Newsletter Home Page

The Stamp In My Passport

By Paul Larudee, November 2008

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.”

Gaza passport stamp in Paul Larudee's U.S. passport (photo credit: Paul Larudee)

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.)

It was a triumph of nonviolent resistance. We had defied the fourth most powerful military force on earth with an 81-year-old Catholic nun, an Israeli human rights leader, the rebellious sister-in-law of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, a bunch of journalists, and seasick volunteers from 17 countries aboard two old wooden tubs rocking across the Mediterranean.

If we could do it, anyone could – anyone at all. We had no special funding or support. It was all grassroots organizing. Our more than 200 endorsers and thousands of supporters could all take credit. The only ones who couldn’t do it were governments or political parties or armed forces. Furthermore, we showed that anyone and everyone could follow in our path.

One key to our success was our complete openness. After two apparent Israeli attempts to interfere with our boat purchases, we procured and prepared the boats in complete secrecy in Greece. When launch time came, however, we invited and encouraged the world to watch. We held news conferences, had journalists on board and stayed in the public eye for all to see. If anything happened to us, it would not go unnoticed.

We also strategically cooperated with friendly authorities and avoided unnecessarily provoking Israel. Although Israel applied pressure upon the Greek and Cypriot governments to stop us, they both responded that our project was perfectly legal, and that they had no right to interfere. With impeccable neutrality, the Cypriot government sent escorts to meet us, led us to a secure area of the Larnaca port, inspected us and our cargo and passengers, and escorted us out again when we were ready.

This assured both us and other concerned parties (especially Israel) that nothing and no one dangerous had been placed on board, although the primary purpose was to assure the Cypriot people of the same. Equally important, from our point of view, it removed any pretext for Israel to stop and board us. In fact, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arye Mekel specifically cited Cypriot assurances as a reason for Israel’s decision not to interfere with our voyage.

We also checked with U.S. authorities before our departure. Were we contravening any laws by accepting an invitation from the democratically elected but Hamas dominated government in Gaza? Were there any prohibitions about meeting with them? “No,” said both the State and Justice departments. Just don’t provide “material support” to them. “No problem,” we said. We don’t support any political parties, whether Hamas or Fateh, Republican or Democrat.

Finally, we made sure that we abided strictly by marine protocol, avoiding Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, and heading directly in from international waters. We even assisted Gaza in creating an official route of entry, issued by the Gaza Port Authority.

When we returned to Cyprus, Israel threatened to stop us if we offered passage to Palestinians. However, we pointed out that they, too, would be subject to Cypriot procedures upon arrival, and that we had to coordinate with Cyprus to assure that all our passengers met their requirements. Again, Israel chose not to interfere.

Since the heady days of August, two more voyages have taken place, on October 29 and November 7, with a newer and stronger boat. Although the former sailed under new threats from Israeli authorities, they once again chose not to follow through. The latter encountered no threats at all.

Did we really break the siege of Gaza? Is Gaza now open by sea?

We think so. Our first voyage, however important and historical, was largely symbolic. We cannot pretend that it improved the lives of Palestinians in any material way. However, each succeeding voyage tests the viability of the sea route and encourages others to follow in our wake.

We intend to follow through on our plans to open a permanent ferry service to Gaza, taking passengers and cargo in both directions. We are encouraging humanitarian relief organizations to stop sending supplies through Israel and send them by sea, so that they will not be subject to costly Israeli restrictions, warehousing and border closures. We are exploring the possibility of a dredger, to make Gaza port suitable for bigger vessels. The objective is simple: to assure that Palestinians in Gaza can exercise the same rights and freedoms as all peoples who live on the Mediterranean.

Beyond that, we are considering an airplane that will fly the same route as the ships, not entering Israeli or Egyptian air space, and landing at the airport that was built in Gaza soon after the Oslo agreement was signed. How about a couple of hot air balloons inflated in Gaza and floating to Hebron to exercise the right of Palestinians to travel between Gaza and the West Bank?

Sound impossible? Perhaps, but after breaking the siege of Gaza, how do we know what’s impossible anymore?

Paul Larudee is one of the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement.