[E-rundbrief] Info 1023 - Israel Gush Shalom supports Gaza-Flottille

Matthias Reichl info at begegnungszentrum.at
Sa Jun 25 11:12:45 CEST 2011


E-Rundbrief - Info 1023 - Beate Zilversmidt (Gush Shalom, The Other 
Israel, Tel Aviv): Peace seekers whose audacity inspires hope. Support 
for the Gaza “Freedom Flotilla II - Stay Human”.

Bad Ischl, 25.6.2011

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Peace seekers whose audacity inspires hope

Beate Zilversmidt (Gush Shalom, The Other Israel, Tel Aviv)

Blog, 24.6.2011

In Athens a boat is preparing to sail to Gaza. On this boat are a lot 
of American friends with whom I corresponded through the years, as 
they supported the struggle of the Israeli peace camp against the 
occupation and were eager for every bit of information. Now they have 
become themselves center stage, and I am the one following from Tel 
Aviv their action to break the siege of Gaza.

That they felt they have to do this makes me aware of our failure. 
True, we protested the collective punishment of the siege and made 
efforts to get truckloads of food and medicines into Gaza. Gush Shalom 
at one occasion even succeeded to get the materials actually through. 
And there are the good people of 'Other Voice', living in the Qassam's 
reach - in Sderot and the kibbutzim surrounding the Gaza Strip - but 
nevertheless open to how much more the Palestinians of Gaza suffer and 
maintaining contact by phone.

With that all we didn't succeed to change the policy of siege and 
though the polls point out that we succeeded to convince our fellow 
Israelis of the two-state solution, this did not at all translate into 
their voting for political parties which would implement it.

So, now I read in Haaretz that the "celebrated poet and novelist Alice 
Walker" will be on the boat and wrote a piece for CNN. Alice Walker! I 
know that name. I remember how  a few years ago she was among those 
who sent money to buy olive saplings when we made a campaign of 
replanting uprooted trees. I didn't know that she is well-known.

An email which came today contains all the 36 passengers,  and there 
are many more whose name is very familiar; some I met in person. The 
majority of them are decades-long peace seekers. In their press 
release they express disappointment with their own government. The 
State department issued this week a  "travel advisory" urging 
Americans not to participate in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, reminding 
that previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea "have been stopped by 
Israeli naval vessels and resulted in the injury, death, arrest, and 
deportation of U.S. citizens."

"Apparently, the State Department subscribes to the view that Israel's 
anticipated violence against unarmed protesters is an immutable act of 
nature," complains Hagit Borer, a professor of Linguistics at the 
University of Southern California and, yes, a passenger on the boat. 
It is indeed strange, such a "don't travel" advise and warning for the 
violence expected of  a US ally, the one of the special relationship. 
Or perhaps it isn't  so strange. After all, these American activists 
dare to confront this ally, something which their government doesn't.

The boat is not a very big one, and has a very fitting name: "Audacity 
of Hope".

http://beatezilversmidt.blogspot.com/2011/06/peace-seekers-whose-audacity-inspires.html

Matthias Reichl:

P.S. The Austrian ministry for european and foreign affairs 
distributed a similar "travel-warning" on their homepage - and have 
sent it by letter to us too.

-- 

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,
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