Blair's Sister-in-law tries to break into world's largest prison!

[Ibtisam]

^^Some are, the Orthodox jews for example.

[SayidSomal]

actually we had jewish socialist with us in the team, but then again he wasn't religious, just used jewish as ethnicity and he was against everthing the israel state stood for and the zionist who built it. all i saw of the jewish people there was the soldiers on every corner and some of these orthodox jewish, who when outside of Juresalam were armed.

[Ibtisam]

Intimidation will not stop our boats sailing

 

 

Our perilous, non-violent mission should now be nearing its destination, bearing a message that some want to silence.

 

This morning I am sorry to find myself back on dry land in Cyprus, separated from my fellow sailors who are now completing the final leg of their trip to Gaza.

 

They are carrying humanitarian and medical aid to a people now suffering both an international boycott and the illegal Israeli occupation. On board the refurbished fishing boats, SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty, are more than 50 activists from 17 nations - Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, farmers, fishermen, officials, language teachers, piano technicians and one 85-year-old Holocaust survivor - all united in their determination to break the Israeli siege.

 

After months of preparation, the Free Gaza Movement's perilous relief mission is under way. But I am not with them, despite the fact that I am the only Palestinian-born organiser involved. Last week, my immediate family, who still live in the West Bank, were attacked and terrorised, and I also received numerous anonymous death threats. My family were warned that I must leave the project, and that I must not contact the media. This psychological terrorism now forces me to make a public protest. Though I am no longer on board, I will not leave this mission, even as potential confrontation with the Israeli military looms closer.

 

The UN has called the situation in Gaza a humanitarian disaster, but the inhumanity goes on. More than 200 civilians have died due to the refusal to let people leave Gaza to seek medical care. The United States, the country that assumes stewardship of the world and whose influence could change the situation, stands by. Worse still, it endorses absurd Israeli claims, such as the recent labelling of innocent Fulbright scholars as "potential security threats" to bar them from taking up their scholarships abroad.

 

Internationally, the thin veneer of diplomacy has shattered again. On June 19 Israel agreed to halt military invasion and the indiscriminate shelling of Gaza, in return for an end to the launching of homemade rockets towards Israel. Israel has not met its obligations. Gaza's borders, gates that imprison 1.5 million civilians, remain locked, and scant supplies get through. Even medical supplies are being blocked.

 

I grew up in Palestine and have lived in fear since childhood. The horror of witnessing elders of my family being bullied and humiliated, the daily terror of losing my parents. Watching my family elders being humiliated, the child's voice inside me would cry out silently: "How can I stop this?"

 

While I was on board the Liberty, I listened to the threatening messages hijacking the ship's emergency channel, illegal for use unless in distress. These voices reawakened a deep, familiar feeling in me: that no matter how civil, kind, non-violent I am, I will always be watched, or far worse, hunted.

 

Now I realise that the biggest friend of psychological terror is silence. The Free Gaza Movement aims to challenge the physical stranglehold on Gaza, but more importantly, this mission seeks to break the silence for millions of voiceless civilians whose daily stories of persecution go so cruelly ignored by the international community.

 

When our boats arrived in Cyprus on August 20 to collect the rest of our 40-plus group, news reached us that Israel's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Tzipi Livni, had finally responded to our invitation. The Free Gaza Movement had invited her to join the Cypriot authorities, who were coming aboard to search our boats in order to address their security concerns. Citing the Oslo accords, a document from the legal department of the foreign ministry asserted Israel's right to use force against our boats. It claimed that security forces were permitted to detain the vessels upon entry to Gaza's territorial waters, and that the peaceful, unarmed activists on board could be forcibly arrested, detained and "interrogated" in Israel. Why does a peaceful relief mission bring fury, fear and threat from the Israeli government?

 

Is this the way Israel observes its responsibilities under the Oslo accords? Under the accords and the Gaza-Jericho agreement, the only authority Israel reserved for itself was for "security" purposes. Our boats are no threat. Our David and Goliath mission is a focused, direct action to challenge the inertia of the international community which allows the "humanitarian disaster" suffered by the people of Gaza to continue. The activists carry no arms or threat of violence. If the Israeli government orders the destruction of this mission, it will surely be an act unequalled since the blowing up of the USS Liberty more than 30 years ago, a secret mission of sabotage to draw the Americans into the war against Egypt.

 

The prospect casts a shadow on our mission. But Liberty and Free Gaza will bring their peaceful cargo to the people of Gaza. Many families will now be gathered on the Gaza beaches, waiting and praying for the boats' safe arrival. For those families, simply to be afloat in these crystal blue seas, enjoying the freedom of international waters, would be a truly wonderful thing indeed.

·Osama Qashoo is a documentary film-maker and broadcaster

freegaza.org

[SayidSomal]

'Symbolic solidarity' with Gaza

24 Aug 24, 2008 - 11:19:38 AM

 

 

 

Two vessels carrying 46 international human rights activists reached the Gaza Strip on Saturday despite Israeli warnings for the flotilla not to breach the blockade.

 

However, Israel backed away from its warnings and the activists – volunteers from 17 countries - were allowed to finish their 370-km voyage which embarked from Cyprus.

 

The boats were greeted at Gaza's main port by thousands of people waving Palestinian flags, many of them sailing around the harbour in boats to welcome the activists.

 

Al Jazeera was in the throngs of waiting people and interviewed some of the activists as they made land.

 

Christos Giovanopoulos, Greek activist

 

I feel like it is a dream to have finally entered the Gaza Strip. We thought that the Israelis would stop us from entering the Strip as they have said, but they could not.

 

However, from the beginning, we were sure that we would reach Gaza because we decided to enter by any means.

 

Our visit is in solidarity with the Gazans. We are telling them that you are not alone as you face against the cruelty of the Israelis who do not respect laws.

 

We want to tell the world that the Europeans are against the siege of Gaza as children die of the shortage of food and medicine. Our message to the Israelis is we do not support them and more than that, we oppose them and we will fight against their policy of besieging Gaza.

 

George Oratzas, Greece

 

It was the best moment in my life to come to the Gaza Strip and stand beside the bereaved people living in it. It was a moment of ecstasy when we planted our feet on the land of Gaza as it is a proof of a successful strife for its freedom.

 

Our visit is symbolic rather than a form of assistance. We want to tell the world that it is possible to do something for the Gazans if you want. You just have to move. Don’t wait for official permissions.

 

I want to tell the Gazans that we haven’t forgotten them and we won’t do that at all. We want to tell our governments that we don’t agree with their official support for the Israeli war against the Gazans and we want to tell the Israelis that they can’t stop any solidarity movement with the Gazans.

 

We did not face a lot of dangers during our voyage and the Israelis couldn’t approach us, they fled far away from us and we didn’t see them at all.

 

Dr William Dlarst, Washington-based physician

 

I have visited the Strip many times and the last time was in 2006. I feel that this visit has been the most crucial as it reflects moral support for the Gazans.

 

I feel very joyful; look at how the people have become cheerful because of our visit. It is the first time in my life to watch this number of people waiting for me.

 

I know that this visit does not bring too much help for Gaza's residents; however, I hope that this will be the first step taken towards breaking the siege.

 

Regarding suffering, I don’t think that what we experienced on our journey here can be classified as painful. Bbut it is a joy; pain which ends in joy is preferable pain.

 

Yvonne Ridley, British journalist

 

It is the best end to a difficult journey; a journey which aims to ease the difficult life of the innocent besieged residents of Gaza.

 

This moment is the end of 23 days of suffering. Yes, it was a very difficult and dangerous voyage as communications and connection to the outside world were blocked while we were at sea.

 

I know that this journey is symbolic. It represents a crack in the strong barrier represented by the siege and I call for all to take similar steps to free Gaza.

 

I call on European nations to stand with the Gazans and support their rights.

 

This voyage proves that those who threaten people and also threatened us are weak. Today we showed how weak the Israeli occupation is.

 

David Harbor, American activist

 

It is a great moment to be a member of the first group of people who could break the siege of the oppressed Gaza Strip.

 

I could bear all kinds of sufferings for the sake of the innocent Gazans in order to make something through.

 

I can tell the world that there are people who suffer in this occupied spot.

 

We are here to say that our people support the rights of Gaza's residents and to tell the Gazans that our people do not support the policy of our government which supports Israeli [policy] in this land.

 

We are pleased to have reached a peaceful end to this journey and to succeed in achieving our aims - to free the Gaza Strip.

 

Source: Al Jazeera

[Ibtisam]

GAZA CITY — Israel and Egypt are refusing to allow former British prime minister Tony Blair's sister-in-law to leave the sealed off Gaza Strip, giving her a first-hand experience of what Palestinians are suffering from. "They have made it clear I won't be admitted to Israel," Lauren Booth told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday, September 3.

 

"When I went to the Israeli checkpoint I was threatened with being shot four times," she said.

 

Israeli authorities have turned down a request from Booth, a journalist and human rights activist, to leave the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing with Israel.

 

"There is no possibility to let in those people who entered by the sea. They cannot enter Israel," said spokesman Peter Lerner.

 

Booth arrived to Gaza by sea on August 23, along with 43 foreign activists in a bid to break the month-long Israeli siege.

 

All activists left last week to Cyprus by sea, except nine, including Booth, who decided to stay longer.

 

Booth and two other activists have also been denied exit through the Rafah border crossing by Egypt.

 

"When I went to the Rafah crossing (into Egypt) I had all the permission lined up at the top level but a lowly official stopped me from leaving," she recalls.

 

"We were all turned back by the Egyptians," said Booth, adding suggesting Egypt "was under pressure from Israel to act that way."

 

Suffering Taste

 

Booth said her ordeal is giving her a first-hand experience of what Palestinians have been living with for months.

 

"This is a real Palestinian experience of being between the devil and the deep blue sea," she told AFP.

 

"I'd actually like to say 'thank you very much' to the Israeli authorities at Erez for giving me this fantastic chance to feel just exactly what it is like to be inside what is effectively the world's largest internment camp, where individuals who should have the right to travel under international law are withheld in a 40 kilometer by 10 kilometer camp," the British activist told the BBC.

 

"Thanks to Israel for letting us feel a real taste of Gazan life."

 

Israel has been closing the Gaza Strip's exits to the outside world for long months, banning food, fuel and medical supplies.

 

Money and in kind assistance raised by NGOs and individuals remain stranded at the Egyptian border with Gaza, the latest being a Scottish aid convoy.

 

"I am effectively being imprisoned here by authorities who wish to punish human rights activists who have come to view the situation in Gaza," said Booth.

 

She will not request help from her brother-in-law Blair, who the Quartet's special envoy to the Middle East.

 

Booth, rather, urged Blair, currently visiting Israel, to focus on the Palestinians and "the terrible poverty entirely created by the siege."

 

"It is his duty as Middle East envoy to make sure he makes the effort to come here."

 

Source: IslamOnline