The Dignity arrives in Gaza

Third Ship Breaks the Gaza Blockade
Israeli Gunboats Open Fire on Palestinian Fishing Boats

LARNACA, Cyprus, Oct. 29 - The Free Gaza Movement is delighted to announce that our third boat, the Dignity, carrying 27 crew and passengers, arrived in Gaza at 8:10 Gaza time, in spite of Israeli threats to stop them. In the pouring rain, the boat pulled into port amid cheers from the people of Gaza and tears from the passengers.

David Schermerhorn, a crew member called an hour before the boat entered Gazan waters to say, "There is a rainbow stretching across the Mediterranean from where we are right now."

Yesterday, the Israeli Navy said they would stop our vessel once it reached Israel's territorial waters. Apparently to save face, they said they would harm our boat, arrest us and tow us IF we entered Israeli waters. The problem for Israel is that the Dignity had no intention of getting anywhere near those waters.

One of the organizers, Huwaida Arraf, cheered, "Once again we've been able to defy an unjust and illegal policy while the rest of the world is too intimidated to do anything. Our small boat is a huge cry to the international community to follow in our footsteps and open a lifeline to the people of Gaza."

For the second time, the Free Gaza Movement has demonstrated that the might of the Israeli Navy is no match for a small boat of human rights activists determined to call to the attention of the world the occupation of the people of Gaza.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council added, "Despite the injustice against the Palestinian people, we believe in justice and will keep on trying to break Israel's siege. The occupation has divided the Palestinians, but our non-violent resistance has united us."

Osama Qashoo, one of the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement, is overjoyed for the second time in three months, "We are all capable of leading a non-violent and effective movement to end Israeli Apartheid and expose the injustice that has been meted out to the Palestinians. We in the Free Gaza Movement have provided the new dictionary, it's up to the Palestinians and Israelis and Internationals to add the words."

Greta Berlin, Free Gaza Movement, www.freegaza.org
Photos freely available (no copyright):
www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02/

For More Information:
Greta Berlin (Cyprus) +357 99 081 767 / iristulip@gmail.com
Osama Qashoo (Cyprus)+44 783338 1660/
Angela Godfrey (Jerusalem) +972 (0)54 736 6393 / angela@icahd.org

The above was published as a Feature article on Israel IndyMedia's site:
"Dignity Arrives In Gaza"
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/9735/index.php

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From Cyprus IndyMedia:

One and a half million people are enclaved in Gaza by the US-financed and armed Israeli military forces in violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits Collective Punishment and other brutalities against civilian populations. The Governments of the US and Israel maintain the blockade of Gaza knowingly in violation of International Law. They have both been warned numerous times by international bodies such as the United Nations and the World Court about their violations.

Gaza is the seat of the democratically elected Palestinian Government chosen by the people in free elections that were verified and validated by prominent international observers. Its mandate extends over all of Palestine; in the current period however, the West Bank is under a separate and illegal authority that is armed and financed by the US and EU and tolerated by the Israeli Government as a "moderate partner".

The people of Gaza live under brutal poverty and daily military incursions and killings by the Israeli military. The economy is in ruin. No supplies of any kind are allowed in and out of Gaza by Israel, and the movement of people is severely restricted, without exceptions even for the most dire humanitarian need.

Palestine Media Center (PMC) reports that more than 260 Palestinian patients have died since the siege was imposed in early 2006, because Israel refuses to issue permits for Palestinians in Gaza to go abroad for treatment.

Part of the mission of the Dignity and the Free Gaza Movement is to provide humanitarian assistance to the blockaded community, in addition to promoting an internationalist spirit of peaceful Direct Action in solidarity with the Palestinian people. This time the ship unloaded a ton of medical supplies, and plans of the activists are to help evacuate some patients who are in acute need for medical treatment abroad.

An english language three minute video from Al Jazeera reports on the Free Gaza Movement's blockade-busting in conjunction with the special case of Sahid, a boy who was severely injured by Israeli gunfire and needs to go abroad for treatment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUbwgcVj8xU

One of the volunteers on the Dignity is Nobel Peace Prize winner (1976) Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who stated:
"The government of Israel cannot cut off Gaza forever. We will come again and again".

Even as the Dignity was landing in blockaded Gaza, Israeli forces killed 67-year old farmer Muhammad Abahreh, just outside the West Bank town of Yamoun. He was tending his animals near a small enclosure outside the town. Israeli troops shot him dead and claimed he was firing on them.

Today, Friday Oct. 31st at 10am Cyprus time, Israeli gunboats opened fire with machine guns and water canons against Palestinians on fishing boats who were accompanied by international solidarity observers, members of the Dignity team. The boats were in Gaza's Palestinian territorial waters when they came under attack. We are not aware of any casualties at this moment.

On other occasions Israeli gunboats have machine-gunned, rammed and damaged many Palestinian fishing boats, which is one of the regular tactics of the illegal blockade against Gaza.

These daily violations of international law by the US and Israel's Governments make it imperative to find more ways to break the blockade and bring relief to the people of Gaza. To that effect, one of the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement, Ramzi Kysia, reports a statement by Fida Qishta, the local coordinator for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in the Gaza Strip:
"If Gaza is free then it's our right to invite whomsoever we wish to visit us. It's our land and it's our sea. Now more groups must come, not only by sea but also the crossings at Erez and Rafah must be opened as well. This second breaking of the siege means a lot, actually. It's the second time in two months that people have come to Gaza without Israel's permission, and that tells us that Gaza will be free."

As the non-violent Direct Actions of the international solidarity volunteers pick up momentum, excitement about future challenges to the blockade is contagious. Gaza-based Member of Parliament Jamal al-Khudari heads a popular committee that's dedicated to ending the Israeli blockade. Speaking to international media he said the next step was for activists to break the blockade "by air, through sending a plane."

Which is what Che Guevara had taught: "We are realists, therefore we pursue the impossible". Cyprus IndyMedia volunteers will continue doing our very best to help with these efforts.

Cyprus IndyMedia Collective
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Additional Resources - please see:

"Dignity & Hope Breaks Israeli Siege on Gaza"
http://www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=2068

Palestinian Fishing Boats Attacked by Israeli gunboats
http://freegaza.org/index.php?module=latest_news&id=9911358cb272db1b93e933b7510cad60&offset=

Freedom Riders on the sea
Ramzi Kysia writing from occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, 30 October 2008
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9925.shtml

Israel tries to block Gaza health conference
Report, The Electronic Intifada, 31 October 2008
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9929.shtml

The Electronic Intifada:
http://electronicintifada.net/

International Middle East Media Center (en)
http://www.imemc.org

The Palestine News Network (en/ar/he/fr)
http://www.pnn.ps

WAFA - Palestine News Agency (en/ar/he/fr)
http://english.wafa.ps/

Ma'an News (en/ar)
http://www.maannews.net

Israel Indymedia
http://israel.indymedia.org/
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