[E-rundbrief] Info 710 - Peace-Boats leave Gaza and come back

Matthias Reichl info at begegnungszentrum.at
Mi Aug 27 16:55:10 CEST 2008


E-Rundbrief - Info 710 - Free Gaza: Peace-Boats SS "Free Gaza" and SS 
"Liberty" will leave Gaza on Aug. 28, 2008. Ofri Ilani (Israel): Israeli 
Police detain Israeli (reace-activist Jeff Halper) for entering Gaza in 
blockade-busting boat.

Bad Ischl, 27.8.2008

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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SS FREE GAZA & SS LIBERTY TO LEAVE GAZA PORT ON THURSDAY

Press release www.freegaza.org

GAZA CITY, 26 August 2008

The SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty will leave Gaza for Cyprus on Thursday 
morning at 9:00 am. Several Palestinian students who have been denied 
exit visas by Israel will travel to Cyprus on the boats. One Palestinian 
professor will finally be able to go back to teaching in Europe and one 
young, Palestinian woman will finally be reunited with her husband. 
Several of the Free Gaza international human rights workers will remain 
in Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

By freely traveling to Gaza, on Saturday, August 23rd, in two, small, 
wooden boats, the Free Gaza Movement forced the Israeli government to 
issue a fundamental policy change regarding their military and economic 
blockade of Gaza. Until now, Israel has wanted absolute control of Gaza 
with no responsibility. Israel has managed to maintain this situation, 
in spite of international law, because its policies have never been 
challenged.

When the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty approached the waters of Gaza, the
Israeli government had to decide whether it wanted to publicly 
acknowledge that Israel remains an occupying power in Gaza, in which 
case Israel would be responsible under international law for its 
actions, including war crimes. In the face of intense, public scrutiny, 
Israel instead chose to acknowledge the inherant right of Palestinians 
to freely engage with the world. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs 
publicly announced that humanitarian and human rights missions to Gaza 
will no longer be stopped or threatened by Israel. With the end of the 
Israeli siege of Gaza, Palestinians are free to exercise their rights 
without fear of being stopped or killed by the Israeli military.

Since the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement will not be entering 
Israeli terrritorial waters, and since they will request an inspection 
from the Gaza Port Authority, they expect no interference on the part of 
the Israeli authorities when they leave Gaza. By Israel's own admission, 
it has no authority to inspect the boats or the passengers when they 
leave Gaza.

With the collapse of the Israeli blockade, the Free Gaza Movement will
quickly return to Gaza with another delegation, and invites the United
Nations, Arab League and international community to organize similar 
human rights and humanitarian efforts. The Free Gaza Movement will 
continue to work to ensure the free passage between Gaza and the outside 
world will remain safe and open.

------------------------------------

Police detain Israeli for entering Gaza in blockade-busting boat

By Ofri Ilani, Haaretz Correspondent and Reuters

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Police on Tuesday detained an Israeli activist who had sailed to the
Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to challenge Israel's blockade of the coastal region.

They accused Jeff Halper, who also holds United States citizenship, of
violating a ban on Israelis entering Gaza.

Halper was among 44 "Free Gaza" activists from 17 nations who sailed in
two boats from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip on Saturday in defiance of the
blockade.

He spent three days in the Gaza Strip before entering Israel through the
Erez border crossing, where police detained him.

According to Halper, Israeli forces at the crossing initially told him
that if he came with the boat, he should return the same way. However,
he said, they allowed him to cross into Israel shortly afterward.

"He is being questioned at the police station in Sderot for entering the
Gaza Strip in defiance of a military decree banning Israeli citizens
from doing so," Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Halper told Haaretz on Tuesday that he expected to be interrogated upon
his return to Israel. He expressed satisfaction with his success in
entering and leaving Gaza, and said he did not fear harassment by
Israeli security forces.

Israel allowed the activists to sail to the Gaza Strip, the first
foreigners to reach the territory by sea since travel restrictions were
tightened after Hamas's takeover more than a year ago, saying it wanted
to avoid a public confrontation.

The activists brought with them a symbolic shipment of hearing aids.

They plan to sail back to Cyprus on Thursday and have vowed to take
several Palestinians with them, including students prevented by Israel
from leaving Gaza to study abroad.

As part of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that took effect in June,
Israel has eased its blockade of the territory, allowing in more
humanitarian goods and medical equipment.

http://www.icahd.org/eng/news.asp?menu=5&submenu=1&item=628

-- 

Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl,
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305 BIC: SKBIAT21XXX




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