Free Gaza Heroes Do What Cowardly Governments Dare Not
The Israeli siege of Gaza continues, but we are happy to report that the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) successfully challenged the occupation three times since August. FGM voyages from Cyprus to Gaza City brought members of the European Parliament, journalists and activists, as well as much-needed humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip. Each time, the Israeli Occupation forces threatened to attack the ships, but in the end let them through. Articles in this edition bring you first-hand accounts of the first voyage, the recent arrest and detention of FGM volunteers and fishermen, and FGM’s plans for the future. ISM work in the West Bank continues; the online version of this newsletter includes a journal from a volunteer in Beit Ummar.
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Free Gaza Heroes Do What Cowardly Governments Dare Not
By Stuart Littlewood, August 2008
Stuart Littlewood hails the heroes of the Free Gaza movement whose boats, manned by volunteers – ordinary people of various nationalities and backgrounds – and funded by public donations succeeded in breaking through the illegal, medieval Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
A small band of brave, humanitarian-minded volunteers in a couple of boats have done, in the name of human decency, what the cowardy-custard leaders of the US, Britain and the EU, with their mighty navies, were too spineless to do in the name of justice. I’m delighted the Free Gaza boats got through, and thoroughly ashamed to be ruled by a Western mafia that connives with the Middle East’s racial supremacists to blockade and crush the innocent people of Gaza.
People in Gaza City await the arrival of the Free Gaza Ships (photo credit: Free Gaza Movement)
The Little People’s courageous voyage from Cyprus called the Israelis’ bluff. To serve its greedy purpose the Zionist entity invented and imposed its own maritime law, which has no basis in international law. So, whether its gunboats intercepted the voyagers or let them through, it would be a public relations disaster for Israel. And it was.
Now the Israeli propaganda machine lashes out to brand the Little People “provocateurs” working for Hamas.
“It’s a Hamas publicity stunt”, claims Israel
The very next day the Israeli News Agency was squealing in panic: “The terror group Hamas tried to stage a media PR event and failed big time.”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Arye Mekel told the agency: We knew about this Hamas attempt to create a PR event at sea for weeks… We knew who’s on these boats and what they contain, and therefore we decided weeks ago to allow them to come into Gaza. They were not carrying weapons and had only a handful of equipment for the hearing impaired.
So why the Israeli threats and intimidation right up to the last minute?
“One cannot place any responsibility on the Palestinian Authority for these theatrics as the PA has no control of Gaza,” said Mekel, apparently eager to protect Ramallah’s collaborators and vilify the democratically elected and perfectly legitimate resistance movement now holed up in Gaza.
The news agency went on to say that the residents of Gaza were disappointed by the total lack of food that was “supposed to have been brought in by the two Palestine boats carrying international leftist activists … who support Hamas suicide bombers and rocket attacks on Israel towns and cities”. According to a ministry spokesperson,they showed “a complete and total disregard for innocent Israel terror victims”.
The Foreign Ministry said these foreign supporters of Hamas did not deserve to be referred to as “peace activists” and labelled them a “handful of provocateurs seeking a public relations stunt who initiated a political protest aimed at boosting Hamas’s regime of horrors in Gaza”.
The Israeli News Agency and its government masters would have us believe that Prof Jeff Halper (a prominent and much-respected Israeli Jew living in Jerusalem), 81-year-old Catholic nun Anne Montgomery, journalist Lauren Booth, Dr Edith Lutz and the 40 other activists who sailed with noble intention on the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty were really doing it all for Hamas.
Government officials emphasized, said the agency, that sincere humanitarian groups could continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population. Oh? So how come a van containing 1.5 tons of urgently needed medical supplies donated by the kind folk of Scotland was prevented from entering Gaza for nearly four weeks and had to head back home with its precious cargo still onboard?
The news agency’s report carries a footnote saying it was edited and search-engine optimized by an Israeli communications company that claims on its website “the highest standards of intellect, creativity and integrity”.
You have to laugh.
Stuart Littlewood is author of the book Radio Free Palestine, which tells the plight of the Palestinians under occupation. For further information please visit www.radiofreepalestine.co.uk
By Huwaida Arraf, August 2008
On Saturday, after 32 hours on the high seas, I sailed into the port of Gaza City with 45 other citizens from around the world in defiance of Israel’s blockade. We traveled from Cyprus with humanitarian provisions for Palestinians living under siege. My family in Michigan was worried sick.
They are not naive. They knew that Israel could have attacked us, as Israeli forces did in 2003, killing nonviolent American witness Rachel Corrie (Editor’s note: Corrie, also of the International Solidarity Movement, was run over by a bulldozer operated by Israeli Defense Forces during a protest against the destruction of Palestinian homes; an Israeli military investigation ruled the death accidental) and Brit Tom Hurndall (an ISM representative who died nine months after being was shot in the head in Gaza by an IDF sniper; the sniper was convicted of manslaughter) as well as thousands of unarmed Palestinian civilians over the years.
My family members, though, remember that 60 years ago part of our own family was uprooted and driven from their homes in Palestine by Israeli forces. This loss no doubt fueled my decision to risk my safety and freedom to advance the human rights of innocent men, women and children in Gaza.
Our two boats were greeted upon arrival by thousands of jubilant Palestinians who in 41 years of occupation had never witnessed such a scene. To get there we braved anonymous death threats and the Israeli military interfering with our means of communications despite rough seas that jeopardized our safety. Before our departure, the Israeli foreign ministry asserted its right to use force against our unarmed boats. We nevertheless resolved to act, to symbolically end the siege of Gaza, and to do as civilians what governments have lacked the compassion or courage to do themselves. Once here, we delivered critical supplies such as hearing aids, batteries for medical equipment, and painkillers.
When a massive earthquake rocked China and cyclones ravaged Myanmar, the world responded. Governments and civilians alike rallied to help. Yet world governments have witnessed a manmade humanitarian catastrophe unfold before our eyes in Gaza. Karen Koning Abu Zayd, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), has asserted that “Gaza is on the threshold of becoming the first territory to be intentionally reduced to a state of abject destitution, with the knowledge, acquiescence and, some would say, encouragement of the international community.”
Israel claims that its occupation of Gaza ended three years ago with its pullout of soldiers and settlers. But because Israel objected to the outcome of a 2006 Palestinian election that the Carter Center deemed free and fair, it has blockaded Gaza, severely restricting movement of goods and people. Dov Weisglass, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was quoted shortly before the swearing in of the new Hamas government as saying, “It’s like a meeting with a dietitian. We need to make the Palestinians lose weight, but not to starve to death.”
More than 200 Palestinians have died in the past year according to Physicians for Human Rights, Israel because they could not exit Gaza for needed medical care. Over 80% of Gaza’s population now depends on food aid from UNRWA and the World Food Programme. Unemployment is up to an astonishing 45%. And hundreds of young people are being intellectually starved by Israel’s decision to prevent them from taking up overseas academic opportunities.
Now that we have made it into Gaza, we intend to assist Gaza’s fishermen. We will sail with them beyond the six nautical mile limit illegally enforced by the Israeli navy. Palestinian fishermen are routinely harassed and attacked as they ply the waters to eke out a living. We hope our presence will keep the Israeli military at bay.
We do this because we are horrified that this siege of 1.5 million men, women and children is allowed to continue. We are saddened for the state of our world when decision-makers can sit back and watch an entire people being slowly and purposefully starved and humiliated.
We know that with our two small boats we cannot open all of Gaza to the outside world. We could not bring with us the freedom of movement, access to jobs, medical care, food and other critical supplies that they are denied today. But we brought with us a message to the people of Gaza: they are not alone. With our successful journey we show them that American citizens and others from around the world have been moved to advance humanitarian principles and human rights. Our efforts this week are undertaken in that spirit and with the hope that our elected representatives will one day follow our example.
Huwaida Arraf, a human rights advocate from Roseville, is a lecturer at Al-Quds University School of Law in Jerusalem and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement. This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press on August 25, 2008
By Greta Berlin, November 2008
We arrived safely last night. The trip home was much less eventful than the trip to Gaza and much less emotional. On board my boat, the FREE GAZA, was a family of Palestinians who had not been let out of the concentration camp called “Gaza” for five years. The mother had given birth to her youngest son four years ago, and the family, living in Cyprus, had not seen him. The joy on the faces of Hana’s family was worth waiting the extra half day to leave. We had to make sure that the Cypriot authorities would allow them in.
On board the LIBERTY was a 10-year-old boy whose leg had been shot off by the Israeli military. He was from Khan Younis. The story (and I haven’t been able to verify it it yet) is that he was standing with his friend as an Israeli tank invaded his town. A sniper shot him through one leg, then when he stood to run, the sniper shot him through the other one, causing huge damage to the leg. It was amputated at the hip. Again, we had to wait for Cypriot authorities to give permission for him to transit to another country.
On the first page of the Cyprus Mail is a photo of the boy with Osama, one of our organizers. Even though we came in at 9 pm, the media was all over the quay waiting for us. Although we didn’t get seasick this time, many of us, because we are so exhausted, are feeling the land effects today, swaying as we try to walk down the streets.
It has been a week of over-riding joy, sadness at the condition of so many sick and wounded Palestinians, hope for the future, and disbelief that we not only arrived safely but left safely. As we pulled out of Gaza yesterday, seven Israeli naval vessels surrounded the Palestinian fishermen who joyfully escorted us six miles out. The last view we had of Gaza was of the seven gunboats surrounding the fishermen. We’ve heard from our Israeli sources that they arrested four of them.
As usual, the Palestinians will face the wrath of the Israeli military, because they had egg on their faces and will take it out on the weakest.
We meet this morning to plan the second trip.
By Paul Larudee, November 2008
The Lebanese immigration officer came to the last page in my passport. “You went to Israel?” he exclaimed. (Lebanon refuses to admit persons who have entered Israel.)
“No.” I said.
“But it shows here that you entered Gaza.”
“Since when is Gaza in Israel?” I replied.
It didn’t compute. How could I enter Gaza without going through Israel?
“Look closer,” I said. “It reads mina ghazza – Gaza Port. I didn’t go through Israel. I went by sea.”
The immigration officer could be forgiven for his bewilderment. Fewer than fifty people in the world possessed that stamp in their passport. The two boats of the Free Gaza Movement were the first in forty-one years to enter Gaza from outside. The stamp in my passport wase created especially for us.
How did we succeed? What did we accomplish? What has changed, and for whom?
The importance of the achievement of the Free Gaza Movement should be neither over- nor under-emphasized. It was certainly historic, and banner headline news in a dozen countries. We were the lead story for millions of aljazeera television viewers for four days running. (The coverage in the US was more circumspect.)
It was a triumph of nonviolent resistance. We had defied the fourth most powerful military force on earth with an 81-year-old Catholic nun, an Israeli human rights leader, the rebellious sister-in-law of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, a bunch of journalists, and seasick volunteers from 17 countries aboard two old wooden tubs rocking across the Mediterranean.
If we could do it, anyone could – anyone at all. We had no special funding or support. It was all grassroots organizing. Our more than 200 endorsers and thousands of supporters could all take credit. The only ones who couldn’t do it were governments or political parties or armed forces. Furthermore, we showed that anyone and everyone could follow in our path.
One key to our success was our complete openness. After two apparent Israeli attempts to interfere with our boat purchases, we procured and prepared the boats in complete secrecy in Greece. When launch time came, however, we invited and encouraged the world to watch. We held news conferences, had journalists on board and stayed in the public eye for all to see. If anything happened to us, it would not go unnoticed.
We also strategically cooperated with friendly authorities and avoided unnecessarily provoking Israel. Although Israel applied pressure upon the Greek and Cypriot governments to stop us, they both responded that our project was perfectly legal, and that they had no right to interfere. With impeccable neutrality, the Cypriot government sent escorts to meet us, led us to a secure area of the Larnaca port, inspected us and our cargo and passengers, and escorted us out again when we were ready.
This assured both us and other concerned parties (especially Israel) that nothing and no one dangerous had been placed on board, although the primary purpose was to assure the Cypriot people of the same. Equally important, from our point of view, it removed any pretext for Israel to stop and board us. In fact, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arye Mekel specifically cited Cypriot assurances as a reason for Israel’s decision not to interfere with our voyage.
We also checked with U.S. authorities before our departure. Were we contravening any laws by accepting an invitation from the democratically elected but Hamas dominated government in Gaza? Were there any prohibitions about meeting with them? “No,” said both the State and Justice departments. Just don’t provide “material support” to them. “No problem,” we said. We don’t support any political parties, whether Hamas or Fateh, Republican or Democrat.
Finally, we made sure that we abided strictly by marine protocol, avoiding Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, and heading directly in from international waters. We even assisted Gaza in creating an official route of entry, issued by the Gaza Port Authority.
When we returned to Cyprus, Israel threatened to stop us if we offered passage to Palestinians. However, we pointed out that they, too, would be subject to Cypriot procedures upon arrival, and that we had to coordinate with Cyprus to assure that all our passengers met their requirements. Again, Israel chose not to interfere.
Since the heady days of August, two more voyages have taken place, on October 29 and November 7, with a newer and stronger boat. Although the former sailed under new threats from Israeli authorities, they once again chose not to follow through. The latter encountered no threats at all.
Did we really break the siege of Gaza? Is Gaza now open by sea?
We think so. Our first voyage, however important and historical, was largely symbolic. We cannot pretend that it improved the lives of Palestinians in any material way. However, each succeeding voyage tests the viability of the sea route and encourages others to follow in our wake.
We intend to follow through on our plans to open a permanent ferry service to Gaza, taking passengers and cargo in both directions. We are encouraging humanitarian relief organizations to stop sending supplies through Israel and send them by sea, so that they will not be subject to costly Israeli restrictions, warehousing and border closures. We are exploring the possibility of a dredger, to make Gaza port suitable for bigger vessels. The objective is simple: to assure that Palestinians in Gaza can exercise the same rights and freedoms as all peoples who live on the Mediterranean.
Beyond that, we are considering an airplane that will fly the same route as the ships, not entering Israeli or Egyptian air space, and landing at the airport that was built in Gaza soon after the Oslo agreement was signed. How about a couple of hot air balloons inflated in Gaza and floating to Hebron to exercise the right of Palestinians to travel between Gaza and the West Bank?
Sound impossible? Perhaps, but after breaking the siege of Gaza, how do we know what’s impossible anymore?
Paul Larudee is one of the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement.
By the Editors, with contributions from Eva Bartlett
November 2008
On November 18th, fifteen Palestinian fishermen and 3 international Human Rights Observers (HRO’s) were surrounded by the Israeli Navy and taken from their boats 7 miles off the coast of Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. The fishermen and the HRO’s were transferred from 3 separate boats to the Israeli warships and taken to Ashdod, Israel for interrogation. The boats have been confiscated by the Israeli navy and there is no word on whether or when they will be returned to their owners.
The HROs are Andrew Muncie, a Scottish British citizen, Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian citizen, and Darlene Wallach, an American citizen. They have been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) since they entered Gaza on ships with the first Free Gaza Movement voyage on the 23rd August 2008. All internationals have previous experience working with the ISM in the West Bank.
Darlene Wallach, of the Northern California ISM Support Group, is currently being held in a men’s prison in Ramle, Israel, in a section reserved for illegal immigrants. Israeli authorities say they will deport Darlene, but will not grant her request to be deported to London, and will instead send her to New York. A judge is expected to make a ruling on her deportation in the next few days.
Since September 2008, after the arrival of the Free Gaza boats, human rights observers with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) have been traveling with Gaza’s fishermen, into waters further out than the arbitrarily-imposed six-mile limit. The observers have documented numerous instances of attack at the hands of the Israeli army, from as little as three miles from shore, including being shot at with live ammunition and shelling, being water cannoned — during which soldiers specifically target the boats structural components, particularly breakables like glass, glass panels and machinery — and more recently being doused with a foul, sewage-smelling water shot from the water cannon. The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has documented testimonies of fishermen who suffered harassment and arrest, had their nets cut, and boats and equipment confiscated, often returned with broken and missing equipment, and costly damages to key boat structures
When confronted by the Israeli Navy, the boats were 7 nautical miles from the shore of Deir al Balah, well within the fishing limit detailed in the Oslo Accords of 1994.
Over 40,000 people in Gaza make a living from the fishing industry, yet this community has been decimated by Israeli restrictions on fishing rights and the prevention of fuel from reaching the Gaza Strip.
According to the Fishing Syndicate in Gaza, fishermen need 40,000 litres of fuel and 40,000 litres of natural gas each day to operate throughout the high fishing season.
Starting in April each year, there is a migration of fish from the Nile Delta to Turkish waters which Palestinian fishermen have traditionally relied upon. Yet Israel limits fishing 6 miles from the Gaza shore and regularly attacks those who venture further than 3 miles – over 70 fishermen were arrested last year by the Israeli forces. The large schools that form the migration are usually found 10 miles from shore. The average catch of fish was over 3000 tons a year in the 1990’s, now it is around 500 tons directly due to the Israeli siege of Gaza.
Also, the water in which the fishermen of Gaza sail in is now receiving 50 million litres of sewage per day because the people of Gaza have no alternative due to the lack of power supplies to sewage treatment facilities.
For a longer version of this article, see ElectronicIntifada.net
Eva Bartlett has been active in Canadian ISM support groups, and is currently volunteering in Gaza on a long-term basis.
By Shambhu Hanuman, October 2008
The second evening after our arrival in Hebron, we were notified of a home invasion in the nearby village of Beit Ummar and asked by our local coordinator to respond. Home invasions are often described as drills for the occupation soldiers, but their purpose is the intimidation and humiliation of the local inhabitants. They are illegal according to international law. We caught a taxi to the village where we were greeted by the mayor. He was concerned about how we could approach the occupied houses in the dark without risking getting shot by the Israeli soldiers.
After being served tea in the mayor’s house, we were taken to a gas station close to one of the houses that had been invaded. A contingent of Israeli activists arrived from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem and asked us if we were ready to go. As there were two houses that were occupied, our group of four took a quick vote on whether to split and send ISM people to both houses. The decision was to keep our small group together and assist the Israeli activists at one house only.
As we arrived at the house, the Israeli activists were already in front, looking for the main entrance which was on the second level up the stairs. One of them knocked on the door and moments later a dim light came on in some room towards the back. The door suddenly opened and an arm reached through and yanked one of the Israeli activists through the door by his collar. He was followed by another and then we all piled in.
A few soldiers with their faces covered with black balaclavas were attempting to wrestle the video camera away from a young Israeli activist in the corner of the foyer. Two of us jumped in and grabbed hold of the activist to shield him from the soldiers. One of the attacking soldiers went berserk and lifted his M-16, pointing the weapon at the activist’s head while screaming in Hebrew. The terrified photographer was screaming back at him It seemed that the masked gunman was about to pull the trigger.
Finally the soldier calmed down and allowed us to join the other activists and the hostage family in the living room of the house. The danger was past, but I was freaked out enough that I didn’t let go of the young Israeli kid until it was obvious that the soldiers weren’t going to attack anyone again. The incident ended when the front door opened and a few somewhat elderly woman wearing red baseball caps marched into the living room. These were the dreaded representatives of the Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT). That was enough for the four Israeli soldiers. They headed for the door.
The mayor arrived and gave a brief speech thanking everyone who had assisted. The Israeli activists and CPT people then departed. The other house was reported as also secured and our small group of ISM activists remained with the family for the evening. We sat up until midnight with the elderly man of the house and his wife as well as the other members of the household, three or four generations including some small children. The old man joked with us traumatized and still shaking volunteers, asking us about our families and “normal” lives as if nothing abnormal had even happened. After serving us a huge platter of food the family arranged blankets and cushions for us on the floor of a couple of rooms. We spent the night there with them as protection against another visit from the Israeli soldiers.
Shambu Hanuman is a staff and teacher at a San Francisco yoga center. He served with ISM in the occupied West Bank in February of 2008. Shambu attended several of the weekly demonstrations at Bil’in village including the third anniversary of the protests on February 22 where he was shot in the head by Israeli forces with a rubber coated bullet. He fortunately escaped serious injury and continued his ISM service in the Hebron area. Shambu is returning to Palestine in December. He can be contacted at dharmaworks108@gmail.com
By Hisham Jamjoum
For every day that we have a non-violent demonstration or action, the sweat of Palestinians, internationals and Israeli activists proves the reality of solidarity and the possibility of coexistence between people.
Force is not the language for peace. Unlike the coalition forces who claim to create democracy and global justice through their weapons and destructive technology, in Palestine, simple human beings with empty hands and full hearts face one of the strongest armies in the world, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). We won’t react towards the IOF by using the same means of violence that they use against us.
We are not teachers or lecturers, but we have the experience of 60 years of resisting the Israeli Occupation. By our continuous resistance and the hope we have maintained, we prove that force and violence is the weapon of the loser. We need you, our friends, side by side with us, to work for that peace. We await you in Palestine.
Hisham Jamjoum is an ISM coordinator in Jerusalem.
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How important is our work? There are lots of worthy appeals to help the victims of Israel’s violations of human rights. However, for every victim that is helped another is created. Human rights work is never as well funded as victim relief, and yet our work is to prevent the creation of victims who then need your relief dollars.