The Gaza Journey

Day 28

2008-08-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

I hope you have enjoyed reading my Gaza blog as much as I have writing it and sharing with you the amazing experience of me and my fellow passengers who took part in the historic free Gaza Movement.

However, this is not the end but just a beginning of smashing the medieval Israeli-led siege which has enveloped the good people of Gaza.

When our two boats The Liberty and Free Gaza sail from this tiny Palestinian port in a few hours time we plan to keep the channel between Gaza and Cyprus open.

I am told that leaving Gaza may prove to be slightly more tricky than arriving ... the psychological warfare between us and Israel has begun already and last night the Zionist State's naval gun boats sailed into our view off the Gazan coast.

We are told there will be missile testing.

When will Israel realise this peace mission is NOT about them and never was!
I have made many friends in Gaza and I intend to return soon.

As I reflect over the last amazing week there are highlights which will remain with me forever like the moment we sailed into the harbour to be given a euphoric greeting by the besieged Palestinians.

And, just a couple of days ago I had the privilege of meeting Ismael Haniyeh, the Prime Minister, who handed me a gold medal marking our historic voyage ... eat your heart out Beijing!
He really made me feel like an Olympian but of course the real heroes in all of this are not the 'boat people' from the Free Gaza Movement.

The real heroes are the people of Gaza who rise to the challenge of surviving the brutal siege which intrudes on their lives daily. For them, every day is an act of resistance and defiance.
Despite this blockade and collective punishment the morale of the Palestinians in incredibly high and I have to say Hamas has managed to turn Gaza into one of the safest cities in the world.
Crime is down by 80 per cent since Hamas took control. Perhaps the mayors of New York and London should invite their Gazan counterpart over to ask him the secret.

I walked around Gaza freely, spoke openly, had brutally frank political discussions with Gazans in rallies, on the beach, in the soul ... I can't enjoy that sort of freedom of speech in any other Arab country.

Ramadan is approaching soon and to the people of Gaza may I say an early Ramadan Mabrook ... you will forever be in my prayers and in my heart.

See you soon, insh'allah.

May be it is about time we re-opened Gaza airport and smashed the Israeli air blockade as well ... now there's an idea!

Day 25

2008-08-28T09:37:00.001-07:00

I still cannot believe I am writing to you from Gaza. Since the Free Gaza Movement sailed its two boats into Palestinian waters the celebrations have not stopped and our groups have been very busy.

Today I joined some women, whose husbands, fathers and brothers are among the Israeli-held detainees, in a protest rally as a sign of solidarity in the hope that the Zionist State might show a little bit of humanity and release these political prisoners.

And yes, many - if not all - of them are political prisoners. This was reinforced today at the Gazan legislative council where we were told how 40 democratically elected MPs from Gaza are being held in Israeli jails having being kidnapped by the Zionist State for nothing more than being chosen to represent their people.

It is unbelievable - no wonder the Israelis like to shut out Western journalists from Gaza ... they really do not want the world to know what is happening here.

While I was doing this some of the other international peace activists were up at 4am to go fishing. The SS Free Gaza, with six Palestinian fishermen's boats, is currently 8-miles off the coast of Gaza as I write. I hear that they are being circled by three Israeli Dabur naval vessels. No shots have been fired and the fishing boats are continuing to exercise their right to fish and have not turned round.

The Oslo Accords allow Palestinian Gazans a 20-mile limit off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Currently the Navy is enforcing a 6-mile limit, so the Free Gaza Movement has broken that naval blockade, too.

And tomorrow we all intend to go to the Rafah crossing to demand the Egyptians open the border so we can get sick Palestinians out to receive urgent medical aid and make sure humanitarian aid on the other side can get in.

Egypt you have been put on notice - we are a determined group of peace activists who will stop at nothing ... especially brutal manmade barriers, blockades, walls and borders.

It is about time you and the rest of the Arab world started to show some solidarity with your Palestinian brothers and sisters. Do you really need to take lessons from a bunch of westerners in solidarity?

Mr Hosni Mubarak - time to rip down the borders.
You have been warned!

Day 24

2008-08-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, you would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know that I am writing to you today from Gaza.

I really was too overwhelmed yesterday to put pen to paper after the magnificent welcome me and my fellow peace activists from SS Liberty and SS Free Gaza received as we entered the port of Gaza ... the first ships to sail in since 1967.

But I really want to make one thing very clear to you here and now.

Israel did not give us permission to enter Gaza - the reality is they could NOT STOP us even if they tried.

And believe me some of the tactics to scupper our historic voyage were unbelievable.

Some of us, our family and friends have received death threats by telephone, text and emails while the whole Free Gaza Movement was targeted by Zionists lawyers who tried to sink our mission before it even began.

We were accused of being a front for a Hamas operated gunrunning venture and even Iran was accused of being party by supplying weapons.

Then Israel Foreign Minister Zvipi Livni made a snide comment a few days ago saying she hoped we could all swim while the Naval Commander announced he was running military exercises off the coast of Gaza and had thrown a 35-mile wide exclusion zone around.

As you know, we set off from Larnaca, determined but a little nervous on Friday and, in the dead of night, all of our communications went down ... satellite phones, radar etc. There we were sailing in rough seas, in the pitch black without any form of communication to the outside world.
It was psychological warfare but the Zionist scare tactics failed and driven by nothing more than people power and a couple of seaworthy engines the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty sailed into a tumultuous welcome in Gaza.

It was one of those defining moments in history - a bit like the first brick of the Berlin Wall being dislodged by ordinary citizens sick of the injustices imposed in a world run by political bullies.
All I could hear ringing in my ears was "Free, Free, Free Gaza and Allahu Akbar".

The emotion was unbelievable and the joy swept us all along on the crest of a gigantic Palestinian wave of delight and disbelief.

We have now smashed the medieval siege imposed by Israel but we will not stop.

Now we need to tear down the checkpoint and crossing at Rafah where so much humanitarian aid has arrived only to be refused entry.

The Egyptian Government should hang its head in shame that a bunch of largely white, non-Muslim westerners smashed the brutal siege by sea to reach the Palestinians and now they must do the same.

There were a few weasel words from Abu Mazen on the day we arrived ... why did the Palestinian leader take so long to send us a goodwill message? Was he waiting for the green light by his political masters in Washington and Tel Aviv? 'Fraid it was too little too late from a man who is doing his best to ignore the people of Gaza ... shame, shame, shame on you!
And as for the words of goodwill from the Arab League - back them up with hard cash to make this whole Free Gaza Movement permanent so we can open a ferry between Larnaca and Gaza which will run regularly.

Finally, a big thank you to all of you out there who have given us unstinting solidarity, support and encouragement.

It is time for the politicians to move aside and let the people take over - the people united will never be defeated.

Must dash - I am about to get my passport stamped with Gaza, Gaza City.

Day 21

2008-08-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

When I was captured by the Taliban just after the horrific events of 9/11 my mother captivated the world's media for the entire 10 days I was held in Afghanistan.

She did better than any international diplomat as she briefed the press morning, noon and night and virtually became Britain's best known mum overnight.

Several days into my detention, the then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called her to advise that her headline-grabbing over-the-garden-gate press conferences could jeopardise my life and so she should stop. Undeterred, she told the government minister to: "Get lost".

And when her local MP dropped by carrying the same message from Blair's government, he was given a nice cup of tea before she showed him the door as well.

So today, when one of the Free Gaza Movement organisers asked me if there was anyone who could act as a family spokesperson in the event of my arrest (or worse) I knew there was only one person I could turn to who would speak without fear or favour - my mum, the redoubtable Joyce Ridley.

And so, just a few hours ago, I made possibly one of the most difficult calls I've had to make to my mum. She already knew I was on the Free Gaza Movement peace mission thanks to a front page story in the Newcastle Journal, which was published before I had a chance to tell her.

In truth, she's not happy I am on board one of the two ships sailing to Gaza but this is what I said to her: "When the Holocaust was happening a lot of people around the world knew that atrocity against the Jewish people was taking place and yet they did nothing to stop the genocide. I was not around then, but even today there are those who still feel guilty because they sat back and did nothing.

"Well I am damned if I am going to sit back and do nothing as the slow genocide of Palestinians takes place in the world's largest open air concentration camp known as Gaza.

"I do not wield the power or influence of Tony Blair or any of the Quartet leaders. I do not have the power to order the Israeli soldiers to carry out the jack-boot policies of the Zionist State they serve without question.

"But I do have a voice and with every breath I will shout out loud about the injustices against the Palestinians and in particular the people of Gaza. One day we will all be held to account over the biggest crime against humanity of the 21st century.

"My only defence will be "I did what I could'.

I hope I am not arrested by the Zionist State because I don't want to have to put my 81-year-old mother through anymore stress again. I know she went through hell when I was arrested by the Taliban nearly seven years ago.

But, if things do go a wee bit pear-shaped I know Joyce Ridley will be a more effective international ambassador or envoy than that feckless, gutless, self-serving, deceiver Tony Blair or his cabal of Zionist cronies.

Day 20

2008-08-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

It is not every day a boat gets an official escort into port but the Free Gaza and the SS liberty were given the VIP treatment by the Cypriot Coast Guard during the early hours of this morning as we headed towards Larnaca.
By 8.30am we pulled into the commercial port and there we were finally re-united with the rest of the Free Gaza Movement activists.
But the moment for me was tinged with sadness as I gazed around looking for Hedy Epstein, the Jewish, Octogenarian Holocaust survivor who is one of the main personalities in our team.
The bad news is that Hedy fainted yesterday in the searing heat of Nicosia and was taken to hospital. The good news is that she signed herself out and is taking things easy for the moment.
I am still hopeful she will join us on board our mission to smash the siege of Gaza, but she apparently has left that decision to the rest of us ... that, in itself, is a true act of selflessness and solidarity: qualities which I have evidenced several times since joining the FGM group.
So keep your fingers crossed - I hope Hedy still joins us, but I understand there could be a few more surprise guests coming on board which will make it impossible for the Israeli authorities to deploy their usual style of jack-boot management should they wish to stop us.
I know my column is read closely everyday by assistants to politicians in the Knesset to try and gauge the mood of those on board our two boats.
Well, for their benefit, I can tell you we are determined more than ever to smash the medieval siege of Gaza which is denying basic humanitarian aid, food and medicines to the Palestinians in what can only be described as collective punishment.
This is our mood despite the personal threats to our safety, that of our families, friends and supporters. I can't go into too many specifics but the dirty tricks that have been deployed to subvert and undermine this mission have been numerous and without result.
Why is the Zionist State so determined to stop a group of peace activists sailing into Gaza? It is a burning question and one which the Zionist State does not want to answer.
You see they do not want Press TV cameras, or anyone else's media organisations going in to the world's largest open air prison to reveal the true horrors being endured by the Palestinians.
Israel is overseeing the slow genocide of a people who have never wronged the Jewish people but are being made to pay for the sins of Europeans who did.
If we can get our boats through the Israeli blockade safely to show our support to the Gazans, then everyone's a winner.
The latest tactic being used is that we peace activists are at risk of being shot at by Palestinian terrorists if we enter Gaza so, for our own safety, we can not go.
Look! if we are prepared to face down the Israeli gun boats then we are prepared for anything. We are all sensible, responsible adults who are prepared to do whatever it takes to get to Gaza.
I would have more to fear wondering into any one of the illegal Israeli settlements - we know from recent events, these settlements shield violent and dangerous thugs.
Should, however, the Zionist State use force against a peaceful mission it will reveal its true, ugly nature to the watching world - and believe me the world will be watching through live streaming on board.
I've no doubt we will be talking tactics tonight, but in the meantime we are so happy to be finally united as one group.
Paul Larudee, one of the leaders of the FGM, said: "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."
After a thorough inspection of both boats, the port authority 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.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone in the region with a boat joined our flotilla of peace and descended into Gazan waters?
Just imagine, if the Israeli Navy does get stroppy which boat will they try and stop?
Please allow me to remind you of Pastor Martin Neimoller's poem, it is so relevant to what is happening in Gaza today:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists ,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Please, remain silent no longer. Shout out your support to the Free Gaza Movement, shout out your support for the Palestinians and help us in any way you can ... trust me we will hear you and be encouraged.

Boats break Gaza siege

2008-08-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

A group of peace activists on board two boats have broken the Israeli imposed blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israel had earlier announced that it would not allow the convoy of more than 40 activists to enter the Gaza Strip and ordered the Israeli Navy to confront it. But it had to change its decision.
The boats carried humanitarian supplies including hearing aids for children whose hearing systems have been damaged by Israeli bombs and sonic booms.

The boats entered Gaza's territorial waters on Saturday afternoon.

Tel Aviv also announced that it would act about future similar measures individually.

The Liberty and Free Gaza boats started their trip on Friday.

The activists had earlier said Israel had jammed their communication systems, saying the regime is trying to sabotage their efforts.

In a statement the group said Israel scrambled the boats communication systems adding that
"We are not experienced sailors. As a result, there is concern about the health and safety of the people on board."

"Thousands of people have gathered together to welcome the peace activists who just arrived in Gaza", Yousef El-Helou, the Press TV correspondent in Gaza reported.

"We've entered Gazan waters. We're flying the Palestinian flag, and we now believe that we're going to reach the shores of Gaza very soon. I missed the start of the Berlin Wall coming down by just a few days, but now I know how people felt when they tore down those first few bricks.
Today is a huge victory of people over power," Press TV's presenter and journalist Yvonne Ridley who was on board one of the boats, had said earlier Saturday.

It is the first time that a NGO has managed to practically break the year-long siege of the Gaza Strip.

Israel imposed the blockade on the coastal are after Hamas took control of the area.
The team of activists includes high-profile people such as Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor.

Day 19

2008-08-20T02:42:00.000-07:00

By Yvonne Ridley

I have been at sea now for more than 24 hours since the Free Gaza sailed from the last of the Greek island ports en route for Cyprus.

Life on board is beginning to test us all now but morale is still very high and our bonds as a team are growing stronger.

We probably all pong since there are no shower or bathing facilities on board and I haven’t had a good scrub for three days at least.

There are a couple of toilets, but I’m feeling slightly queasy at the moment so we’ll skip those details.

Living conditions as you’ve probably gathered are very basic and below decks is so hot and humid that most of us prefer to sleep on deck.

It is amazing how the body can adapt to a hard deck and the roll of the sea, but when you are so tired sleeping comes easy.

Meals are communal affairs, standing around the midship talking about a variety of subjects although Gaza is never very far away.

Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has assumed the role of ship’s chef and I step in as her able assistant … eat your heart out ‘Kitchen goddess’ Nigella Lawson!

Most of the food suits the dietary needs of the vegan and vegetarians on board, all very simple and healthy, but I have to admit I am craving for some halal steak or lamb chops and film-maker Aki Nawaz says he’s dreaming of chicken!

Today we had a tactical meeting covering a variety of “what if” scenarios with a veteran campaigner of the International Solidarity Movement which was founded in 2001 to act in support of Palestinian non-violent resistance.

There’s a few ISM people on board from across Europe as well a retired American film producer and executive. And there’s myself and Aki Nawaz who are capturing all the excitement as well as the mundane to make a documentary of the mission for Press TV.

Just to remind you, our mission is to smash the medieval siege of Gaza using two boats called the SS Liberty and the Free Gaza.

By tomorrow morning (Wednesday) we should have reached Cyprus to pick up the rest of the international activists including Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein and co-organiser Greta Berlin who make up the Free Gaza Movement.

I can’t wait for when we are all reunited and finally put to sea for Palestinian waters.

I told you yesterday how Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has acknowledged that our mission is peaceful but has said we should handover any humanitarian aid for Israel to distribute.

Well Ms Livni, I don’t think we can trust you dear.

News has just reached me that the Scottish delegation which had a lorry load of aid for Gaza has been forced to turn back … after being detained at the Rafah Border for more than a month.

Quite frankly Ms Livni, speaking for myself now, you disgust me. Tell me why you and your government refused to let in medical aid bought by the good people of Scotland?

Your weasel words reveal you to be a liar of the worst kind – one without heart or compassion for the children of Gaza. You are a woman of straw and can not be trusted.

I thought your type had been dealt with at Nuremberg after the Second World War.

And yet today, to the eternal shame of the rest of the world, Ms Livni and her Zionist colleagues are overseeing the slow genocide of the Palestinians.

Probably just as well you did not accept the Free Gaza invitation to join our peace mission – I couldn’t have stood the smell of burning sulphur!

* More information about the FGM can be found on the website www.freegaza.org

18 Aug.

2008-08-20T02:40:00.001-07:00

By Yvonne Ridley

Israel’s Foreign minister Tzipi Livni has warned the Free Gaza Movement that she will not tolerate plans by the international peace campaigners to sail in to Palestine.

In a long message sent to the peace activists yesterday, the foreign minister’s department was responding to an open invitation to Ms Livni to come on board either the SS Liberty or Free Gaza.

As you know, I am on board the Free Gaza which is presently heading for Cyprus where around 20 other international peace activists are waiting to join the floating peace mission.

Organizers are now confident of reaching Gaza, the world’s largest open air prison, by the weekend and were last night undeterred by the warning signals coming out of Livni’s office.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Zionist military officials say they will forcefully block our two boats if we try to break the medieval siege.

I can say with growing confidence, that the mood on board is defiant, but peaceful, and we will use the tactics adopted by Ghandi to repel any violence or aggression shown towards us.

I mentioned this to an old friend of mine, intelligence expert and acclaimed author of Gideon’s Spies, Gordon Thomas. After making a few calls himself he told me that Israel is in “no mood to put up with a group of peace activists who are trying to embarrass them.

“I am afraid Yvonne, if you and your friends do not comply then they will get tough. If you don’t turn back into international waters they will board your boats and tow you into Haifa.

“They are aware that Press TV, an Iranian broadcaster is on board, and you will not be treated like the BBC.”

According to the Foreign Ministry, Israel is within its rights to use force against us.

Well, all I can say is: “Bring it on”! We are not sailing into Israeli waters and therefore do not need or seek the permission of the Zionist State to enter Gaza.
Our boats will be checked by the relevant authorities before we sail and they will confirm we are armed with nothing more than goodwill and humanitarian aid for our Palestinian friends.

This is not a political mission and therefore we are not supporting any political groups.

However, I can tell you that the whole world will be watching the behaviour the Zionist State and how it treats peaceful people.

And we will have a web cam on board so you will be able to see for yourself what happens.

Day 15

2008-08-18T00:47:00.000-07:00

As we sail from one secret location in the Greek islands to another I must say I am a wee bit concerned about the color of my lifejacket.

Now I know you would think my mind might be more focused on other burning issues ... like are we ever going to get to Cyprus to pick up the rest of our group? Or will we ever get to see Gaza's coastline and if we do, will we make it to the beaches? But the reason for today's particular focus is that news has just reached me on yet another shameful excuse the Israeli military has used for
firing upon a news team. First of all, let me remind you about the death of a Reuters cameraman.

Israeli military officials who investigated his death have now decided to take no further action against the tank crew that killed Fadel Shana and wounded his soundman Wafa Abu Mizyed in Gaza in April 2008.

Arab Media Watch, the International Federation of Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists and other media watchdogs are calling for a full, independent inquiry. But what is really sad, is that most of the Western media has failed to report this latest shocking development. As AMW says, this is surprising given its life-threatening implications for all journalists reporting from the occupied Palestinian territories.

I certainly hope it does not deter the media from joining our venture to report our progress in breaking the siege of Gaza. Anyway, if I can return to the color of my lifejacket - it is navy blue and the reason I am slightly concerned is that the Israeli military claim that the tank crew which attacked the Reuters news team, was justified in its actions because the blue flack jackets worn by Shana and Abu Mizyed were "common to Palestinian terrorists." So I am today giving fair warning to the Israeli Navy, the peace activists on board the Free Gaza and the SS Liberty will all be wearing navy-colored lifejackets. Fire on you and us are firing on a peace-loving group of activists who are not armed, or dangerous and present absolutely no threat to the fourth largest military in the world.

Should we be unlucky enough to end in the sea our blue jackets will then inflate to reveal a bright orange color. Each jacket has a whistle which by anyone's standards is not a weapon. I just want to write this down for the record because it seems that Israel can silence the media with bombs and bullets and then come out with the most ridiculous defense for its disgusting actions. And for those more interested in the progress of our trip, I can say it has now taken on a new momentum since we left Chania in Crete.

For my landlubber friends waiting so patiently in Larnaca I can say with confidence that we are only days away from being reunited. And then, dear readers, we will be Gaza bound to smash the medieval blockade. By the way, to those of you who have responded so generously to my calls for funds to continue the Free Gaza project, thank you very much. And to those of you who want to support us further please check out the www.freegraza.org website.

Day 14

2008-08-16T01:50:00.000-07:00

ISRAEL will stop at nothing to thwart the Free Gaza Movement.

And as our two-boat mission continues to head towards Cyprus there have been several attempts to undermine the heroic campaign to smash the siege of Gaza.

For instance, earlier this week someone fired a rocket at Israel from Gaza in defiance of the Hamas-brokered truce.

I can also tell you that whoever did fire the rocket into the Zionist State was also working for the Zionist State.

Yes, sadly, there are collaborators inside Gaza and the rocket firing was not only an attempt to wreck the cease-fire, it was a deliberate ploy to scupper the Free Gaza Movement which is gathering world attention and support.

As someone who has written about and studied the activities of intelligence agencies across the world for more than two decades, I can tell you that since the demise of the East German Stasi, there is no other spy agency as skilled at the art of black propaganda as Israel's Mossad.

And I see my conclusion is also shared by a senior leader in Hamas, Dr Mahmud Zahar, who has criticised the rocket attack from Gaza in violation of a seven-week-old calm.

He said: "I think those who are responsible are those who collaborate with Israel because there is a consensus by all Palestinian groups to respect the truce."

The rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in an empty field outside the southern Israeli city of Sderot, causing no casualty or damage on Monday evening.

Speaking to Gaza radio station, Dr Zahar said whoever launched the rocket was "linked to Israel as they provide a pretext to exercise pressure on the Palestinian people."

And, of course, for every action there is a reaction by the Zionist State which uses such attacks to justify its vile actions. The following day Israel squeezed the immense pressure already exerted on the people of Gaza by closing the Nahal Oz crossing to Gaza Strip that is used to ferry in fuel and the Sufa passage for food deliveries to the impoverished and blockaded territory.

On his part, MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against the siege, strongly denounced the Israeli decision to close the crossings, stating that the Gaza commercial crossings are already paralyzed despite the calm.

In a press statement, Khudari underlined that the Gaza crossings especially Al-Mintar (Karni) crossing must remain open around the clock for more than a year in order to end the effects of the Israeli siege imposed on the Strip two years ago. The lawmaker also pointed out that Gaza needs more than 400 trucks laden with raw materials necessary for various industrial sectors.
Of course all this has given Israel yet another excuse to tighten its merciless grip on the world's largest open air prison, and firing the rocket has given the Israeli Navy a good excuse to try and stop our seaborne mission to smash the siege of Gaza using two boats - the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty.

Their efforts will, of course, be in vain because as regular readers of this blog know, the Free Gaza Movement activists are determined to let nothing stop them in their peaceful mission to reach the people of Gaza by sea.

We are not asking permission to enter Israel. We pose absolutely no threat to Israel. We just want to reach the beach on the Gaza Strip with messages of peace, goodwill and some hearing aids for all those Palestinian children with hearing problems caused by Israeli bombs.

Of course the collaborators who fired the rocket into Israel earlier this week have not helped our cause, but I wonder just what pressure the Zionist State put on them to do this destructive action.

I only say this because of a report released just a few days ago which revealed Israel's secret police are pressuring Palestinians in Gaza to spy on their community in exchange for urgent medical treatment.

The report was released by an Israeli human rights organisation. Physicians for Human Rights says the Shin Bet began interrogating Palestinian patients seeking permission to travel from Gaza to Israel for crucial medical help after Israel blockaded and then declared the tiny territory an enemy entity more than a year ago.

Typically, patients are taken to a small, windowless room, underground, beneath the security terminal at Erez, the only passenger crossing that remains open between Gaza and Israel, where they are questioned by Shin Bet agents for hours, the report says.

Refusal to cooperate often results in the denial of medical treatment. Based on the testimonies of more than 30 Palestinians - 11 of which are published - the report says the Shin Bet is using coercion and extortion to force patients to collaborate.

So you see, Israel's intelligence services are capable of anything and believe me, I could write much more on what they've tried to do to stop us but that can wait until another day.

In the meantime our focus is Gaza and getting there, insh'Allah.

* Yvonne Ridley and film-maker Aki Nawaz are on board the Free Gaza and the SS Liberty making a documentary for Press TV about the journey from the Greek islands to Cyprus and then on to Gaza.

Day 13

2008-08-16T01:48:00.000-07:00

The first leg of our seaborne journey was completed early this morning after a night sailing in stormy waters which really tested the endurance of the Free Gaza and SS Liberty following our departure from the port of Chania in Crete.

We are now docked in another secret location in the Greek islands - sorry but there are genuine concerns for the security of our two boats so I can say no more about our location.

We have already been delayed by a few days but I am happy to say we are all as determined as ever to smash the brutal Israel blockade strangling the good people of Gaza.

News reports are scarce out at sea but I've just heard that America, Britain and France, fresh from their recent war games in the Atlantic Ocean are now preparing for a naval blockade of Iran giving rise to speculation in the region of war in the Persian Gulf area.

Well I know for sure that Iran is not Gaza. It is armed and has a capable navy ready to repel such nonsense on its own doorstep.

But, as I write I am told that the Western armada steaming towards Iran includes a US Navy super-carrier battle group, a US Navy expeditionary carrier battle group, a Royal Navy carrier battle group, a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine plus a large number of US Navy cruisers, destroyers and frigates playing the "enemy force".

I suppose it makes our little two-boat armada of the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty seem incredibly tiny, but I can tell you when it comes to determination, sheer guts and a total conviction of what we're doing is right then we totally out gun the bullying super powers.

You see all those sailors heading towards the Persian Gulf will have grave doubts about their mission and where it will end ... there's already talk of a Third World War erupting. US servicemen are increasingly going absent without leave and the suicide rate among the young military is increasingly high because of the Vietnam-style quagmire they've already got themselves into in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, the crews of the Free Gaza campaign have no such doubts about our mission and why it must succeed. And, despite the enormous challenges we're still together.

And who knows, after we break the siege of Gaza may be we should then head towards the Persian Gulf and give the US navy a demonstration of the power of peaceful resistance.
Well perhaps I am getting ahead of myself now.

The one thing I do envy though is the enormous military aid thrown at the Persian Gulf-bound armada - I don't suppose you'll ever see the US Navy trying to raise funds at a bring and buy sale.

Well I don't mind admitting that our Free Gaza campaign was launched on a shoestring budget and floats thanks to cash gifts from our global supporters - but if you do fancy giving us some more help then go on to our website www.freegaza.com and buy a gallon or so of fuel or sponsor a leg of our journey.

And once we smash the Israeli blockade we really want to keep the shipping lanes open between Gaza and the rest of the world so intend to run a regular route to and from Cyprus and other ports in the region. So please donate and help keep our boats afloat.

Yvonne Ridley and film-maker Aki Nawaz are making a documentary about the Free Gaza campaign for Press TV.

Day 12

2008-08-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

By the time you read this our two boats, the Free Gaza and SS Liberty should be sailing from Chania's old port in Crete despite a gloomy forecast of storms ahead.

Our captains have decided it is time to quit our dock for security reasons and so we are heading along the Crete coastline on our way to pick up the rest of our passengers who have been waiting patiently in Cyprus.

We could be in for a rough ride, but without going into too much detail, we probably are more at risk by not moving.

Israel has a history of using Mossad and Kidon to sabotage and destroy peaceful operations designed to help or show solidarity towards Palestinians.

From Crete we will head towards larnaca, Cyprus to pick up the rest of our group and then we are bound for Gaza to break the medieval siege imposed by Israel.

Media interest is once again gathering momentum and there are those who want to join us on board while others are considering hiring their own boats ... the more the merrier. Wouldn't it be great if we had a huge flotilla?

However, there are concerns from the media because Israel has a history of shooting, killing, and arresting journalists who try to report the truth about the brutal occupation of Palestine.

I was reminded of this only this morning as I read a release a few minutes ago from Reporters Without Borders. The human rights group was condemning today's announcement by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to detain Ibrahim Hamad, a soundman employed by the Palestinian news agency Ramattan, for six months without bringing charges and without taking him before any court.

Hamad was arrested by Israeli soldiers at his home in Qalandiyah, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on July 15. “The Israeli military may not under any circumstances arrest journalists or media assistants without giving a reason,” Reporters Without Borders said.

“If they think a journalist has done something wrong, they must say what it is and they must explain why they are arresting him. We call for Hamad's immediate release.”

When reached by Reporters Without Borders, the management of Ramattan firmly condemned his arrest and called for his release.

They also called on the Israeli authorities to explain why they are holding him. “This is not the first time that one of our employees has been arrested by the Israeli military,” the agency said.

Israeli boasts it is a democracy ... these are not the actions of a democratic state. These are the actions of a brutal state which tries to crush those dedicated to telling the truth about the full horrors of the Zionist regime and its determination to see through its deliberate and slow genocide of the Palestinian people.

We will be able to see in a few days time exactly how the Israelis react to a group of peaceful activists who want to sail into Gaza armed with nothing more than love and support for their Palestinian brothers and sisters.

If Israel is really a free and open democracy then its Navy will let us past, Mossad will stop trying to sabotage our journey and all of the journalists on board, including myself, will be able to report the truth about what is happening in the world's largest open air prison called Gaza.
In the meantime, I would urge the IOF to release our brother Ibrahim Hamad and allow him to continue his media work.

Day 11

2008-08-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Apologies to all, I was just too depressed to relay my latest news about the Free Gaza Campaign ... our seaborne mission to smash the Israeli siege has been delayed yet again, by bad weather.

Ken O'Keefe, one of the several captains to skipper the SS liberty and SS Free Gaza, reckons that conditions in the Mediterranean would prove too risky to set sail from Crete for Cyprus until later in the week.

"Safety comes first," he said in his coffee smooth, American accent.

The irony was not lost on several of us who fully expect to be facing down Israeli gunships very soon.

I was absolutely crestfallen and being told to swab the decks, clean the heads (toilets) and empty the rubbish bags did nothing to lift my spirits this morning.

After carrying out my chores along with everyone else, I decided to have a word with Captain Ken and he turned out to be just as amazing as many of the passengers.

He is a striking man with an amazing array of politically inspired tattoos. He also insists he is an Irishman with a passport from the Emerald Isle to prove it.

However, I can reveal he was actually born a US citizen and periodically burns his American passport to symbolically disown his country of origin.

The good captain describes himself as a citizen of the world and has no time for such a war-mongering, imperialistic entity as the United States, hence the change of nationality - lucky man has an Irish granny.

The funny thing is it seems the US does not want to let go of a potential tax payer and so his passport is renewed as a reminder of his fiscal obligations. Uncle Sam refuses to let him go.
We talked in the old harbor of Chania, Crete yesterday about the tactics he may have to employ when we sail into the waters off Gaza.

I will not go in to detail, but suffice to say he is as committed to this project as everyone else on board, and it seems putting his life on the line for humanity is nothing new.

Ken was one of nearly 100 human shields who went to Baghdad before 'Shock and Awe' was unleashed during the illegal invasion of Iraq, and although he was deported just before the war started, he was prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice.

"I don't want to die, but there comes a time when you have to take responsibility as a citizen of the world. I am not a violent man but I can not stand by and watch the sufferings of others and do nothing," he told me.

And, of course, like all of us out here in Crete and Cyprus, he does not want to die. In fact, Captain Ken has a great deal to live for - his Palestinian wife is five months pregnant.

Well I might have blisters on my hands, housemaid's knee and bleach stains on my clothes, but talking to the captain of our ship yesterday really cheered me up.

That and the news hundreds of people turned out to a press conference in Gaza earlier this week to discuss the arrival of the Free Gaza boats which will, Insh'allah, smash the Israeli blockade to break into the world's largest open air prison.

We are not going to let high winds get us down too much - so please keep the faith and see you all soon in Gaza.

Day 9

2008-08-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

I started becoming politically aware as a child when I heard mention of the name Nelson Mandela and, depending on your viewpoint, he was either a heroic freedom fighter or a terrorist.
As I began entering my teens the whole grotesque business of Apartheid South Africa became more and more apparent and even more abhorrent in my eyes.

Why should someone be discriminated against on the color of their skin ... well that's like picking on someone because they're of a different faith, I thought.

Public awareness, boycott campaigns, political pressure, ordinary folk mobilizing and putting their lives at risk to highlight the struggle of black South Africans made headlines.

Of course, we know how the brutality of that Apartheid regime came crashing down and today no one speaks about Nelson Mandela other than in glowing terms.

Parallels are now being drawn with the Anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa and the demand for justice for Palestinians.

Israel is no longer seen as a victim but a jack-booted thug, bully and oppressor.

International outrage and cries for justice are growing ever louder and I can see public opinion turning away from the Zionist state on a daily basis - gone are the days of 'plucky little Israel' fighting for its very existence.

No one believes anymore that it will be driven into the seas. (Personally, I believe it will implode. It is a failed state which can only thrive on the misery and injustice of others).

Judging by the positive media our Free Gaza Movement is receiving it is quite obvious the tide of public opinion is turning just as it did against the oppressive regime in South Africa.

But in the meantime it has to be said that Mahmoud Abbas is no Mandela. He sits, almost in silence as the atrocities against his own people are continuing which makes me realize how vital is the success of our peaceful mission.

Despite a few minor hiccups delaying our launch, we will be sailing from Crete for Cyprus and then on to Palestine to smash the siege of Gaza using two boats crewed by an international brigade of peace activists from across the world.

We have been told to expect thousands of Palestinians taking to the beaches in Gaza to give us a welcome when our two boats SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty arrive.

Sadly, one face not among the crowds will be that of 12-year-old Mohamed Bahloul who is lying in a shabby, hospital ward in Gaza. He is suffering from kidney failure and is hooked up to a dilapidated dialysis machine which barely operates.

Sadly, Mohamed's case is all too common.

Welcome to the reality of life in Gaza - despite the ceasefire between the Hamas government in Gaza and Israel that ensured that homemade rockets are no longer fired at southern Israeli towns. Despite this ceasefire, there is no respite from poverty and the medieval siege in Gaza. And what's more the situation is getting worse by the day.

Hospitals are lacking equipment and medicine, and neither Israel nor Egypt allows Palestinians fro m Gaza suffering from life threatening illnesses to travel freely, and on a regular basis. Now even water in Gaza is polluted beyond foreseeable remedy.

"If there is a stronger word than catastrophe, I would use that word," said Nader al-Khateeb, the Palestinian director of Friends of the Earth Middle East. The catastrophe is a "result of Gaza's dilapidated water and sewage infrastructure undermined by [Israeli] attacks and fuel blockades."

This slow genocide of the people of Gaza is a shame to all of us.

And if, in any tiny way, our little peace mission to smash the Israeli blockade of Gaza, can relieve some of the suffering then we will have achieved a minor victory.

Because what I do know is that the Arab leaders in the region are doing nothing to help the plight of their brothers and sisters in Palestine.

And Western politicians may dismiss our efforts as amateurish, but at least we are doing something positive.Their achievements have amounted to very little after 60 years of diplomacy.

Some of the most disgusting behavior has come from neighboring Egypt as I mentioned yesterday when I attacked Hosni Mubarak a man who dances to the tunes played by the US and Israeli pipers.

In the meantime, Hamas is regularly derided for human rights violations reported in Gaza, which are now being used retrospectively to justify the brutal Israeli siege. At the same time, Mahmoud Abbas's party hardly receives any reprimand for its brutality towards its own people.
In truth, Abbas is a US controlled puppet who sits over an extremely corrupt regime bankrolled by America and other donors.

According to some western media reports, you might be forgiven for thinking that the conflict is entirely the fault of rival Palestinians, with the Zionist state being nothing more than an innocent observer which has to put up with its noisy neighbors.

However, let me remind you of the words of UN Special rapporteur on human rights, John Dugard who wrote last year, "The question whether Gaza remains an occupied territory is now of academic interest only.

In the course of the cynically named "Operation Summer Rains" that commenced on 25 June, the IDF has not only asserted its control in Gaza by means of heavy shelling, but has also done so by means of a military presence."

Make no mistake; Israel is presiding over a slow genocide of the people who exist in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, I am told to watch out for new tactics from the Zionist military as they attempt to stop our boats from sailing into Gaza in a few days time.

Reports have just reached me that a couple of days ago as Palestinians, internationals and Israeli activists demonstrated against the Israeli Apartheid wall in Bi'lin. Soldiers began to spray an unknown substance over the demonstrators from a truck.

The liquid was discolored and foul smelling and a number of demonstrators vomited and many had to leave the area, as the stench was so unbearable. As demonstrators withdrew, soldiers also fired tear gas canisters at them.

This, apparently is a new low in the tactics deployed by the fourth largest army in the world ... a cowardly army which uses live rounds to kill and maim women and children.
Activists are awaiting results from analysis of the liquid samples that were collected during the demonstration and naturally, I have a personal interest in knowing their contents.

But all of this behavior from these silly men in uniforms only makes me more determined than ever to step on to the beach of Gaza. And once I get there the first person I am going to ask about is our little brother who is hooked up to a dialysis machine. Hang in there, Mohamed.
PS: Apologies to the wonderful Uri Davies who I interviewed the first day I arrived in Cyprus to join the Free Gaza Movement. I referred to him as an Israeli Jew. He says he is neither - he is in fact a Palestinian-Hebrew (citizen of the apartheid state of Israel and of the allegedly democratic monarchy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - NOT an "Israeli").

Glad that is sorted!

Mary Hughes Thompson

2008-08-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

Nationality: Canadian

Mary was born in Bolton, England and immigrated to Canada, then to the United States. She is a member of the Writer’s Guild in Los Angeles, a licensed pilot and a proud grandmother. She’s been to the occupied West Bank six times, and this will be her seventh trip and her first to Gaza. In 2002, she was beaten by illegal settlers from Itamar near Yanoon, where she was helping Palestinian farmers harvest their olives.

'SS Liberty' Sails to Challenge Israel

2008-08-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2008Military.comby Bryant Jordan

Forty-one years after the American surveillance ship USS Liberty was napalmed, torpedoed and strafed by Israeli naval and air forces during the Six-Day War, another "Liberty" will be setting out from a Cyprus port in August to try to break through the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The "SS Liberty" is one of two ships -- along with "SS Free Gaza" -- that will be carrying an international group opposed to Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel imposed the blockade just over a year ago.

Karin Pally, a spokeswoman in Los Angeles for the group Free Gaza Movement, said the ship was named in honor of 34 Sailors and Marines killed in the attack and to help bring the Gaza
issue home to Americans.

Jim Ennes, an officer aboard the original Liberty and author of the book Assault on the Liberty said he was invited to take part in the protest sailing to Gaza but was not able to make it.
Until contacted by Military.com for comment, Ennes was unaware that organizers had named one of the ships after the Liberty, but he said he is "absolutely" pleased with the move and wishes he could be there.

Israel attacked the Liberty on June 8, 1967, later saying they thought it was an Egyptian vessel -- though survivors and others have long said the Israeli pilots and sailors knew exactly who they targeted.

The U.S. Navy began telling families of the American dead that the attack was accidental even before it convened an official board of inquiry, which about 10 days later delivered that same finding, according to Navy documents.

Six years ago the legal affairs adviser to the board, retired Capt. Ward Boston, broke his silence to say the investigation was a sham, and that the final version was altered to exonerate the Israelis. Boston died in June.

Pally said the two ships will include about 40 passengers from 16 countries, including Israel and the United States.

"Everyone is committed to non-violence," she said of the participants. "The Free Gaza Movement has arranged with a third party security expert to completely secure and search the boats before they leave Cyprus to make sure there are no weapons or anything dangerous aboard."

The larger of the two ships, the SS Free Gaza, will be equipped with a Web cam and will be posting streaming video to their Web site -- www.freegaza.org -- during the voyage, Pally said.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2008-08-10T03:59:00.000-07:00

SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty Arrive in Chania, Crete,Saturday, 9 August at 21:00 p.m.
For further information, contact:
+6932 766496 for directions or Greta Berlin, +357 99 08 17 67

Nicosia/Lefkosia, Cyprus, August 9. The Free Gaza Movement announced yesterday that their boats, the SS FREE GAZA and the SS LIBERTY, destined to break the Israeli siege of Gaza, will arrive in Chania, Crete, today, Saturday, August 9, at 9 p.m. where a press conference will be held to welcome them, near Souda Bay’s US Sixth Fleet and NATO base.

Human rights activists Lauren Booth (sister in law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair), Huwaida Arraf (a Palestinian-American residing in Ramallah, Palestine), and Jeff Halper (an Israeli Jew nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for opposing demolitions of Palestinian homes) will be available at the press conference for interviews.

"This will be the first time that our two boats will be publicly displayed and photographers are welcome to come, take photos and post their images." said Paul Larudee, on board the boats sailing toward Chania. "Internationals are gathering across the world – in Beijing and Cyprus – with the common dream of peace and justice for everyone."

Some survivors of USS Liberty request: “What is the possibility of you and the crew of the SS Liberty throwing 34 long stemmed roses into the sea as a memorial to the 34 Americans killed aboard the USS Liberty? We will pay for the roses or whatever else you have in mind. The survivors of the Liberty and their families would be eternally grateful to you and your ship mates for this gesture as no one has ever done anything like this before.” Another wrote: “I am one of the survivors of the USS Liberty. A very tired man, who woke up somewhat when I heard of the SS Liberty. I was the petty officer in charge of the body recovery and identification, and I remember it almost like it was yesterday. May God Be With You.” So, when we leave Cyprus next week, we hope to have a ceremony for all of those Americans (whose names we shall read out) killed by the Israelis on board the ship in 1967.

For more information: www.freegaza.org – live video streaming will soon be available
Media: http://www.freegaza.org/index.php?language=EN&module=latest_news

Free Gaza Movement Welcoming Ceremony

2008-08-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday 10th August 2008

Dear all,

On behalf of the Free Gaza Boat, The Palestinian International Campaign To End The Siege On Gaza and The Popular Committee Against Siege would warmly like to invite you to participate in our cultural activities that will take place at the Gaza port "Fishermen Port" to be held on 10th of August 2008 next Sunday at 6:30pm till 8:30pm. The activities will be launched by The Popular Committee and The Palestinian International Campaign to End the Siege in co-ordination with a number of local NGOs. These activities represent the pre-welcoming phase to the arrival of Free Gaza Boat.

A press conference will be held during the event.

We appreciate your attendance with great gratitude.

Day 8

2008-08-10T02:28:00.001-07:00

HOORAH! The hour has arrived ... by the time you read this I should be onboard one of the two boats bound for Gaza to break the Israeli-enforced siege.
At around 9pm on Saturday evening the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty sailed in to the idyllic port of Chania on the Greek island of Crete, where film-maker Aki Nawaz and myself have been marooned for the past few days. Actually we can't complain too much - this is an amazing location ... and completely free of the drunken British drongos who usually engulf the Mediterranean at this time of year.
We linked up in Chania with fellow passengers journalist Lauren Booth (aka Tony Blair's sister-in-law), Palestinian-American Huwaisa Arraf who lives in Ramallah and the remarkable Jeff Halper, an Israeli Jew nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for opposing demolitions of Palestinian homes. It's a very exciting day for Aki Nawaz and myself - not only do we finally get to find our sea legs, but it is the first time that the two boats have been publically displayed.
On board already to greet us was co-organiser of the Free Gaza Movement, Paul Larudee and a group of other activists.
The plan now is to sail to Larnaca in Cyprus where we will pick up the bulk of the other Free Gaza campaigners who number nearly 40 and represent 15 different nationalities - our country's flags will be hoisted up the masts. But before we head to Gaza from Cyprus there's another more poignant ceremony to do.
As you know, one of our boats is called the Liberty in memory of the USS Liberty which was bombed, napalmed and torpedoed by Israel during the Seven Day War.
I wrote about the incident in a previous blog about how 34 US naval men were killed and 172 injured. Well it turns out that some of the survivors have heard about our plans to smash the siege of Gaza and they've made a request. One wrote: “What is the possibility of you and the crew of the SS Liberty throwing 34 long stemmed roses into the sea as a memorial to the 34 Americans killed aboard the USS Liberty?
"The survivors of the Liberty and their families would be eternally grateful to you and your ship mates for this gesture as no one has ever done anything like this before.” Another wrote: “I am one of the survivors of the USS Liberty. A very tired man, who woke up somewhat when I heard of the SS Liberty. I was the petty officer in charge of the body recovery and identification, and I remember it almost like it was yesterday. May God Be With You.”
So, when we leave Cyprus early next week, we hope to have a ceremony for all of those killed by the Israelis on board the ship in 1967. Co-organiser Greta Berlin says the names of the dead will also be read out. Jim Ennes, an officer aboard the original Liberty and author of the book Assault on the Liberty was invited to take part in Free Gaza campaign to smash Israel's siege by peaceful means.

Until our project was launched he was unaware that organizers had named one of the ships after the Liberty, but he is said to be "absolutely" pleased with the move and wishes he could be there.

Just to fill you in a little more on the background of the USS Liberty - this is one massacre the White House never commemorates because there has been, and continues to be, a huge cover-up.
While the Bush Administration loves to make a big deal about the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole on October 12 2000 while it was berthed in Aden, Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed, nothing is ever mentioned about the deliberate attack on the Liberty.
You tell me what is the difference between an act of state sponsored terrorism or terrorism carried out by individuals - innocents die in both and the death of innocents is to be condemned at all times. The fact is Israel deliberately attacked the Liberty on June 8, 1967, later saying they thought it was an Egyptian vessel - though survivors and others have long said the Israeli pilots and sailors knew exactly who they targeted.

The US Navy began telling families of the American dead that the attack was accidental even before it convened an official board of inquiry, which about 10 days later delivered that same finding, according to Navy documents.

Only six years ago the legal affairs adviser to the board, retired Capt. Ward Boston, broke his silence to say the investigation was a sham, and that the final version was altered to exonerate the Israelis. Boston died in June.

Personally, I think we should also drop a rose into the water for him for finally having the courage to tell the truth.

A lot of deceit and lies have floated to the surface since the Free Gaza Movement launched its campaign two years ago. Now, at last, the dream and vision of the organisers has become a reality - we are on our way to Gaza armed with nothing more than a vision of peace and a desire to expose the truth. And, as we are beginning to find out, telling the truth in these treacherous times is becoming an act of resistance in itself.
* For more information: www.freegaza.org – live video streaming will soon be available. And since funds are now running low, if you can donate towards this amazing project then please do so. This breaking the siege og Gaza is not a one off - the aim of the campaign is to raise awareness as well as open a direct sailing route between the people of Gaza and Cyprus.

We brave death to break the Gaza siege

2008-08-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

Press TV producer and presenter Yvonne Ridley talks to George Galloway from a gulf in Greek waters. Yvonne and her fellow peace activists are sailing to Gaza to break the Israeli blockade of the coastal strip and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

George Galloway: Why is she in a Greek gulf? Is she sheltering from a storm to come? However, she cannot shelter from the storms still to come because they are to sail all the way to Gaza.

May God go with them and certainly, they have the highest hopes of all good people from all around the world. Here, we have Yvonne Ridley as the first caller on Comment this evening. Hello Yvonne Ridley welcome to Comment on Press TV. You are sheltering from a storm was it a typhoon or what?

Yvonne Ridley: No, we have got two boats: the Free Gaza and the Liberty that are sailing towards Cyprus and the trip has been delayed because of high winds, and so I, myself flew to a secret destination to link up with the boats to film the whole voyage for Press TV. Everything is shrouded in secrecy because of course Israel has a history of trying to scupper these little ventures. So that's why I am secretive at the moment about our exact location, as my mother used to say, "Loose lips sink ships".

George Galloway: Yes exactly, now you have a secret weapon on board and that is the sister-in-law of Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, Lauren Booth. She is of course a great supporter of the Palestinian people. That's quiet an achievement to get her on board.

Yvonne Ridley: Yes, she is a great fan. She is like you George. She shoots from her lips, and she speaks the truth and she's actually thrown the challenge to Tony Blair, because of course he tried to get into Gaza and backed off when the intelligent services in Israel told him that he could be a target. She said to him come onboard the ship, have the guts to sail with us to break the siege of Gaza.

George Galloway: Well, Yvonne you have, as I say, the best wishes of everyone watching this, all your friends around the world. It is a very brave thing that you are doing. What are the chances of you steaming into the harbor in Gaza? It would be such a lift to the people there.

Yvonne Ridley: It would be terrific. Nearly 40 activists from nearly 20 countries around the world including an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, Hedy Epstein, have joined us. We are all determined that we are not going to be stopped. They can try every trick in the book. They are trying international diplomacy. They are trying to bully different governments. They are trying also to stop us from going ahead. We are determined through hell and high waters to sail into Gaza. There are tens of thousands of people expected to come on the beaches to greet us. In short, George unless the Israelis are trying to blow us up on the waters, we are not going to stop. Both skippers on these boats are Irish because we know the determination of Irish. So I think we have got a good chance of doing it

George Galloway: well it seems that you have got the winds in your sails. You have the prayer of the good people of the world. May God go with you! We look forward to seeing you touching the sands of Gaza, lifting the hearts and the spirits of the besieged people there. Thank you very much Yvonne Ridley of Press TV!

Gaza siege, security concerns or collective punishment?

2008-08-08T06:44:00.002-07:00

Among the peace activists who are to break the Gaza siege are Lauren Booth, British journalist and the sister-in-law of former UK PM Tony Blair.

The following is Lauren's interview with Press TV:

Q: Any chance the Israeli authorities are going to let you through so that you can break the blockade of Gaza?

A: Well interestingly yesterday on the BBC, one of the diplomats from Israel said under no circumstances will any of these ships be allowed to arrive in Gaza. And really, that was a mistake, a diplomatic error on his part of Israel because it shows that security questions are not the reason they are blockading the sea and the lands and the air around Gaza.

It appears to be a collective punishment for the 1.5 million civilians living there and to say that you won't let any boats in even when all security measures have been met, which they have been, and will be - that was a mistake.

Q: At the moment, the reports I have say the Israeli foreign ministry is following developments. So, as far as you are hearing they are saying no at the moment?

A: The people here, the organizers believe that it is very likely that there will be an interception at sea by the Israeli navy. But everybody on this boat, the journalists included, sincerely hope that we will get through because let's remember that 80 percent of Gazans have been forced into poverty and rely on aid. They need this source open and they need the world to start taking their human rights seriously.

Q: Are you getting full support from the Cypriot government?

A: The Cypriot government has agreed because the ships have passed customs checks, so they have agreed that they should be allowed to sail.

Q: You are getting quite a lot of the attention being the sister of Nora, the wife of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Did you ask, in fact, whether the present envoy of the Quartet would come along on your attempt to break the blockade of Gaza?

A: You know it's a really good idea, and I'd like to take this chance and invite Tony Blair as the Middle East envoy to come onto the boat or to sail alongside us and come and see Gaza for himself because I've been there and sadly recently he has not. And if he were to go, he'd see that for shops, of course, Israel only allows nine basic materials instead of the 200 needed to maintain the society. It's his job to be going, not mine. Why isn't he there?

Q: Describe who else is on board with you.

A: There are some fantastic people here. There is Hedy Epstein. She is an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor. She is a human rights activist full of energy, very keen to see justice in Palestine.

We have Sister Ann Montgomery, Catholic nun, 81.

There are campaigners who are 22 years old, mothers, parents, attorneys, doctors, all from around the world. I am very proud to be spending time with these people.

Day 7

2008-08-08T06:44:00.001-07:00

By Yvonne Ridley

This Sunday, around the time our peace flotilla will be attempting to smash the siege of Gaza by sea, a group of Scottish activists will be launching their own protest on land.

A Tartan army is gathering at 2pm in Mound Precinct on Princes Street to show support for another group of blockade breakers who are desperately trying to get urgent medical aid through to Palestinians. And the rally is also being held to show their outrage as well towards the Zionist State which can no longer shake off its reptilian image to ordinary people across the world.

Israel says it pulled out of Gaza two years ago and there is NO siege. Poppycock!
The Zionist State is lying and with the help of Egypt's despicable President Hosni Mubarak, they are exerting more pressure on the weakest members of the Gaza community.

Mubarak, who makes some of the most brutal, oppressive Pharonic dynasties look like a bunch of Tupperware Agents, is a disgrace to humanity.

Great leaders are respected for their courage and wisdom - Mubarak, a man who bellydances and contorts himself to please his Zionist masters in Tel Aviv, has neither of these qualities.

Of course his real masters are in Washington and it's their dollars that have turned him into the Chief Pimp of Arab politics.

The latest example of Mubarak's craven behaviour surfaced when humanitarians Linda Willis and Khalil al Niss were kept waiting at the Rafah-Gaza border to deliver medical supplies to a hospital in Gaza.

They spent 10 days driving across Europe with 1.5 tonnes of medical supplies donated by kind-hearted Scots but for the past two weeks their van has been held up by officials.

Mubarak's men are refusing them entry saying they do not have the correct paperwork.
I feel ashamed that only yesterday I was writing to you all, complaining that some high winds had delayed our own peace mission by a couple of days - I really do salute the stamina of Linda and Khalil.

Sadly Linda, 51, a nurse has now been forced to return to Edinburgh leaving Khalil, 49, who is from Jerusalem, to wait, and wait and wait.

One of the hospitals is just five minutes from the border where these jumped up soldiers of Mubarak are refusing to let him pass.

The venture is supported by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign and they have now enlisted heavyweight political leader Alex Salmond.

The van is packed with medical supplies including medication for heart conditions and diabetes, as well as syringes, bandages, swabs, antibiotics, blood bottles for taking samples, and more advanced equipment such as endotracheal tubes for use in surgery.

As I said before, this aid mission is stuck at the Rafah crossing, the only Egypt-Gaza gateway which has been continuously closed since June 2007, with brief openings for extreme cases. They were initially made to wait more than 24 hours at the border town of Nuweiba, where Egyptian authorities sent them to six departments to fill out forms.

The couple have been interviewed by numerous officials from the Egyptian border, Egyptian intelligence, and the weak and feckless Palestinian Authority, but still lack the permission to deliver the medical supplies.

The two recently submitted to Egypt's Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman a letter with the signatures of six Scottish MPs supporting their mission. Although the letter was requested by the Egyptian authorities handling the case, no reply has been forthcoming.

They have also faced down threats to impound their van.

Well I will be making dua for my brother Khalil's patience and I hope he succeeds in his mission, just as we are determined to succeed in ours.

Insh'Allah we'll all meet in Gaza to exchange stories and tales about overcoming the pettiness of the Zionists and their feckless supporters.

The parallels being drawn between Israel and Apartheid South Africa are growing stronger by the day.

This is not the way to win over the international community and the more Israel stamps its jackboots and refuses peace missions and initiatives the more damaged is its reputation.

Might is not right. But our determination to succeed smashing the siege by land and sea is far more powerful than any red tape, petty politics or artillery.

Well done to everyone who turns up to protest in Edinburgh on Sunday - please continue to protest, shout and highlight the brutality of the Zionist State.

And as for you Khalil - well, we'll see you in Gaza soon, insh'Allah.

Kathleen Wang

2008-08-08T06:08:00.001-07:00

Nationality: US

Kathleen, an LA resident since 1967 raising and supporting her family, says her sympathies lie with those families who are prevented from caring for their beloved children and grandchildren due to the cruel Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories. She tends her 8 grandchildren whenever possible and delights in her new great-grandchild.

Donna Wallach

2008-08-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

Nationality: US/Israeli

Donna, 57, is an anti-Zionist activist working for social and environmental justice. She lives in San Jose, California (USA) and is of Eastern-European Jewish descent. She joins the boat crew in grief and outrage that all historical Palestine is still occupied by the apartheid state of Israel.

Darlene Wallach

2008-08-08T05:53:00.003-07:00

Nationality: US

Darlene, 57, is an anti-Zionist activist for social and environmental justice. She lives in San Jose, California (USA) and is of Jewish Eastern-European descent. Darlene spent almost two months in Palestine from May to July 2002. She visited Gaza, Ramallah and then a night at the Balata Refugee camp where she was detained and arrested with seven other internationals. All eight received deportation orders from the minister of the interior. They had witnessed brutal collective punishment of the Palestinians. Although Darlene fought the deportation order and was the first person to be let out of prison on bail, she was nonetheless eventually deported.

Ren (Lawrence) Afif Tawil

2008-08-08T05:53:00.002-07:00

Nationality: US

Ren was born in San Francisco, CA (USA) in 1953, as was his mother. His father Afif George Tawil was born and raised in Jerusalem, Palestine but was visiting the US in May of 1948 and as a result could not freely return and became a 'displaced person'. He first became aware of the politics surrounding the 'Palestinian Problem' after the June War of 1967 as an 8th grader, and has maintained an interest ever since.

Courtney and Kathy Sheetz

2008-08-08T05:53:00.001-07:00

Nationality: U.S.

Kathy, 61, is mother of a lawyer, a doctor and fellow passenger on the Free Gaza, 25-year-old videographer Courtney. Grandmother to four girls and another on the way, Kathy spent the last 12 years on grassroots and human rights organizing in Haiti. A retired nurse, Kathy brought her justice-activist daughter Courtney with her to World Social Forums in Mumbai and Port Alegre. Courtney has gone to Haiti with her since age 8, and now is completing her bachelor’s degree in New York City and has made videos in Haiti and with the MST landless movement in Brazil.

Adam Qvist

2008-08-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Nationality: Danish

Adam, 22, an essayist and co-author of the novel “City Might Fall” (2008), works on sexual and reproductive rights with the Danish Family Planning Association of Sex and with the European Youth Network for Sexual Rights: YouAct. He’s visited Palestine in 2000 and 2007.

Haq Nawaz Qureishi

2008-08-08T05:34:00.004-07:00

Nationality: Pakistani/British

From Bradford, UK, Haq Nawaz, 26, is a member of the punk rock band Fun-da-mental and was in the band The Cult. He owns and runs the London record label Nation Records and is going to Gaza to take a stand against Israeli oppression.

Mike Prior

2008-08-08T05:34:00.003-07:00

Nationality: British

Mike, 66, is from Manchester, UK. He has been to Palestine three times since 2003. He has been refused entry to Israel because of his work with ISM and has since been active in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Ken O'Keefe

2008-08-08T05:34:00.002-07:00

Nationality: Irish/U.S.

Ken, 39, grew up in California and was in the U.S. Marines in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. He initiated P10K (www.P10K.net) in 2004 to recruit international observers to live side by side with Palestinians. He was jailed by Israeli troops for refusing to sign a statement agreeing not to return to Gaza and deported from Israel after 20 days in jail as a 'security threat'. Now in Hawaii, he has become a legislative representative of District 6 (Oahu) of the Reinstated Hawaiian Government (www.Hawaii-gov.net).

Thomas H. Nelson

2008-08-08T05:34:00.001-07:00

Nationality: US

Tom practiced corporate law with Oregon's largest law firm for nearly 20 years. He became involved in Palestinian issues in 1997 and co-founded Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights. When he left the firm 12 years ago, Tom first formed his own small-firm partnership and now is a solo practitioner near his home in Zigzag, Oregon, in the foothills of Mt. Hood.

Andrew Muncie

2008-08-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

Nationality: Scottish

Andrew, 34, is from Spean Bridge in the Highlands of Scotland. He has philosophy degrees from Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities and has been deported twice from the West Bank by the Israeli government – once when trying to prevent a collective-punishment house demolition in the Balata refugee camp by the Israeli army and the second time whilst working with the Tel Rumeda project in Hebron.

Anne Montgomery

2008-08-08T05:16:00.001-07:00

Nationality: US

Anne, 81, is a Catholic nun of the religious Order of the Sacred Heart. She taught for 30 years and became a peace activist after age 50. She joined Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT) in 1995 and has worked with CPT in Palestine.

Theresa McDermott

2008-08-08T05:16:00.000-07:00

Nationality: Scottish

Theresa, 41, a postal logistics worker from Edinburgh, spent a month in Palestine in 2004.

Dr. Edith Lutz

2008-08-08T04:56:00.005-07:00

Nationality: Germany

Edith, 59, is married with 4 grown children. A former professional nurse, Edith became a teacher. Engaged in Judaic studies, her thesis on H.Heine, she is co-initiator of Schalom5767 and initiator of "Abrahams Töchter" ('Abrahams's daughters'). She joins this voyage to help children in Gaza and highlight the core of Jewish religion: love and humanity instead of force and hatred.

Jenny Linnell

2008-08-08T04:56:00.004-07:00

Nationality: British

From the UK, Jenny has been involved in human rights work for many years.

Paul Larudee, Ph.D.

2008-08-08T04:56:00.003-07:00

Nationality: US

Paul, a cofounder of the Free Gaza Movement, is a San Francisco Bay Area activist on the issue of justice in Palestine.

He was born to an Iranian Presbyterian minister and his American missionary spouse in 1946 and grew up in the American Midwest.

Ramzi Kysia

2008-08-08T04:56:00.002-07:00

Nationality: Lebanese/US

Ramzi is an Arab-American writer and non-violence trainer and activist. Since September 11, he has spent almost four years working in the Middle East, including a year in Iraq with Voices in the Wilderness, a year in Lebanon (during the 2006 Israeli bombardment), and several months in Jordan, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine. He was last in Palestine in May/June 2005.

Fathi Jaouadi

2008-08-08T04:56:00.001-07:00

Nationality: Tunisian

Fathi is married and has one son. Doing an MA in Documentary Film-making at Brunel University in London, Fathi is part of the film crew on the boat. (See www.arabdochouse.org)

Jeff Halper

2008-08-08T01:56:00.000-07:00

Nationality: US/Israeli

Jeff is an American/Israeli professor of anthropology and coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), a non-violent Israeli peace and human rights organization that resists the Israeli occupation on the ground. In 2006, the American Friends Service Committee nominated Jeff to receive the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with Palestinian intellectual and activist Ghassan Andoni.

Musheir El-Farra

2008-08-08T01:39:00.002-07:00

Nationality: Palestinian/British

Originally from Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Musheir is married to Dr. Wesam Al Qarra and has three children. Born in Khan Younis on 25 May 1961, he is a civil and structural engineer and coordinates support for four children’s projects in the Gaza Strip: Al Asria Children’s Library project in Jabalia refugee camp; "New Horizons" children’s centre in Nussairat refugee camp; "Never Stop Dreaming” Children’s Centre in Khan Younis, and the "Children’s Mobile Library". He made a documentary film called "Voices through the Rubble" about the situation in the Gaza Strip in 2004 and is making another documentary about the visit of Al Asria children Folk dance group to Britain in 2005. He writes political and social articles in Arabic in Al-Quds newspaper.

Hedy Epstein

2008-08-08T01:39:00.001-07:00

Nationality: German/US

Hedy was born in Freiburg, Germany on 8/15/1924, the only child of Ella & Hugo Wachenheimer. She lived in Kippenheim, 30 km north of Freiburg, where her father's side of the family had lived for generations. She left Germany at 14, in1939, on a Kindertransport (children's transport), to London, England - one of almost 10,000 mostly Jewish children. Both her parents, as well as other family members, perished in Auschwitz in 1942.

In July 1945, she returned to Germany to work for the American government, first with the U.S. Civil Censorship Division and then as a research analyst at the Nuremberg trial of the Nazi doctors who performed medical experiments on concentration camp inmates.

In May 1945, she arrived in the United States and quickly became involved in peace and social justice issues. Since 2003, she has visited Israeli-occupied West Bank five times to witness the effects of Israel's occupation.

Ana Maria Del Mar

2008-08-08T01:39:00.000-07:00

Nationality: Spanish

From Vilanova I La Geltru, Cataluna, Ana Maria worked 25 years as a criminal lawyer and has visited the West Bank six times. In 2005, badly injured by an Israeli soldier while at a non-violent demonstration against the building of the separation wall in Bil’in, she had her upper arm broken in two places. She was injured again in 2006 at another Bil’in demonstration when shot at close range with a plastic coated bullet. On this trip to Gaza she hopes to help ease the Gazan people’s suffering and help prevent the Israeli government from persecuting innocent civilians.

Dr Bill Dienst

2008-08-08T01:18:00.001-07:00

Nationality: US

Bill is a family and emergency Room physician for Omak, a town in rural Washington in the north-western United States. In 1985, after an intensive summer course in Arabic, Bill took an extra year of medical school, and spent a half year in Egypt, the West Bank and Gaza volunteering with various Palestinian healthcare organizations, initially with the Palestine Red Crescent Society headquartered in Egypt.

He has been to Palestine on trips sponsored by the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, by Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility to Israel/Palestine and with the Palestine Medical Relief Society.

Monir M Deeb

2008-08-08T01:18:00.000-07:00

Nationality:Palestinian, US

Monir was born in 1951 in Gaza City, Palestine, to refugee parents from Haifa and El Majdel (today called Ashkelon). He came to the States in 1979 and is a naturalized US citizen. He is the past president of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), LA chapter, and was a speaker in the Arab-Jewish Speakers Bureau in Los Angeles.

Dr. Uri Davis

2008-08-07T09:47:00.001-07:00

Nationality: Palestinian

Uri, 64, is an international acclaimed author, academic and peace activist who calls himself an anti-Zionist Palestinian Jew born in Jerusalem. He is an observer member of the Palestine National Council.

Lauren Booth

2008-08-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

Nationality: British

Lauren, a broadcaster and journalist, has regular columns in the Mail on Sunday and writes features for the Sunday Times and Femail.

In 2005 Lauren travelled to the West Bank where she interviewed Mahmoud Abbas. She recently visited the region again and is campaigning for justice for Palestine. Lauren is the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Greta Berlin

2008-08-07T09:32:00.002-07:00

Nationality: US

A cofounder of the Free Gaza Movement, Greta Berlin since the early 1960s has advocated for justice for the Palestinian people. She is the mother of two Palestinian/American children whose father was born and raised in Safad, Palestine.

When not working with Palestinians, Greta has spent 30 years teaching engineers and scientists how to design and deliver presentations. She has been in the West Bank three times since 2003 and was wounded by Israeli gunfire in July 2003 while trying to pull down the gate in the fence at Anin, just outside of Jenin.

Vittorio Arrigoni

2008-08-07T09:32:00.001-07:00

Nationality: Italian

Vittorio has wide experience in international charity work and in the battle for human rights in Europe and Eastern Europe and Africa. In 2003 Vittorio first visit to Palestine, at first in a work camp managed by IPYL in Eastern Jerusalem and later in Nablus in the Balata refugee camp. In 2006, trying to go back to Palestine, he was held in Israeli detention for a week while appealing a decision to deny him entry, then expelled from the country. In August 2006, at the request of the European Union, Vittorio attended the first free elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an international observer. Vittorio manages one of the most popular blogs in Italy at: http://guerrillaradio.iobloggo.com.

Huwaida Arraf

2008-08-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Huwaida is a Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement. She teaches Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Al Quds University in Jerusalem. Her family were made refugees in the Nakba in 1948.

Holocaust Survivor Hedy Epstein & Friends

2008-08-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein prepares to swim. Hedy is among the peace activists who are heading to Gaza

Israeli lawyers attempt to scupper Gaza peace boat

2008-08-07T08:47:00.001-07:00

By Yvonne Ridley

August 2, 2008

ORGANISERS who plan to break the siege of Gaza using a boat sailing from Cyprus are facing accusations their seaborne peace mission could be used as a front for a gun-running operation.

The astonishing claims were made yesterday by Israeli lawyers to the Attorney General of California where funding for the project originally began. It is clear from the letter the Zionist group is determined to stop the boat from sailing into Gaza with medical aid for Palestinian children.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center also accuses the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and others, of violating Israeli sovereignty and the U.S. Neutrality Act.

Darshan-Leitner wrote that based on prior experience there were "serious concerns that the boats will be carrying weapons, explosives and contraband".

She cited that the Zionist State had imposed a series of sanctions on the Gaza Strip including a coastal blockade to prevent "previous attempts by the Iranian Government to transfer weapons to Palestinian militants at sea."

Last night from their base in Cyprus, organisers of the Free Gaza project said they were bemused by the accusations adding: "Not bad for a group of peaceniks who want to deliver hearing aids for Palestinian kids."

The seaborne venture which sets sail in a few days time has been endorsed by politicians and humanitarians across the globe including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Nobel Peace prize winner Mairead Maquire.

This latest development seems to have had little impact on the internationals representing more than 12 different countries including America, Canada, Pakistan, Britain, Palestine and Israel.

They were joined yesterday by journalist Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair who ironically was forced to cancel his trip to Gaza a few weeks ago because of security concerns.

Last night the head of the Free Gaza campaign, Californian Greta Berlin said: "It is utter nonsense to suggest we carry anything except hearing aids. The only boats in that area of the Mediterranean that are carrying guns, munitions and rockets belong to Israel.

"This is a human rights mission and one which we intend to run throughout the summer months and early Fall. This is not a one time operation. Our intent is to break the Israeli Siege of Gaza."

* Press TV will be following the progress of the peace activists and journalist Yvonne Ridley, who will be on board with Indy film-maker Aki Nawaz, will be sending a regular blog to Press TV's website.

Israel lobby moves to halt Free Gaza Campaign

2008-08-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Israeli lobby has already started its moves to stop the campaign of peace activists to break the Gaza Siege. The following is a letter by an Israeli lawyer to the California Department of Justice asking the Attorney General to impose a ban on the activities of the peace activists:

Attorney General Edmund G. Brown

Office of Attorney General
California Department of Justice
P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Via Fax:

Dear Attorney General

I am writing to bring to your attention to a serious matter regarding what might be an ongoing conspiracy to violate the U.S. Neutrality Act, 18 U.S.C. § 960, and an attempt to aid &
abet the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas which is occurring within your jurisdiction with
the support and under the direction of an organization known as "The Free Gaza Movement," located at 405 Vista Heights Road, El Cerrito, California 94530.

The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas is currently designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government. In June 2007, Hamas ousted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party from the Gaza Strip and subsequently took power where it has engaged in a relentless campaign to obtain weapons and explosives and to terrorize both Israelis and moderate Palestinians. As a result of constant rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel's coastal cities, on September 19, 2007 the Israeli government declared that20"Hamas is a terrorist
organization that has taken control of the Gaza Strip and turned it into hostile territory."

Similarly, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice affirmed "Hamas is indeed a hostile entity. It's a
hostile entity to the United States as well."

In an effort to prevent Hamas from obtaining any additional military equipment and to impose economic pressure on the Hamas leadership in Gaza, the Israeli Security Cabinet imposed a
series of sanctions on the Gaza Strip including a coastal blockade that is being implemented
by the Israeli navy.

The naval blockade is particularly important in light of previous attempts by the Iranian
government to transfer weapons to Palestinian militants at sea such as occurred in January 2002 when the Israeli navy seized the "Karine A" ship that was loaded with 50 tons of Iranian supplied weaponry.

There are several provisions within the agreements signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority that grant Israel the right to implement a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Specifically, the September 28, 1995 Israeli- Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that was signed in Washington D.C. states in Article XIV that Israel has "the responsibility for defense against external threats, including . for defense against
external threats from the sea and from the air."

Moreover, in Article XIV of the Interim Agr eement titled "Security along the Coastline to the Sea of Gaza" Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed that foreign vessels would "not approach closer than 12 nautical miles from the coast" unless specifically authorized pursuant to jointly agreed regulations and that in the absence of such conditions all foreign vessels would be required to dock at Israeli approved ports. (Because there are no international ports open to
foreign vessels in Gaza at this time, it is currently illegal for foreign vessels to attempt to dock in Gaza without explicit Israeli authorization. ) Finally, in a letter to Prime Minister Sharon on April 14, 2004 shortly before Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip President Bush confirmed "[t]he United States understands that after Israel withdraws from Gaza and/or parts of the West Bank, and pending agreements on other arrangements, existing arrangements regarding control of airspace, territorial waters, and land passages of the West Bank and Gaza will continue."

Nevertheless, despite the clear unequivocal policy of the United States to support Israel's right to control the security of the territorial waters around Gaza and to isolate Hamas from external support, the extremist Free Gaza Movement is attempting to undermine the foreign policy of both the United States and Israel by raising money to violate the Interim Agreement regarding
foreign vessels and to undermine Israel's sovereign authority.

On The Free Gaza Movement website located at http://www.freegaza.org requests are
being made to finance a "Break the Siege ship" that is tentatively set to sail in August 2008 (See also http://freegaza.org/pages/joinIn.html#aboard) .

According to information on its website the ship "will sail directly to Gaza without going through
Israeli territory and without seeking permission from Israeli authorities. "

However, because Israel has exclusive security authority over foreign vessels that are attempting to dock in Gaza, The Free Gaza Movement is openly soliciting support in this country for a hostile expedition against a friendly nation in violation of the U.S. Neutrality Act that is codified in section 960 of title 18 of the U.S. Code. This law states:

Whoever, within the United States, knowingly begins or sets on foot or provides or prepares a means for or furnishes the money for, or takes part in, any military or naval expedition
or enterprise to be carried on from thence against the territory or dominion of any
foreign prince or state, or of any colony, district, or people with whom the United States is at peace, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

As such, the actions of The Free Gaza Movement are nothing short of an attempt to violate the laws of State of Israel and to engage in conduct that has the effect of undermining the national security of a U.S. ally.

Consequently, I respectfully request that your office take all necessary and appropriate actions to uphold the laws of the United States, to investigate those that are organizing and
funding this illegal effort and to enjoin any unlawful activity on the part of The Free Gaza
Movement.

Thank you,

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Esq.

1.917.519.9340

info@israellawcente r.org

Who is Yvonne Ridley?

2008-08-07T08:16:00.001-07:00

British-born, award-winning journalist Yvonne Ridley is well known in the Muslim world for her outspoken views and defense of Islam. She endeared herself to the Muslim community in Britain when she reverted to Islam 30 months after making international headlines when she was captured by the Taleban on an undercover assignment in Afghanistan. She was a senior reporter of the Sunday Express at the time, having spent nearly 10 years in Fleet Street working for several prestige titles including The Sunday Times, The Observer, Daily Mirror and Independent on Sunday...

Sr Yvonne set out as a regional journalist nearly 30 years in her native North East. She has also worked on projects as a broadcaster, producer and presenter on programs for BBC TV and radio, CNN, ITN and Carlton TV traveling to Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. A founder member of Women in Journalism, she is also a promoter of women’s rights, and is also a founder member of the Stop The War Coalition and the RESPECT political party.

In her spare time Sr Yvonne travels throughout the UK and across the globe promoting peace and the anti-war message. She has also delivered lectures on issues relating to Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir and Uzbekistan, Women in Islam, the War on Terror and journalism at Ivy League universities across the US, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East.

Sr Yvonne is a founder member of the Friends of Islam, an All Party Parliamentary Group. She is also a member of the National Union of Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists and the Society of Authors. She has written two books called In The Hands of the Taleban and Ticket to Paradise and is currently writing and researching for two other titles.

In The Hands of the Taleban has now been updated and is being published in both French and English for sale in leading bookshops soon.

She is a patron of the UK-based pressure groups Cage Prisoners and Hhugs which seek to help and highlight the plight of political prisoners around the world as well as the financial and emotional needs of their families. She also devotes much of her time to humanitarian work and supports several charities.

She also works as a political presenter and journalist for the global, English language, 24-hour news station Press TV as well as being a regular media commentator and writer on Muslim-related issues.

End The Siege On Gaza! - campaign manifesto

2008-08-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, support and uphold the call of a coalition of organizations and individuals in Gaza for an international campaign to end the siege on Gaza. We call on members of Israeli society to join the campaign.

Since June 2007, Israeli isolation policies towards the Gaza Strip have escalated. While controlling all points of exit from the Gaza Strip, the government of Israel has increasingly restricted passage of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip, leading to severe hardship and a drastic curtailing of the basic sources of sustenance and health of the population of the Gaza Strip.

All but 12 basic commodities have been blocked entry to the Gaza Strip, causing shortages in water, fuel, medications, essential equipment, raw materials and thousands of other essential commodities. In November alone, 13 patients died after Israeli authorities denied them access to medical care that is unavailable in Gaza.

Both Palestinians and Israelis have a right to live in peace and security, but the Israeli government policy of collective punishment is pushing the entire region further from security, and is morally and legally unjustifiable.

No progress can be achieved in any peace process while Gaza, still an occupied territory, is excluded from discussion and its civilian population punished. The lifting of the siege is therefore at the heart of Israeli, Palestinian and regional interests.

In November 2007, a group of Palestinian non-partisan human rights organizations and civil society leaders launched a call for a joint Palestinian-International-Israeli campaign to end the siege on Gaza.

The aims of the campaign are to call upon the Israeli government to lift the siege and stop other collective measures imposed on the civilian population of Gaza, to raise the awareness of the Israeli public and the international community to the deteriorating living conditions resulting from the siege, and to mobilize governments and communities to stop the boycott of Gaza.

The End the Siege campaign is humanitarian, non-partisan and based on the tenets of human rights and social justice. It is guided by the wish to end all forms of violence in our region.

On the Palestinian side, End the Siege is initiated and managed by “representatives of civil society, the business community, intellectuals, women activists, and advocates for human rights and peace from both the West Bank and Gaza, all expressing their commitment to peace and their respect for human dignity”. On the Israeli side, End the Siege supporters include human rights organizations and other actors in civil society. The call is open to all who wish to join it.

From the call: “We are determined to move hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with all people who believe in freedom, human dignity and peace…. It is time to put aside any partisan conflicts and unite people in the pursuit of freedom, justice, and peace.”

Planned activities include:

Documentation and dissemination of information on the impact of the siege: a website, posters and video clips of daily life in Gaza.
International symposium in Gaza: “Breaking the Siege on Gaza: Together for a United Front for Peace”.
International delegations to Gaza and Israel.
Meetings and cultural activities in Gaza, Tel Aviv, Ramallah, and different cities in the world.
A peaceful march to Erez Crossing from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides of the Crossing with peace activists from all over the world.
A “Free Gaza Movement Day” in May, including a boat journey from Cyprus to Gaza.

For details or to join the campaign, contact: mail@phr.org.il

Signed:

Adalah

Anarchists Against the Wall

Bat Shalom

Bat Tsafon

Coalition of Women for Peace

Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement

Gush Shalom

Hamoked Centre for the Defense of the Individual

Hithabrut-Tarabut

New Profile

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel

Shomrei Mishpat - Rabbis for Human Rights

Ta’ayush – Arab-Jewish Partnership

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions

The Israeli Committee for the Palestinian Prisoners and Detainees

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel

Day 6

2008-08-07T06:45:00.001-07:00

ONE of the Free Gaza campaigners is an extremely feisty journalist and friend of mine called Lauren Booth who also happens to be the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Lauren and I first met through the heroic charity InterPal which raises awareness, funds and aid for Palestinian kids and their communities.
We've been out to the refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan, though not together.
In fact I ended up going to the Jordan refugee camps after the Israelis refused to let me in through the Jordan River Crossing entry point where I was going to cover the elections which swept Hamas to power.
They strip searched me, interrogated me for 10 hours and then called me a terrorist and refused me entry. It was a bizarre experience but this treatment is meted out to anyone who shows interest, kindness or curiosity towards Palestine.
83-year-old Hedy Epstein had the same treatment a couple of years ago, but not only did her questioners strip search her they also snapped on the rubber gloves and internally checked her as well ... what a disgusting way to treat a Holocaust survivor! Hedy's intrusive treatment was at the hands of Israeli security in the Ben Gurion airport.
Sorry, I digressed. Let's get back to Lauren Booth.
Well, we've talked in the past about doing a project together for Palestine and now it seems the Free Gaza Movement has provided the platform we need.
Apart from the fact she's feisty and in the same profession, I'm a big admirer of Lauren because she does something too few journalists are prepared to do these days ... she tells the truth, which is almost an act of resistance in itself.
It would have been very easy for her to jump on the Blair Bandwaggon for a free ride, but instead she stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of us in the anti-war movement and called her infamous brother-in-law a liar over his ridiculous claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.
Shooting from the lip is not that easy where family is concerned, but Lauren - who writes for the Mail on Sunday - did exactly that through Blair's Downing Street years.
And she's got Tony in her sights again, highlighting his inadequacies in his present role at the Quartet's Middle East envoy. He has yet to step in Gaza and was warned off by the Israelis recently because of so-called security threats.
Well Lauren has issued a challenge to Blair. She's told him to: "Show some guts!" and come and join us. And he does have a choice if he doesn't want our company there are two boats The Free Gaza or The Liberty.
Blair has the backbone of an amoeba so I don't expect him to come on board with the likes of Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, or the Christian peace activists, or the 70+ years Roman Catholic nun because then he would have to do something he is not used to - he would have to face the uncomfortable truth of the suffering of the people of Gaza.
The nearest Blair has been to Gaza is looking out of his air-conditioned room in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
And while I think the good citizens of Gaza have already suffered enough without having to endure his Cheshire Cat-like grin and weasel words, it would do the impotent peace envoy the world of good to have a reality check.
He might not want to share a boat with Lauren or myself - but we have two boats. In fact he could bring his own as long as he agrees to abide by our rules ... no weapons, no violence, no armed body guards - just peaceful activism.
And there's plenty of time, bad weather has blighted the start of the voyage but we should be able to sail from Larnaca, Cyprus once we pick up the 36 activists there in the next couple of days.
Our aim is to break Israel's illegal siege of the Gaza Strip and establish a permanent sea-link from there.
As yet Israel's Navy has not said openly how it will try and stop us, but they do have previous for bombing, attacking and shooting at anyone who floats a boat in those waters.
In the meantime the government of the Zionist State is trying to bully and cajole the Cypriot Government into stopping us from sailing.
Film-maker Aki Nawaz and myself will be joining the crew of the boats as they come sailing past our own secret location in the Greek islands, and I've just heard that the captains of the 21-metre Free Gaza and the 18-metre Liberty, are both Irish.
Don't you just love the Irish? If anyone knows anything about resistance and standing up to a bullying, imperialistic state it's the Irish.
And I note there is a great deal of solidarity between the Irish people and the Palestinians - go for a stroll down the Falls and you will see Palestinian flags on wall murals and hanging from some windows.
Members of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee often send messages of solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Palestine.
Well, I am really cheered - you must have all heard of the "Luck of the Irish".

Day 5

2008-08-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

THERE'S an idiom which says 'it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good'.

Frankly, I've never really understood it and so I checked out its origins this morning and to my surprise it is something people say which means most bad things that happen have a good result for someone.

Well, as you can guess, if I am using my day looking up the origins of old sayings then I must have a lot of time on my hands. It's true. I am still a land lubber and a very frustrated one at that.

Basically the reason for my dry dock situation is that strong winds have scuppered the current schedule of the Free Gaza Campaign which plans to sail two boats into Gaza thus breaking Israel's medieval siege.

I'm stuck on an extremely picturesque Greek island with film-maker Aki Nawaz waiting for one of our boats to come in, and now we are becoming increasingly frustrated.

By joining the boat ahead of Cyprus we felt it would add to the content of the documentary we are hoping to shoot for Press TV.

Having written out our Next-Of-Kin forms, spent days training for all the "What If" scenarios in Cyprus then making a dash, at breakneck speed to the airport for our secret destination, I feel a bit deflated.

I can only imagine how my fellow travellers must feel in their steaming hot bunker in Cyprus which has all the charm of a cement factory.

Actually they had a break out yesterday and you can see from the attached pictures that Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein proved that she can swim as good as the rest of us at the grand old age of 83.

Meanwhile I am assured that the two boats Free Gaza and Liberty are in the water, making their way first to pick up Aki and myself and then full steam ahead to Cyprus.

From there we are going to be full throttle for Gaza, insh'Allah as we Muslims say.

So it seems we are behind schedule by a couple of days because of high winds - hence the ill wind idiom.

Actually, on reflection, I should be ashamed of myself for huffing and puffing about the delay ... after all, this is part and parcel of the daily lives of the good people of Gaza. Palestinians on the Strip as well as the West Bank have learned to be patient when it comes to going out and about doing things we often take for granted.

For instance, did you know that scores of Palestinian babies are born at Israeli checkpoints as those charmless individuals dressed in the Zionist Army uniform hold ambulances back in spite of sirens and flashing lights.

I know. I actually witnessed such an incident at a checkpoint near Nablus. I even tried to reason with a schmuck with the gun - an Argentinian (what the hell was he doing in an IDF uniform?) - who stood there totally oblivious to the fact a woman was about to give birth. What a heartless, nasty little piece of work he was.

I'm sure had his mother known what he was doing she would have given him a good slap ... he looked barely old enough to be out of nappies himself.

That checkpoint in the West Bank I remember very well because our delegation was kept waiting for more than two hours even though we had two British Lords and several MPs on board as well as a consular official from the British Embassy standing by.

As we eventually were allowed to continue our journey I noted the ambulance, lights still flashing, remained in a lay by and I often wondered what happened to mother and baby. Did they survive?

And then there's the Palestinian children - their school run is nothing like the one for our children in the free world. These kids are often held up at checkpoints all day and when they do move they run like hell because they have been used for target practice by the thugs who represent the fourth largest army in the world - an army which openly uses live rounds when firing upon women and children. Shopping, going to work, socialising, visiting relatives - they are all simple acts taken for granted by those of us whose lands aren't occupied, but for Palestinians each day is a challenge.So I am going to quit moaning and try and adopt the same patience that our brothers and sisters in Palestine have learned to live with every day of their lives. Our peace boats were intended to sail on the 5th but they are still on their way. Please keep monitoring this website which is carrying my daily blog - and there's also a Face Book group on the Free Gaza Campaign as well as a website.

Meanwhile I'm told the Zionist State is also cranking up its campaign to stop our boats sailing in to Gaza. They do not want it to happen at all which is why, if you have a boat in the region, jump in it now and head for Larnaca.

We can meet up in the next day or so and ALL sail in to Gaza ... the more the merrier. Let's create a flotilla of peace because if there's anything Israel can't handle it is PEACE.
God grant me the patience of a Palestinian.

Yvonne Ridley

Letter of peace activists to Tzipi Livni

2008-08-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

5 August 2008
Tzipi Livni
Foreign Affairs Minister, Israel

Dear Foreign Minister Livni:

On behalf of the Free Gaza Movement, we would like to formally invite you to join us on our upcoming voyage from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip. We feel that your presence on this important mission would help alleviate concerns that have been expressed in the Israeli media about our objectives. More importantly, we believe that it would be extremely helpful for you to see firsthand the horrific effects of Israeli policies on the people of the Gaza Strip, as well as to witness firsthand the effectiveness of non-violent action in bringing about positive change.

While we disagree with many of the statements and policies you have made as the Israeli Foreign Minister, we wholeheartedly agree with a portion of something you wrote two years ago when you said:

“For too long, the Middle East has been governed by zero-sum logic. One side's loss was seen as the other's gain. This thinking has brought much suffering to our region” (Tzipi Livni, "The Peace Alternative," Asharq Alawsat, 18 June 2007).

This is absolutely correct. We seek an end to this suffering. We find ourselves, and you must be feeling this intensely yourself, in truly difficult times. The one thing that is clear is that violence has not worked for anyone in this conflict. As a group of avowed non-violent, peace activists, we hope that you will accept this opportunity, move past the zero-sum logic of your government’s blockade, and join us on this historic voyage to break the Siege of Gaza.

Your government's siege on the people of Gaza has been deemed illegal by numerous human rights organizations, has lead to the death of over 200 patients in the last year as a result of being denied adequate medical care, and has caused a man-made humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. Clearly this is not the behavior of a civilized government, nor can these policies ever lead to peace for Israel.

Our voyage may seem to be a quixotic endeavor and therefore easily dismissed, but as a group of individuals who fervently believe that such moves can be vitally transforming, and that individuals do indeed each have the power to change our world for the better, we hope that you will take our offer seriously. We set sail for Gaza in the next few days. Please join us.

Sincerely Yours,
The Steering Committee for the Free Gaza Movement, Cyprus
Tel. +357 99 081 767
FriendsofGaza@gmail.com
http://www.freegaza.org/

Peace Activists Invite Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to Sail with them to Gaza

2008-08-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

NICOSIA, CYPRUS (5 August 2008) - An international group of peace activists planning to sail from Cyprus to Gaza have invited Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to join their campaign to “break the Siege of Gaza.”

The Free Gaza Movement is preparing to sail two ships carrying 40 human rights activists from 17 different countries into the Gaza Strip in violation of the ongoing Israeli blockade. The activists will also be carrying hearing aids for children who have lost some or all of their hearing due to the use of Israeli sound bombs in their neighborhoods.

In their invitation to Foreign Minister Livni, the non-violent activists stated that they “believe that it would be extremely helpful for [Foreign Minister Livni] to see firsthand the horrific effects of Israeli policies on the people of the Gaza Strip,” and expressed the hope that she would take their offer seriously.

The activists’ ships have been named the SS Free Gaza, and the SS Liberty - in recognition of the USS Liberty, a U.S. Navy ship that was attacked by Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats on 8 June 1967, killing 34 American crew members.

The exact date of the ships’ departure has been kept secret by the Free Gaza Movement. A 1988 attempt by the PLO to sail a ship of refugees from Cyprus to Gaza was sabotaged when Israeli forces bombed that ship’s engines and later assassinated three of the Palestinian organizers in Cyprus.

-------

For More Information, please contact:
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, Media Liaison, Cyprus
Tel. +357 99 075 194
Tel. +972 547 366 393
angela@icahd.org

The Free Gaza Movement

2008-08-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

For More Information, please contact:

CYPRUS:
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein
Tel. +357 99 075 194
Tel. +972 547 366 393
FriendsofGaza@gmail.com

UNITED KINGDOM:
Tel. +44 783 225 5713
FriendsofGaza@gmail.com

UNITED STATES:
Karin Pally
Tel. +1 310 399 1921
FriendsofGaza@gmail.com

Background

2008 marks the 60-year anniversary of the Nakba, "the catastrophe", when the overwhelming majority of Palestinians were forcibly evicted from their ancestral homeland to create the state of Israel. In contravention of International law, human rights, and basic principles of morality, Israel continues to deny these refugees and their descendants their right to return home. More than 5 million Palestinian refugees languish in refugee camps, while their homes, farms, and properties are inhabited by Jewish immigrants who arrived in Palestine from around the globe.

The historic illegal appropriation of Palestinian land, home and heritage is at the heart of the Middle East conflict. It has given rise to the largest ongoing refugee population in the world. It paved the way for subsequent land theft in 1967, and the ongoing ethnic cleansing that has squeezed Palestinians in the West Bank into ghettos and bantustans surrounded by 27-foot walls, sniper towers, and military guards. It has created the open-air prison of Gaza with an impoverished and overcrowded population of 1.4 million inhabitants.

Mission Statement

We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation. We want to uphold Palestine's right to welcome internationals as visitors, human rights observers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, or otherwise.

Who are we?

We are these human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists. We have years of experience volunteering in Gaza and the West Bank at the invitation of Palestinians. But now, because of the increasing stranglehold of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, many of us find it almost impossible to enter Gaza, and an increasing number have been refused entry to Israel and the West Bank as well. Despite the great need for our work, the Israeli Government will not allow us in to do it.

We are of all ages and backgrounds. Back home, we are teachers, medics, musicians, secretaries, parents, grandparents, lawyers, students, activists, actors, playwrights, politicians, singer-songwriters, web designers, international training consultants, and even a former Hollywood film industry worker and an aviator. We are South African, Australian, American, English, Israeli, Palestinian, and more.

What are we going to do?
We've tried to enter Palestine by land. We've tried to arrive by air. Now we're getting serious. We're taking a ship.

UN JUDIO ISRAELI EN GAZA: UNA DECLARACION DE JEFF HALPER

2008-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

UN JUDIO ISRAELI EN GAZA: UNA DECLARACION DE JEFF HALPER.

Dentro de pocos dias, me embarcare en uno de los barcos del movimiento Free Gaza de Chipre a Gaza. La mision es romper el asedio Israeli, un asedio completamente ilegal que ha hundido a un millon y medio de Palestinos a condiciones pesimas: encarcelados en sus propias casas, expuestos a violencia militar extrema, privados de sus necesidades vitales basicas, desposeidos de sus derechos humanos mas fundamentales y de su dignidad. El asedio viola el principio mas fundamental de la legislacion internacional: la inadmisibilidad de lastimar a poblaciones civiles.

Nuestra travesia tambien pone en evidencia el intento de Israel de eludir su responsabilidad de lo que esta ocurriendo en Israel. La afirmacion de Israel de que no hay Ocupacion y que la misma acabo cuando tuvo lugar la “desconexion” Israeli, es evidentemente falsa. La Ocupacion es definida por la ley internacional como tener el control efectivo sobre un territorio. Si Israel intercepta nuestros barcos, esta claro que la Potencia Ocupante esta ejerciendo un control efectivo sobre Gaza. Ni el asedio tiene nada que ver con la “seguridad”. Como otros elementos de la Ocupacion en Cisjordania o en Jerusalen Este, donde Israel tambien tiene ciudades grandes y pequenas sitiadas, pueblos y regiones enteras, el asedio de Gaza es fundamentalmente politico. Esta orientado a aislar al gobierno de Palestina democraticamente elegido y romper su poder para resisitir los intentos Israelies de imponer un regimen de apartheid sobre el pais entero.
Estos son los motivos por los cuales, yo, como Israeli Judio, me senti obligado a unirme a esta travesia maritima para romper el asedio. Como persona que busca una paz justa con los Palestinos, que comprende (a pesar de lo que nos dicen los politicos)_ que ellos no son nuestros enemigos, sino mas bien personas buscando precisamente lo que nosotros buscamos y por lo que luchabamos, por la –auto determinacion y no puedo permanecer ociosamente a un lado. No puedo seguir contemplando pasivamente como mi gobierno destruye a otra gente, que puedo ver como la Ocupacion destruye la fibra moral de mi propio pais. Hacerlo, significaria violar mi comjpromiso con los derechos humanos, la misma esencia de la religion profetica Judia, cultural y moral, sin la cual Israel ya no seria Judia, sino una Esparta vacia y poderosa.

Israel tiene desde luego preocupaciones legitimas de seguridad, y los ataques Palestinos contra las poblaciones civiles de Sderot y de otras comunidades Israelies fronterizas a Gaza no pueden ser obviadas. Bajo la Cuarta Convencion de Ginebra, Israel, como Potencia Ocupante, tiene el derecho de monitorizar el movimiento de armas a Gaza como un tema de “ necesidad militar inmediata. Como activistas comprometidos a resistir el asedio de modo no violento, no tengo ninguna objecion a que la Armada Israeli aborde nuestros barcos y busque armas. Pero unicamente esto. Porque Israel no tiene ningun derecho a asediar a una poblacion civil, no tiene ningun derecho legal a evitar que nosotros, personas particulares embarcados unicamente en agues internacionales y Palestinas, para llegar a Gaza –principalmente desde que Israel ha declarado que no la ocupa. Una vez que la Armada Israeli quede convencida de que no suponemos ninguna amenaza para la seguridad, entonces esperamos enteramente que nos permitan continuar nuestro viaje pacifico y legal al Puerto de Gaza.

Personas normales han jugado papeles importantes en la historia, particularmente en situaciones como esta en que los gobiernos eluden sus responsabilidades. Mi travesia a Gaz es una declaracion de solidaridad con el pueblo Palestino en esta etapa de sufrimiento, pero tambien es un mensaje a mis conciudadanos.

Primero, a pesar de lo que dicen nuestros lideres politicos, hay una solucion politica al conflicto, hay interlocutores para la paz. El mismo hecho de que yo, un Judio Israeli, sea bienvenido por las Palestinos Gazauis lo demuestra. Mi presencia en Gaza tambien afirma que cualquier resolucion del conflicto debe incluir a todos los habitantes del pais, Palestinos e Israelies, del mismo modo. Yo, por lo tanto utilizo toda la credibilidad que mis acciones pueden prestarme para pedir a mi gobierno que reinicie negociaciones de paz genuinas basadas en el Documento de los Prisioneros aceptado por todas las facciones Palestinas, incluyendo a Hamas. La liberacion de todos los prisioneros politicos en poder de Israel, incluyendo los ministros del gobierno de Hamas y miembros parlamentarios, a cambio de la repatriacion del soldado Israeli Gilad Shalit, transformaria completamente el panorama politico proporcionando la confianza y buena voluntad necesarias para cualquier proceso de paz.

Segundo, los Palestinos no son nuestros enemigos. De hecho, exhorto a mis conciudadanos Judios Israelies a que se aparten de la politica de estar en un callejon de salida de nuestros lideres que han fracasado politicamente, declarando, junto con los pacificadores Israelies y Palestinos: Rehusamos ser enemigos. Unicamente esta asercion de voluntad popular puede manifestar a nuestro Gobierno que estamos hartos de ser manipulados por los que se estan aprovechando de la Ocupacion.

Y tercero, como la parte infinitamente mas fuerte del conflicto y del unico Poder Ocupante, nosotros Israelies debemos aceptar la responsabilidad de nuestras politicas opresivas y fracasadas. Solo nosotros podemos terminar el conflicto.

En las concepciones Israelies, el Sionismo tenia como objetivo controlar su propio destino. No permitamos ser rehenes de los politicos que ponen en peligro el futuro de nuestra sociedad. Unios a nosotros para asegurar el fin del asedio de Gaza, y con el de la Ocupacion en su totalidad. Dejemos a nuestros pueblos Israeli y Palestinos que declaremos a nuestros lideres: pedimos una paz justa y duradera en esta torturada Tierra Santa. I

(Jeff Halper, dirigente del Comite Israeli contra las Demoliciones de Casas, fue nominado para el Premio Nobel de la Paz de 2006. Su direccion electronica es jeff@icahd.org)

Traduccion del ingles: amdelmar, Chipre.

AN ISRAELI JEW IN GAZA: A STATEMENT BY JEFF HALPER

2008-08-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

AN ISRAELI JEW IN GAZA: A STATEMENT BY JEFF HALPER

In another few days, I will sail on one of the Free Gaza movement boats from Cyprus to Gaza. The mission is to break the Israeli siege, an absolutely illegal siege which has plunged a million and a half Palestinians into wretched conditions: imprisoned in their own homes, exposed to extreme military violence, deprived of the basic necessities of life, stripped of their most fundamental human rights and dignity.

The siege violates the most fundamental principle of international law: the inadmissibility of harming civilian populations. Our voyage also exposes Israel’s attempt to absolve itself of responsibility for what is happening in Gaza. Israel’s claim that there is no Occupation, or that the Occupation ended with “disengagement,” is patently false. Occupation is defined in international law as having effective control over a territory. If Israel intercepts our boats, it is clear that it is the Occupying Power exercising effective control over Gaza. Nor has the siege anything to do with “security.” Like other elements of the Occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where Israel has also besieged cities, towns, villages and whole regions, the siege on Gaza is fundamentally political. It is intended to isolate the democratically-elected government of Palestine and break its power to resist Israeli attempts to impose an apartheid regime over the entire country.

This is why I, an Israeli Jew, felt compelled to join this voyage to break the siege. As a person who seeks a just peace with the Palestinians, who understands (despite what our politicians tell us) that they are not our enemies but rather people seeking precisely what we sought and fought for – national self-determination -- I cannot stand idly aside. I can no more passively witness my government’s destruction of another people than I can watch the Occupation destroy the moral fabric of my own country. To do so would violate my commitment to human rights, the very essence of prophetic Jewish religion, culture and morals, without which Israel is no longer Jewish but an empty, if powerful, Sparta.

Israel has, of course, legitimate security concerns, and Palestinian attacks against civilian populations in Sderot and other Israeli communities bordering on Gaza cannot be condoned. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel, as an Occupying Power, has the right to monitor the movement of arms to Gaza as a matter of “immediate military necessity.” As activists committed to resisting the siege non-violently, I have no objection to the Israeli navy boarding our boats and searching for weapons. But only that. Because Israel has no right to besiege a civilian population, it has no legal right to prevent us, private persons sailing solely in international and Palestinian waters, from reaching Gaza – particularly since Israel has declared that it no longer occupies it. Once the Israeli navy is convinced we pose no security threat, then we thoroughly expect it to permit us to continue our peaceful and lawful journey into Gaza port.
Ordinary people have often played key roles in history, particularly in situations like this where governments shirk their responsibilities. My voyage to Gaza is a statement of solidarity with the Palestinian people in their time of suffering, but it also conveys a message to my fellow citizens.
First, despite what our political leaders say, there is a political solution to the conflict, there are partners for peace. The very fact that I, an Israeli Jew, will be welcomed by Palestinian Gazans makes that very point. My presence in Gaza also affirms that any resolution of the conflict must include all the peoples of the country, Palestinian and Israeli alike. I am therefore using whatever credibility my actions lend me to call on my government to renew genuine peace negotiations based on the Prisoners’ Document accepted by all Palestinian factions, including Hamas. The release of all political prisoners held by Israel, including Hamas government ministers and parliamentary members, in return for the repatriation of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, would dramatically transform the political landscape by providing the trust and good-will essential to any peace process.

Second, the Palestinians are not our enemies. In fact, I urge my fellow Israeli Jews to disassociate from the dead-end politics of our failed political leaders by declaring, in concert with Israeli and Palestinian peace-makers: We refuse to be enemies. Only that assertion of popular will can signal our government that we are fed up with being manipulated by those profiting from the Occupation.

And third, as the infinitely stronger party in the conflict and the only Occupying Power, we Israelis must accept responsibility for our failed and oppressive policies. Only we can end the conflict.

In the Israeli conceptions, Zionism was intended to return to the Jews control over their own destiny. Do not let us be held hostage by politicians who endanger the future of our society. Join with us to end the siege of Gaza, and with it the Occupation in its entirety. Let us, the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, declare to our leaders: we demand a just and lasting peace in this tortured Holy Land.

(Jeff Halper, the head of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, was a nominee for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. He can be reached at jeff@icahd.org.)

An Israeli Jew in Gaza

2008-08-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

יהודי ישראלי בעזה: הצהרה מאת ג'ף הלפר

בעוד כמה ימים אפליג באחת הספינות של תנועת "שחררו את עזה" מקפריסין לרצועת עזה. המשימה היא לשבור את המצור הישראלי, מצור בלתי חוקי בעליל שדחף מיליון וחצי פלשתינאים לתנאי אומללות: כלואים בבתיהם, חשופים לאלימות צבאית קיצונית, מנועים מצרכים קיומיים של חיי היום-יום, ללא זכויות האדם הבסיסיות ביותר שלהם וכבודם. המצור מפר את העיקרון הבסיסי ביותר של החוק הבינלאומי: אסור לפגוע באוכלוסיות אזרחיות. המסע שלנו גם חושף את הניסיון של ישראל להתנער מאחריותה למה שמתרחש בעזה. טענת ישראל לפיה אין כיבוש, או שהכיבוש הסתיים עם ההתנתקות, מופרך לחלוטין. כיבוש מוגדר בחוק הבינלאומי כשליטה בפועל על שטח. אם תיירט ישראל את הספינות שלנו, יהיה זה ברור שהיא המעצמה הכובשת השולטת בפועל על עזה. המצור גם אינו קשור בשום צורה ל"ביטחון". כמו מאפיינים אחרים של הכיבוש בגדה המערבית ובמזרח ירושלים, שגם שם הטילה ישראל מצור על ערים, עיירות, כפרים ואזורים שלמים, המצור על עזה הוא פוליטי מיסודו. מטרתו לבודד את ממשלת פלסטין, שנבחרה באופן דמוקרטי, ולמחוץ את כוחה להתנגד לנסיונות של ישראל להטיל משטר אפרטהייד על מדינה שלמה.

זוהי הסיבה לכך שאני, יהודי ישראלי, חשתי מחוייב להצטרף למסע זה לשבירת המצור. כמי ששואף לשלום צודק עם הפלשתינאים, שמבין (למרות מה שאומרים לנו הפוליטיקאים שלנו) שהם לא האויבים שלנו אלא עם המבקש בדיוק מה שאנחנו ביקשנו ולחמנו עבורו – הגדרה עצמית לאומית – אינני יכול לעמוד מנגד ולא לעשות דבר. אינני יכול להביט בחוסר מעש בפגיעה בעם אחר, בדיוק כפי שאינני יכול לראות איך הכיבוש הורס את המרקם של המדינה שלי. לעמוד מנגד פירושו להפר את מחוייבותי לזכויות אדם, מהות הדת, התרבות והערכים היהודיים, שבלעדיהם ישראל כבר לא יהודית – היא ספרטה ריקה, גם אם חזקה.

כמובן שלישראל יש חששות ביטחוניים לגיטימיים, ואין להשלים עם תקיפות של פלשתינאים על אוכלוסיות אזרחיות בשדרות וקהילות ישראליות אחרות על גבול עזה. על פי אמנת ז'נווה הרביעית, לישראל ככוח הכובש יש את הזכות לפקח על זרימת נשק לעזה כעניין "הנחוץ מבחינה צבאית מובהקת". כפעילים המחוייבים להתנגד למצור בצורה לא-אלימה, אין לי התנגדות שחיל הים הישראלי יעלה על הספינות שלנו ויחפש כלי נשק. אך בכך זה מסתיים. בגלל שאין לישראל אין כל זכות להטיל מצור על אוכלוסייה אזרחית, אין לה זכות חוקית למנוע מאיתנו, אזרחים פרטיים המפליגים במים בינלאומיים ועזתיים, מלהגיע לעזה – במיוחד מאחר שישראל הכריזה כי היא כבר לא כובשת אותה. ברגע שחיל הים הישראלי יבין שאנחנו לא מהווים סיכון ביטחוני, אנו מצפים ממנו לאפשר לנו להמשיך במסע הלא-אלים והחוקי שלנו לנמל עזה.

אנשים מן השורה מילאו לא פעם תפקידי מפתח בהיסטוריה, במיוחד במצבים כאלה שבהם הממשלות מתחמקות מהאחריות שלה. המסע שלי לעזה הוא הצהרת סולידריות עם העם הפלשתינאי בתקופה שבה הוא סובל, אך הוא כולל גם מסר לאזרחי מדינתי.

ראשית, למרות מה שאומרים המנהיגים הפוליטיים שלנו, קיים פיתרון פוליטי לסכסוך, יש פרטנרים לשלום. העובדה שאני, יהודי ישראלי, אתקבל בברכה בידי פלשתינאים עזתים מוכיחה את הנקודה הזו. הנוכחות שלי בעזה גם מראה שכל פיתרון לסכסוך חייב לכלול את כל העמים בארץ, הן ישראלים והן פלשתינאים. לפיכך אני משתמש בכל במה שתהיה לי כדי לקרוא לממשלה שלי לחדש שיחות שלום אמיתיות המבוססות על מסמך האסירים, שעליו הסכימו כל הפלגים הפלשתיניים, כולל חמאס. שחרור כל האסירים הפוליטיים המוחזקים בידי ישראל, ובכללם שרי ממשלה של החמאס וחברי פרלמנט, בתמורה להחזרת החייל הישראלי גלעד שליט, ישנה באופן דרמטי את הנוף הפוליטי בכך שיהווה צעד של אמון ורצון טוב החיוני לכל תהליך שלום.

שנית, הפלשתינאים אינם האויבים שלנו. למעשה, אני קורא לחברי היהודים הישראלים להתנתק מפוליטיקת המבוי הסתום של המנהיגים הפוליטיים הנכשלים שלנו, על ידי ההכרזה, יחד עם עושי השלום הישראלים והפלשתינאים, כי אנחנו מסרבים להיות אויבים. רק קביעה זו של רצון עממי יכולה לאותת לממשלה שלנו שנמאס לנו מהמניפולציות של אלה שמרוויחים מהכיבוש.

ודבר שלישי, בתור הצד החזק לאין ערוך בסכסוך והכוח הכובש היחיד, עלינו הישראלים לקבל אחריות למדיניות הדיכוי הכושלת שלנו. רק אנחנו מסוגלים לסיים את הסכסוך.

מטרת הציונות היתה להשיב ליהודים שליטה על הזהות שלהם. אל תתנו לנו להילקח כבני ערובה בידי פוליטיקאים שמסכנים את עתיד החברה שלנו. הצטרפו אלינו במאמץ לשים קץ למצור על עזה, ואיתו הכיבוש כולו. בואו, ישראלים ופלשתינאים, נכריז למנהיגים שלנו: אנחנו דורשים שלום צודק ובר קיימא בארץ הקודש המדממת.

(ג'ף הלפר, ראש הוועד הישראלי נגד הריסות בתים, היה מועמד לפרס נובל ב-2006. ניתן להשיג אותו בכתובת jeff@icahd.org)

Ridley's Trip to Gaza: Day 4

2008-08-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

The enormity of what the Save Gaza Campaign is about to do is now beginning to hit home, and home is a place which has been on my mind the last 24 hours.

Home is where my husband wants me to be "right now" as he said last night. Home is also another place, it is the family home where my mother lives and where she wants me to be "right now". Home obviously means somewhere which is safe and secure and in the arms of your loved ones.

Well that's what it means to me and millions of others around the world. But just what does home mean if you live in the Gaza Strip? Many of us are wearing Arabic t-shirts at the moment bearing the words: "Gaza on my mind" and Gaza is very much on my mind these days. It is the place where I want to be. It is the place where I want the international headlines to be focused for all the right reasons. It is the place where I want us all to be in the next few days - in fact, I want us all to unite and be Gazans for the day.

Gaza is home to 1.4 million Palestinians and the sad thing is they do not feel safe. They are under siege, at the mercy of a brutal, hostile military from another land. They are shot at, their homes demolished on a Zionist whim, and no mercy or respect is shown for age - if you have an olive skin, are a babe in arms or a pensioner you are "untermenschun" as far as the Israeli regime is concerned. Yes, it is the Nazi word which was reserved for the Jews during the rise of Hitler - and now we have a classic case of the abused becoming the abuser. Israel has the power to turn off their tap water - and often does.

Israel has the power to switch off their lights, stop food and medical aid reaching them and often does. The only thing Israel cannot do is steal the oxygen of Gaza which fills the lungs of the old and young so they can wail, and cry and scream. Sadly, no one hears because these people have been cut off from the rest of the world. They live in the 360 square kilometers of the Gaza Strip, making it one of the most crowded places on earth.

In 1948, just 80,000 people lived in the same area. Now, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), 993,818 of the residents of the strip are refugees and 75 percent of them live in eight camps, where the population density can reach over 75,000 people per square kilometer. Despite all of the power which Israel wields over this tiny piece of land, the government is still not happy.

Now there are moves to try and stop our peace boats from sailing in to Gaza with some hearing aids for the children. The Zionists are trying to put pressure on the Government of Cyprus to block our attempts to smash the siege of Gaza - but what they forget is that Cyprus knows only too well the cost of occupation.

Cyprus has been occupied for more than three decades following the Turkish invasion of the 70s. There is only one way the Cypriot Government will fall - and that will be on the side of right and not might. Come hell or high water, our boats The Liberty and Free Gaza will set sail any day now - we are doing it not for ourselves, but for humanity.

And when we land on the beaches, that is the day we will all become Gazans - armed with nothing more than messages of love and peace. Is the Israeli war machine fuelled with so much hate there's not room for one ounce of humanity?

One of my fellow passengers Donna Wallach, a Jewish lady who has lived in Israel and now resides in America, told me how, despite the hardships suffered under Israel, she is always greeted with love and affection from Palestinian children when she visits the occupied lands. "You know Yvonne, Palestinians don't bring their children up to hate Jews. Sadly, the same cannot be said in Israel where the children are indoctrinated against Palestinians. It is a tragedy." Donna Wallach has so much love to give that I know she cannot wait to be a Gazan for the day, and I also know that despite her nationality she will be loved just as much by those who she wants to support. Because, at the end of the day, we are one big family - and families help each other out.

Ridley's Trip to Gaza: Day 3

2008-08-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

International interest is growing over daring plans by the Free Gaza campaigners to break the Israeli siege judging by yesterday's press conference in Cyprus.

The two-boat peace mission to sail into the waters off Gaza, the world's largest open-air prison where 1.4 million Palestinians are fighting for survival against the medieval, Zionist blockade has really captured the imagination of others. And now we are hopeful that a flotilla of ships will join us in our mission to highlight the Israeli-imposed injustices on the innocent people of Gaza.

The excitement has even spread to the Gaza Strip where we are told tens of thousands of people are expected on the beaches to greet the historic blockade-busting peace activists. The only blot on the horizon is speculation over exactly what the Israeli military will do to scupper the historic waterborne mission. You see we, as in the peace activists, are bracing ourselves for the worst.

Israel has a history of using immense force to crush anyone offering the slightest goodwill gesture and hope to the Palestinians who are now the victims of a slow genocide. The brutality of the Israeli military was recalled yesterday when organizer Greta Berlin revealed to the media the names of our two peace boats - Free Gaza and SS Liberty. The latter is in memory of a war crime which happened on the fourth day of the 1967 Arab Israeli War when the intelligence ship 'USS Liberty' was steaming slowly in international waters, 14 miles off the Sinai Peninsula.

The Second World War freighter had been converted into an intelligence vessel by the top-secret US National Security Agency, and packed with the latest signals and electronic interception equipment. At 1400 hrs, 8 June, 1967, a squadron of low-flying Israeli Mystere and Mirage-III fighter-bombers repeatedly attacked the American vessel with rockets, napalm, and cannon.

The bombing lasted 20 minutes, concentrating on the ship's electronic antennas and dishes. The 'Liberty' was left afire listing sharply. Eight of her crew lay dead, a hundred seriously wounded, including the captain, Commander William McGonagle. At 1424hrs, three Israeli torpedo boats attacked, raking the burning 'Liberty' with 20mm and 40mm shells. At 1431hrs, an Israeli torpedo hit the 'Liberty' midship, precisely where the signals intelligence systems were located.

Twenty-five more Americans died. Israeli gunboats circled the wounded 'Liberty,' firing at crewmembers trying to fight the fires. At 1515, the crew was ordered to abandon ship. The Israeli warships closed and poured machine gun fire into the crowded life rafts, sinking two. As American sailors were being massacred in cold blood, a rescue mission by US Sixth Fleet carrier aircraft was mysteriously aborted on orders from the White House. The Israeli attacks killed 34 US seamen and wounded 171 out of a crew of 297, the worst loss of American naval personnel from hostile action since World War II. Less than an hour after the attack, Israel told Washington its forces had committed a 'tragic error.' So, it is with good reason that the Free Gaza Campaign organizers were reluctant to tell the media exactly when we are setting sail from Larnaca in Cyprus on a journey of 241 nautical miles.

We are still keeping the exact location of the boats a secret, but I can tell you that they are now on course for Larnaca. And I can also tell you that myself and filmmaker Aki Nawaz flew out of Cyprus last night for a secret destination to rendezvous with the two boats so our Press TV documentary will capture every moment for our viewers. We should be re-united with our fellow passengers some time this week to break the siege of Gaza and raise international awareness. So, if you have a boat in the region set your course for Larnaca and let's have a Dunkirk-style flotilla steaming for Gaza. We can no longer rely on the weasel words and actions of Western politicians to rein in Israel from continuing its brutal policies towards the Palestinians.

Let's take on the Zionist State using nothing more than people power to show how much we really do care. The most powerful weapon to combat the violence of the Zionists will be the non-violent actions of peace activists. We have spent the last week training in non-violent resistance techniques and while I will freely admit a few of us have fears and concerns, every one of us is determined not to be intimidated or bullied by Israel. I have previously mentioned the amazing Holocaust-survivor Hedy Epstein, who could celebrate her 84th birthday at sea.

She actually learnt to swim to qualify for this trip. Once we reach Gaza, the plan is to return to Cyprus with Palestinian passengers and establish a ferry service, giving priority for people seeking medical treatment and students prevented by Israel from studying abroad. If you, like us, believe might is not right then pray for us, support us and - if you have a boat - come sail with us. See you on the beaches in Gaza ... Insh'allah.

Day 2

2008-08-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

I hate filling out forms at the best of times but the one I was given today really concentrated my mind about all the "what if" scenarios we have been trying to address during the intensive training sessions in our land-locked HQ in Cyprus.

The 'we' in question is an assortment of peace activists aged between 22 and 83 years drawn from nearly 15 countries across the world representing people of all faith and no faith ... although as I was once told, "There are no atheists aboard a sinking ship!" (Insh'Allah, there will be no need to verify of corroborate that statement at a later date).

In the next few days no less than TWO ships currently berthed in a top-secret location, will come sailing in to the holiday resort of Larnaca to take us on our peace mission.

It is obvious from checking the Zionist websites and chatrooms, there are those who do not want to see our boats float, and the plan to sail a coupe of them into Gaza, breaking the Israeli siege, has caused outrage among some hardliners in the Zionist State.

The obvious question to ask is "Why?" After all, the Free Gaza Campaigners do not want to sail into an Israeli Port. The mission is bound for Gaza which is in Palestinian waters according to any map of the region.

How can delivering a goodwill message and some hearing aids for kids deafened by bombs threaten Israel and the fourth largest army in the world?

But of course logic does not apply and even ordinary Israeli citizens are becoming embarrassed by the hysteria of some Zionists who continue to promote the ill-conceived and medieval siege of the Gaza Strip.

According to a recent poll, the Jewish public there does not believe Israel's policy in Gaza is achieving its goals, and that most of the public even believe this policy is harming their interests.
In fact, the survey revealed that 83 percent felt the siege had made Hamas stronger than ever.
Now if the politicians do decide to pay attention to the people who voted them into power they should tell the Defense Minister to instruct the Navy to give us a wide berth and let our boats pass through so we can get on with our humanitarian mission.

Sadly commonsense does not prevail in the Knesset, and in fact, some pretty nasty decisions have been taken by brutal, uncaring, emotionally damaged people who care not one jot for their fellow man. And it will be this mentality which will be the eventual undoing of the Zionist State.
Fellow traveler Mary Hughes reinforced this view as we sat and drank a strong cup of English tea in our communal kitchen today. You see Mary has witnessed firsthand the brutality of those who say the land of Palestine is theirs.

Mary, who is flying the flag for Canada, although she was born in Bolton, Lancashire, went on an olive-picking adventure Itamar near Nablus in October 2002 to try and persuade under-fire Palestinian farmers to remain on their land.

She and other peace activists headed to the village after they were told that a bunch of particularly nasty, violent settlers were trying to drive the Palestinians from the lands they and their ancestors had farmed for thousands of years.

And for those of you not familiar with the term settlers - it refers to a group of people who are illegally occupying Palestinian lands. Settlers are thieving, land grabbers and all of them without exception refuse to recognize the 1967 borders issued under international law.

Mary believed that if she helped the farmers pick their olives then no one would stop them. She was wrong. She was jumped on by eight young Israeli settlers who then kicked and punched her to the ground before robbing her. She received injuries that needed hospital treatment.
Mary was traumatized. Some of her fellow activists were also beaten up by the same gang and received broken ribs and fractured bones.

Did I tell you Mary was 67 years old when these thugs attacked her?

Well she is now older and wiser and 73 and undeterred by the proven brutality of some Israelis (not all, we have many supporters from Jewish peace groups within the Zionist State). She will be part of our peace mission and I, for one, salute her courage and bravery.

I hope the cowards from the illegal settlements near Nablus who kicked and punched Mary read this and hang their heads in shame. I doubt they will, but listening to people like Mary makes me more determined than ever to be proud of taking part in this amazing humanitarian project.

And one day, when my grandchildren ask me what I did to stop the genocide of the Palestinians I will be able to say I took part in the Free Gaza Campaign with some of the bravest people I have ever met.

Suddenly I feel a whole lot braver - now pass me that NOK form.

Tomorrow: Why Israel thinks the Free Gaza Campaigners are taking a liberty over the name of one of the boats.

Dicing with death for the freedom of Gaza

2008-08-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

In a few days time, I will be stepping on board a boat in an attempt to sail into the world's largest open-air prison - known as Gaza - to help break the vicious Israeli siege which has virtually destroyed the economy, health, education and welfare systems there.

Joining me will be an amazing group of people of all ages, backgrounds, religions, nationalities and cultures including Palestinians, Israelis and internationals who are determined to sail directly to Gaza without going through Israeli territory or seeking permission from Israeli authorities.

I arrived in Cyprus, our sailing point, with Indy film-maker Aki Nawaz who will be charting our trip for Press TV -Aki is also known as the large-than-life band leader of the group Fun-Da-Mental.

As I walked in to the university campus where we're staying with our fellow travellers there was a feeling of a reunion as I recognised some old, friendly faces and some not so familiar ones.

Over the coming days I will give you an inside account of our training, preparation and bonding before we embark on what will doubtless be a memorable, if not hazardous, journey.

The Israeli Navy is already patrolling the waters off Gaza, guns primed and ready to scupper our heroic little mission.

"You have little or no chance of reaching Gaza," said the remarkable Dr Uri Davis, Jewish peace activist, academic and author with a welcoming smile, adding, "But your chances of entering Israel are pretty good. What you have to think about is the publicity that could be achieved to highlight the injustices against the Palestinians."

Admittedly, I was a wee bit crestfallen by his assessment although slightly buoyed by the fact he thought the Israeli Navy might just push us into international waters and create another siege with me and my fellow passengers as hostages rather than blow us out of the water. Mossad actually did blow up one ship in Larnaca to stop it from doing a similar voyage in February 1988.
What I do know is that you cannot swing a cat in Cyprus at the moment without bumping into some dodgy-looking characters that look as though they've come straight from the pen of Ian Fleming.

Happily though, none of our fellow passengers are behaving spookily although we are all a bit edgy, and with good reason. There is a bit of gallows humour in evidence and I am sure I heard someone make a reference to the Titanic ... I wonder if we have an orchestra joining us?

However, there is still a huge shroud of secrecy over our whole operation which reminds me of the old World War II saying my mother used to tell me if I talked too much. "Loose lips sink ships," she would say.

In truth, even if I wanted to, I could not give you the exact location of our sailing vessel so, dear reader, you will have to be patient like me. When the time is ready, you will be among the first to know where she is anchored.

I have only been here a few hours and already the tears have been trickling down my cheeks - tears of sadness, pity, high emotion, anger and laughter.

Most of it was generated by retired British trauma surgeon Dr David Halpin - a former Agenda TV guest - who is here with his wife Susan. They actually did hire a boat - a massive big ship actually - a few years ago to bring aid to Gaza. Their Dove and Dolphin charity is small but powerful and a wonderful tribute to their hard work.

Their ship sailed in to an Israeli Port since the one in Gaza was previously blown to smithereens by the Israeli Army, and they got their aid to the Gazans by way of a convoy of trucks.
Sadly, Dr Halpin will not be joining us either, although he really inspired us with his own personal fortitude and courage about his experiences of life in Gaza.

There were more tears over supper - spontaneously prepared by Gaza-born Monir - as Aki and I sat round a table feasting on ripe melon, feta cheese and pitta bread. We listened in complete silence to Hedy Epstein as she talked us through her childhood.

German-born Hedy spoke clearly and calmly as I sat open-mouthed listening to how she escaped the Holocaust ... her parents were not as lucky. Her remarkable tale of survival against the odds was full of high drama fueled by Nazi hatred towards Jews, unspeakable hardships and heroic deeds.

At 83 she is the oldest on board and I will be standing right next to her should the Israeli military decide to take any action. This remarkable woman is now my new best friend and there is no way this amazing defender of justice and human rights should be exposed to any hostility from the Israelis.

Hitler did not get her and I am damned if the Israelis will!

"My parents were against Zionism when they were alive and I am too," she told me.

I have yet to meet the 81-year-old Catholic nun who I am told is just as amazing. There is a buzz going around that we will be joined shortly by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's journalist sister-in-law, Lauren Booth another friend of mine and a wonderful supporter of the Palestinian people.

Someone else who I've just bumped in to is an amazing American called Ramzi Kysia who I last saw in Baghdad just before the outbreak of "shock and awe".

In truth, I never thought I would see Ramzi alive again - he had just volunteered to stay behind in Baghdad as a human shield and said he was prepared to die if being there could prevent a full-scale war. I cannot wait to listen to his story and what prompted him to sign up to the Free Gaza Campaign. I will find out tomorrow, and as soon as I do, I will let you know.

On Monday, August 4, the Free Gaza Movement publicly introduces its international team that will take volunteers from Cyprus to Gaza in popular solidarity with Palestinian human rights.
From that day, any attempt to damage the project will be considered an act of aggression against a nonviolent international human rights mission, I am told.

So if you really want to know what's happening ... watch this space for regular updates, photos and messages of goodwill and support.

If you want more information, go to www.freegaza.org where the actual voyage can be watched in real time, by video streaming from the satellite broadcasting onboard.

Since this non-violent voyage is being funded by private donation, Free Gaza Movement welcomes donations online at its website.

2008-08-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Free Gaza movement consists of a group of Californian peace activists who have been working on the idea of sailing into Gaza for nearly a year now.

Forty to seventy Palestinians and people from 12 countries including America, Canada, Pakistan, and Britain have joined the project and will sail into Gaza during the sixty-year anniversary of the Nakba - the forcible expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their lands to create Israel -to challenge Israeli control over the open-air prison called Gaza.

According to a press release by the activists:

“Israel says Gaza is no longer occupied; yet it denies Palestinians access to jobs, travel, commerce, education, and medical care. Its military has turned the Gaza Strip into an open-air concentration camp controlled by land, sea and air. “

“In the past year, the people of Gaza have barely had enough to eat, as Israel withholds food and energy in an attempt to starve them into submission.”

The group has chosen nonviolent civil resistance against the unjust policies of occupation to show that everyone of conscience can participate in resisting injustice.

The timetable:
August 2-4: First aid and boat training, and conflict management.
August 5: Boat sets sail and will reach Gaza after one day.
August 6-10: Delivering supplies to Gaza.

Can unarmed seaborne civilians break the siege of Gaza?

2008-08-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release:

A press conference at The Journalists’ House, Nicosia
At RIK / CBC Avenue 12, Nicosia
Monday, 4th August, 2008 at 10.00 a.m.
[Camera crews to come early, please, for set up]

Inaugurating The Free Gaza Movement Sailing to Gaza

DESTINATION: GAZA PORT

In August, unarmed Palestinians, Israelis and internationals will sail directly to Gaza without going through Israeli territory or seeking permission from Israeli authorities. They include an 81-year-old Catholic nun, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, Palestinians from Gaza, 17 nationalities, four major religions and the international press (including Tony Blair’s journalist sister-in-law, Lauren Booth).

On Monday, August 4, 2008, the Free Gaza Movement publicly introduces its international team that will take volunteers from Cyprus to Gaza in popular solidarity with Palestinian human rights. From that day, any attempt to damage the project will be considered an act of aggression against a nonviolent international human rights mission.

Media places on the boat are taken. Since there are many journalists on a short list, we suggest journalists work together to find a separate press vessel, and we are prepared to help network those interested.

At the press conference in Nicosia (see above address and scheduled time), participants will be available for individual interviews.

For more information go to http://www.freegaza.org/ where the actual voyage can be watched in real time, by video streaming from the satellite broadcasting on board. Since this [non-violent/entirely peaceful] voyage is being funded by private donation, Free Gaza Movement welcomes donations online at its website.

For more information contact:
Greta Berlin, +357-990 81767 (iristulip@gmail.com) Angela Godfrey-Goldstein: +357-990 75194 (angela@icahd.org )