One Step Closer: Getting
Ready to Sail to Gaza
Aug 1, 2008
Greetings from Cyprus! Our official training
begins today, as we move one step
closer to breaking the siege of Gaza.
What may have seemed at one point a distant and
somewhat exotic dream has
become a solid reality. In just a few days we
will begin sailing the SS Free
Gaza and the SS Liberty across the Mediterranean
to Occupied Palestine. And
though there are still challenges ahead – things
are falling into place, and
there are some truly amazing people here making
this happen.
Among our group is Monir Deeb, a husband, father,
businessman, and human rights
activist from Los Angeles, California. Though he
is also an American, Monir was
born in Gaza City. As a Palestinian he is
putting himself at great risk by
sailing with us. We’re thankful for his bravery.
His enthusiasm and wisdom
have become invaluable to this project.
Among our group is Hedy Epstein, a human rights
activist from St. Louis,
Missouri, and a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust.
Her sunny smile and gentle
demeanor are a source of constant strength to us
all. When she was asked in an
interview about why an 83-year-old grandmother
would want to sail on this
mission, she replied,
“There are no guarantees in life. Perhaps no one
should put herself in a
situation that's dangerous. But my participation
is a small contribution that I
can make compared to the sufferings that the
Palestinians endure every single
day. And, if by doing this, we can tell the
world what is happening there, then
it's worth going.
For those of you reading this – the spirit here
in Cyprus is obviously high.
More than 50 people have come here from around
the globe; young and old,
professionals and students, women and men, land
crew or boat passengers,
film-makers and media, old friends and new ones.
Lauren Booth (a journalist,
and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s
sister-in-law), has asked to
join us on board. She arrives in Cyprus shortly.
All of us understand that we
may be risking our lives, but we are prepared to
do so for this cause – our
attempt to release, even slightly and
temporarily, the 1.5 million men, women
and children living in Gaza from the open-air
prison that has been forced on
them by the total Israeli blockade.
On July 29, 2008, we held our first press
conference in Athens, Greece and
announced that passengers, crew and journalists
were beginning to arrive in
Cyprus.
The conference room was packed with media, local
supporters, and even a member
of the Greek Parliament who came to support our
efforts. Two of our organizers,
Dr. Paul Larudee and Greta Berlin, both from
California, talked about the
project, and described what we hope to
accomplish through our voyage – an end
to the siege of Gaza, and an end to the
collective punishment of the
Palestinian people.
Since the press conference, the Free Gaza
Movement has been inundated with
questions from the media. Many more individuals
and organizations have asked to
be included in this project as endorsers, and we
are truly grateful for the
outpouring of international support that is
accompanying our efforts.
And so here we are in our base camp, shuttling
people from the airport, tracing
lost baggage, attending meetings, going through
nonviolence training, making
shopping lists, cooking, cleaning, and taking
care of all the mundane tasks
that come along with an action as large as Free
Gaza has become.
Already CNN, Reuters, Dutch TV, Al Jazeera, BBC,
The Independent, The Times,
The Scotsman, and the local Cyprus press are
either working on stories or
pressing to be on board, trying to fill the six
positions we have available for
the media.
The Israeli authorities – no doubt on to us a
while ago – have been putting
out deliberate disinformation. Israeli
newspapers have published articles that
have their journalists asking follow-up
questions for the authorities – are
you really taking three European government
officials? Is it really an
ICAHD/ISM organised event? Where are the ships
leaving from? Is this really
going ahead?
The answer is “YES!” We are most definitely
going ahead. In a few days we
will leave Cyprus bound for Gaza. But our voyage
will not end when we reach
Occupied Palestine. Our voyage is but one step
on a long journey toward peace
and justice for our battered world. Will you
join us on that journey?
In Love and Hope,
The Free Gaza Movement
Cyprus to Gaza
1 August 2008
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FREE GAZA IN THE MEDIA
- 30.07.2008 Uruknet: Comunicato Stampa: Free
Gaza Movement. E' possibile che
un gruppo di civili disarmati viaggiando per
mare riescano a rompere l'assedio
- 29.07.08 Reuters: Boat trip aims to break
Israeli blockade of Gaza, by Daniel
- 29.07.08 The Electronic Intifada: Breaking the
Gaza siege, by boat, by Bill
- 28.07.08 Anis Online, Is Gaza under occupation
or not? Free Gaza boats about
to find out more (in English, German, Spanish),
by Anis Hamadeh,
waters in August,
- 28.07.2008 Haaretz, Israel fears European ship
may sail to Gaza to 'break
- 27.07.2008: Speaking Out For Gaza: Interviews
with Donna and Darlene Wallach
- 26.07.2008, Kölnische Rundschau S.51: Mit dem
Schiff nach Gaza.
Sötenicherin bekundet Solidarität mit den
Palästinensern, von Irene Lange (+
Interview)
- 25.07.2008 Jerusalem Post: Activists to test
Gaza naval blockade, by Yaakov
Katz,
- 22.07.2008: Setting sail to break the siege of
Gaza,
- 22.07.2008: Free Gaza Show on "We The People
Radio Network" (Texas/USA) First
Hour with Darlene Wallach, Kathleen Wang, Hedy
Epstein, and Greta Berlin,
second hour with Mary Hughes-Thompson, Bill
Dienst, and David Halpin. (Audio)
- 21.07.2008: Kevin Barrett Interview FGM: Annie
Higgins and Darlene Wallach
- 21.07.2008: Carol Brouillet Interview FGM:
Carol Brouillet interviews Darlene
Wallach, Kathleen Wang, Hedy Epstein, Greta
Berlin during the first hour of her
radio show and Mary Hughes-Thompson, Bill
Dienst, David Halpin in the second
- 20.07.2008 Seattle Pi: Gaza on brink of
humanitarian catastrophe, by Bill
- 20.07.2008 Al Arab Online: Give 'Free Gaza
Movement' thumbs up! By Debbie
Menon,
- 19.07.2008, Ma'an: "Free Gaza" initiative to
try and enter Gaza by sea and
- 17.07.2008 Contra Costa Times: Richmond man
leads group on mission to Gaza,
- 16.07.2008: The Peter B. Collins Show, with
Dr. Paul Larudee (Audio),
- 24.07.2008 Silvia Cattori Net : Le
cessez-le-feu à Gaza promet une
traversée couronnée de succès. Communiqué de
presse du " FREE GAZA MOVEMENT
- 29.06.2008 St. Louis Post, Article on Hedy
Epstein & Free Gaza, by Sylvester
sylvesterbrownjr/story/913ABC93A876533E8625747600179C97?OpenDocument
- 03.07.2008 Counterpunch: A Mission to Uphold
the Law. Breaking Into a Prison,