SS Dignity arrives in Gaza, defying Israeli blockade

Date: 29 / 10 / 2008  Time:  10:16
Gaza – Ma’an –

Activists and dignitaries with the Free Gaza movement defied an Israeli blockade for the second time in three months on Wednesday when their ship, the SS Dignity, arrived on the beach at Gaza on Thursday morning.

Twenty-seven crew and passengers from 13 countries were on board along with a half-ton of medical supplies.

The ship was welcomed warmly by Palestinian officials and ordinary people.

The Gaza Strip’s 1.5 million people have suffered under an Israeli-led blockade since June 2007. Israel has imposed restrictions on the quantities of vital goods, including food, fuel, medical supplies and construction materials that are allowed to enter the tiny Strip.

Two ships affiliated to the Free Gaza movement went to Gaza in August.

The Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouthi, was on board SS Dignity. He said that he finally succeeded in enter the Gaza Strip after Israeli authorities denied him entry for over two years.

“We have people from the West Bank, Jerusalem and Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 which indicate that the Palestinian people are united,” Barghouthi said.

He added, “We saw how international solidarity with the Palestinian people was strong as those activists sailed in a boat which is not equipped for long journeys.”

The secretary general of the de facto government cabinet in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Awad called on Arab countries’ leaders, secretary of the Arab League and the secretary general of the Islamic conference to sail to the Gaza Strip as a proof that they are supporting the Palestinian people.

Mairead Corrigan McGuire, a Northern Ireland peace activist and 1976 Nobel prize winner was also on board.

On Tuesday the Israeli Navy said it would intercept the ship "if it entered Israeli territorial waters." The Free Gaza Movement has said that since it was sailing to Gaza, avoiding the Israeli coast, it planned to avoid Israel's waters altogether. In the past Israel has cited the Oslo peace agreement as giving it the right to patrol Gaza's waters. In the document outlining Israel's 2005 "disengagement" from Gaza, Israel also unilaterally reserved its right to operate in the waters off the coast of Gaza.

Regardless of the legal situation, Israel did not follow through on its stated intention to interdict the ship.

***Updated at 15:48 local time

'Dignity' boat arrives in Gaza as a third boat, breaking Israel's blockade

Wednesday October 29, 2008 09:28 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC

The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) announced on Wednesday morning the arrival of its second journey to the besieged Gaza Strip through Gaza shores. In a press release, emailed to the IMEMC, the FGM said it’s the second boat that breaks the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, in place since June2007.

The third boat , called 'the Dignity', is carrying 27 crew and passengers, arrived in Gaza at 8:10 Gaza time, in spite of Israeli threats to stop them, the statement read.

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."

In August,23, more than 40 international peace activists and supporters of the Palestinian people arrived in Gaza for the first time ever in four decades via Gaza's sea.

Hamas: The arrival of the dignity boat in Gaza is a triumph for the Palestinians

[ 29/10/2008 - 02:17 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Hamas Movement stated Wednesday that the arrival of the dignity boat in the Gaza Strip is a triumph for the Palestinian people's will and a declaration of opening the sea route to the besieged Strip.

In an exclusive statement to the PIC, Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, also underlined that the boat's arrival increases the Gaza people's determination to defy the blockade and to cling to their political positions and national rights in the face of all kinds of political extortion.

Dr. Abu Zuhri, expressed his Movement's appreciation to all foreign and Arab activists who went through this real adventure from Europe to Gaza, noting that the participation of a number of Palestinians who live in diaspora, the West Bank and the 1948 occupied lands in this solidarity trip embodies the unity and cohesion of the Palestinian people.

Dr. Arafat Madi, the head of the European campaign against the siege which participated in organizing this sea trip, said that the success which was achieved in breaking the siege imposed on Gaza for the third consecutive year is a new victory and gives signs of the possibility of ending the siege through the sea.

Dr. Madi underscored that there would be similar moves to send more boats loaded with medicines and medical supplies to Gaza, adding that what happened confirmed to the international community that the Palestinian territorial waters are open to provide assistance to the Palestinian people besieged in Gaza. 

27 multinational activists from 13 countries arrived Wednesday morning in Gaza port boarding a boat carrying half a ton of medical supplies. The boat pulled into the port amid cheers from the people of Gaza and tears from the passengers.

MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against the siege, told a press conference at the Gaza port that the successful arrival of the dignity boat confirms the Palestinian people's right to use their territorial waters to transport goods and passangers to break the Israeli unjust siege.

For his part, Dr. Mustafa Al-Bargouthi, a lawmaker and the head of the Arab initiative, who ws among the boat passengers highlighted that the arrival of the boat reflects the size of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Barhoum: Arrival of boat calls on Egypt to open crossing

[ 29/10/2008 - 04:33 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, on Wednesday said that the arrival of the dignity boat to the Gaza Strip calls on Egypt to respond to the suffering of the Gaza inhabitants and open the Rafah border crossing.

Barhoum in a press release said that Hamas highly appreciates the big efforts exerted by the Arab and foreign sympathizers on board that ship.

He said that their arrival in Gaza proves that there is nothing impossible before strong determination and challenge, and added that there is no longer any justification for retaining the siege on Gaza on the part of the official Arab regime.

For its part, Islamic Jihad Movement welcomed the arrival of the boat, and added in a statement on Wednesday that the success of the step posed as evidence on the possibility of "breaking this oppressive siege".

Jihad asked the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conference to assume their responsibilities in lifting that siege.

The coordination committee formed to receive the boat in Gaza said that the arrival of the boat constituted a new victory in face of Israeli attempts to "starve, isolate and humiliate the Gaza Strip through imposing its oppressive siege in violation of all international doctrines and treaties".

It added that the delegates who arrived on board the boat would visit Ismail Haneyya, the premier of the PA caretaker government, in addition to touring the Shifa hospital to get acquainted with its needs and the difficulties it faces due to the siege and would also visit the monument established to commemorate victims of the siege.

The committee called on Arab parliamentarians and political and public figures to visit Gaza via the sea route to prove by deeds rather than words their support for Gaza.