journalists and activists, as well as much-needed humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip. Each time, the Israeli Occupation forces threatened to attack the ships, but in the end let them through. Articles in this edition bring you first-hand accounts of the first voyage, the recent arrest and detention of FGM volunteers and fishermen, and FGM’s plans for the future. ISM work in the West Bank continues; the online version of this newsletter includes a journal from a volunteer in Beit Ummar. -Eds
Illustration: Carlos Latuff [Top] |
Free Gaza Heroes Do What Cowardly Governments Dare NotBy Stuart Littlewood, August 2008 |
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| Stuart Littlewood hails the heroes of the Free Gaza movement whose boats, manned by volunteers – ordinary people of various nationalities and backgrounds – and funded by public donations succeeded in breaking through the illegal, medieval Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. A small band of brave, humanitarian-minded volunteers in a couple of boats have done, in the name of human decency, what the cowardy-custard leaders of the US, Britain and the EU, with their mighty navies, were too spineless to do in the name of justice. I'm delighted the Free Gaza boats got through, and thoroughly ashamed to be ruled by a Western mafia that connives with the Middle East's racial supremacists to blockade and crush the innocent people of Gaza. |
The Little People’s courageous voyage from Cyprus called the Israelis' bluff. To serve its greedy purpose the Zionist entity invented and imposed its own maritime law, which has no basis in international law. So, whether its gunboats intercepted the voyagers or let them through, it would be a public relations disaster for Israel. And it was. |
Sailing Into GazaBy Huwaida Arraf, August 2008 |
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On Saturday, after 32 hours on the high seas, I sailed into the port of Gaza City with 45 other citizens from around the world in defiance of Israel's blockade. We traveled from Cyprus with humanitarian provisions for Palestinians living under siege. My family in Michigan was worried sick.
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They are not naive. They knew that Israel could have attacked us, as Israeli forces did in 2003, killing nonviolent American witness Rachel Corrie (Editor's note: Corrie, also of the International Solidarity Movement, was run over by a bulldozer operated by Israeli Defense Forces during a protest against the destruction of Palestinian homes; an Israeli military investigation ruled the death accidental) and Brit Tom Hurndall (an ISM representative who died nine months after being was shot in the head in Gaza by an IDF sniper; the sniper was convicted of manslaughter) as well as thousands of unarmed Palestinian civilians over the years. |
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The Journey HomeBy Greta Berlin, August 2008 |
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| We arrived safely last night. The trip home was much less eventful than the trip to Gaza and much less emotional. On board my boat, the FREE GAZA, was a family of Palestinians who had not been let out of the concentration camp called "Gaza" for five years. The mother had given birth to her youngest son four years ago, and the family, living in Cyprus, had not seen him. The joy on the faces of Hana's family was worth waiting the extra half day to leave. We had to make sure that the Cypriot authorities would allow them in. |
On board the LIBERTY was a 10-year-old boy whose leg had been shot off by the Israeli military. He was from Khan Younis. The story (and I haven't been able to verify it it yet) is that he was standing with his friend as an Israeli tank invaded his town. A sniper shot him through one leg, then when he stood to run, the sniper shot him through the other one, causing huge damage to the leg. It was amputated at the hip. Again, we had to wait for Cypriot authorities to give permission for him to transit to another country. |
The Stamp In My PassportBy Paul Larudee, October 2008 |
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| The Lebanese immigration officer came to the last page in my passport. “You went to Israel?” he exclaimed. (Lebanon refuses to admit persons who have entered Israel.) “No.” I said. “But it shows here that you entered Gaza.” “Since when is Gaza in Israel?” I replied. It didn’t compute. How could I enter Gaza without going through Israel? “Look closer,” I said. “It reads mina ghazza – Gaza Port. I didn’t go through Israel. I went by sea.” |
The immigration officer could be forgiven for his bewilderment. Fewer than fifty people in the world possessed that stamp in their passport. The two boats of the Free Gaza Movement were the first in forty-one years to enter Gaza from outside. The stamp in my passport wase created especially for us. How did we succeed? What did we accomplish? What has changed, and for whom? The importance of the achievement of the Free Gaza Movement should be neither over- nor under-emphasized. It was certainly historic, and banner headline news in a dozen countries. We were the lead story for millions of aljazeera television viewers for four days running. (The coverage in the US was more circumspect.) |
Kidnapped By the Israeli NavyBy the Editors with contributions by Eva Bartlett, November 2008 |
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| On November 18th, fifteen Palestinian fishermen and 3 international Human Rights Observers (HRO's) were surrounded by the Israeli Navy and taken from their boats 7 miles off the coast of Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. The fishermen and the HRO's were transferred from 3 separate boats to the Israeli warships and taken to Ashdod, Israel for interrogation. The boats have been confiscated by the Israeli navy and there is no word on whether or when they will be returned to their owners. |
The HROs are Andrew Muncie, a Scottish British citizen, Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian citizen, and Darlene Wallach, an American citizen. They have been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) since they entered Gaza on ships with the first Free Gaza Movement voyage on the 23rd August 2008. All internationals have previous experience working with the ISM in the West Bank. |
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Home Invasion in Beit UmmarBy Shambhu Hanuman, October 2008 |
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| The second evening after our arrival in Hebron, we were notified of a home invasion in the nearby village of Beit Ummar and asked by our local coordinator to respond. We caught a taxi to the village where we were greeted by the mayor. He was concerned about how we could approach the occupied houses in the dark without risking getting shot by the Israeli soldiers. One of the young volunteers in our group turned towards the rest of us and expressed her extreme lack of interest in that possibility. |
After being served tea in the mayor’s house, we were taken to a gas station close to one of the houses that had been invaded. A contingent of Israeli activists arrived from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem and asked us if we were ready to go. As there were two houses that were occupied, our group of four took a quick vote on whether to split and send ISM people to both houses or whether to stay together. I was quickly overruled when I suggested splitting into two groups to assist the Israeli activists at both houses. |
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We Await You In PalestineBy Mansour Mansour |
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| For every day that we have a non-violent demonstration or action, the sweat of Palestinians, internationals and Israeli activists proves the reality of solidarity and the possibility of coexistence between people.
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Force is not the language for peace. Unlike the coalition forces who claim to create democracy and global justice through their weapons and destructive technology, in Palestine, simple human beings with empty hands and full hearts face one of the strongest armies in the world, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). We won’t react towards the IOF by using the same means of violence that they use against us. [More] [Top] |
Did You Donate Last Time? |
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| If you donated after receiving the summer 2008 newsletter, we thank you very much. We covered our printing and mailing costs and more, and remain committed to sending you two newsletters per year for the indefinite future. However, our costs go far beyond the newsletter, so we hope that if you may be able to help again – especially if you were unable to do so last time. |
How important is our work? There are lots of worthy appeals to help the victims of Israel’s violations of human rights. However, for every victim that is helped another is created. Human rights work is never as well funded as victim relief, and yet our work is to prevent the creation of victims who then need your relief dollars. |
Please Donate to the Free Gaza Movement |
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405 Vista Heights Rd. El Cerrito, CA 94530 510.236.4250 www.norcalism.org |
