FGM: Dignity arrives in Gaza

To view the Free Gaza Website click here

Larnaca: The DIGNITY pulled into Gaza at 9:15 a.m. Gaza time after an uneventful trip from Cyprus. The 23 passengers and crew on board were tired but ecstatic that they’d arrived. The 11 members of various European parliaments, originally denied entrance through the Rafah border, had made the crossing by sea, courtesy of the Free Gaza Movement’s blockade-busting boat, the third trip for this human rights organization.

“I am here to assess the humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially the medical situation. We have medicine and some medical equipment to deliver,” said Baroness Jenny Tonge, one of the parliamentarians. “What Israel does is outrageous when it breaks all international laws. No other country is able to get away with what Israel does.”

In addition to delivering medical equipment and supplies, the DIGNITY carried mail from friends and family around the world addressed to Gaza residents. This is the first time in years that mail has reached Palestine without passing through Israeli hands.

The brilliant Israeli journalist Amira Hass was also on board. Watching passengers disembark, we could see the joy in her face as she came back to Gaza, having been denied entrance for two years.

Just before arriving in the waters of Gaza, an Israeli naval gunboat approached, cutting across the bow of the boat, then falling back and tracking it for about an hour. Finally, the gunboat radioed the DIGNITY and asked who they were and where they were going. After Huwaida Arraf responded, the gunboat asked for the passenger list. “Our passengers are listed on our Free Gaza website for everyone to see,” replied Ms. Arraf, “You’re welcome to visit it any time. And… while you’re there, feel free to make a donation.” After a pause, then a laugh, the voice on the other end said, “Have a nice day” and left the DIGNITY to glide into the port of Gaza to cheering crowds and a packed agenda for the Parliamentarians.

Contact: Mary Hughes, Cyprus +357 96 75 00 59
Greta Berlin, Cyprus: +357 99 08 17 67
Huwaida Arraf, Gaza: +970 599 130 426
Angela Godfrey Goldstein, J”lem: +972 547 366 393

The passenger list (see below) and biographies are posted at www.freegaza.org. Those present at the press conference on Monday at 2.00 p.m. at Ramattan Studios in Gaza will include:

Lord Nazir Ahmed, (Pakistan/UK),
Christopher Andrews, (Ireland),
Huwaida Arraf, (US),
Eva Bartlett, (Canada),
Nikolas Bolos, (Ireland),
Sami Moheildin Mohamed Elhag (Sudan),
Derek Graham (Ireland),
Amira Hass (Israel)
Denis Healey, (UK),
Pauline McNeill (Scotland),
Fernando Morena (Spain),
Mohamed Nacer, (UK),
Hugh O’Donnell, (Scotland, UK),
Aengus ÓSnodaigh, (Ireland),
Fernando Rossi, (Italy),
David Schermerhorn, (USA),
Rob Sharp, (UK) (The Independent),
Clare Short, (UK),
Dr. Arafat Shoukri, (Palestine, UK),
Rhodri Glyn Thomas, (Wales, UK),
(Baroness) Dr. Jenny Tonge, (UK),
Sandra White, (Scotland, UK),
Josef Zisyadis, (Switzerland)

Maan: Third Free Gaza voyage successfully anchors in Gaza port

To view original article, published by Maan News Agency on the 8th November, click here

The third Free Gaza ship, the SS Dignity, anchored in the Gaza harbor on Saturday morning after setting sail from Cyprus Friday evening. Aboard were several European Parliamentarians from England, Italy and Switzerland as well as several Arab leaders, Human rights activists and Journalists.

This marks the fourth ship within three months to successfully arrive in Gaza. The voyages, organized by the Free Gaza movement, aim at breaking the Israeli siege on the area by opening the coastal border so Gazans can move freely in and out of the country.

The Gazan governmental committee for against the siege, which is affiliated with the de facto government, announced that a special agenda has been prepared for the solidarity delegation. They will give presentations and tours of some of the hardest hit areas in the Gaza Strip, particularly camps and hospitals.

The crew of the latest voyage brought with them one metric ton of medicines, most of which are varieties of basic pain killers and aspirin. These medications were said to be in desperately short supply, and mostly unavailable in local pharmacies.

Second arson attack in Burin in a week

For the second time in one week, Palestinian firefighters were called to put out a fire in Burin, a village south of Nablus. According to eyewitnesses, at approximately 3pm, on Thursday 6th November, Israeli settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Bracha, burnt Palestinian farmers’ olive trees and agricultural irrigation systems.

The attack took place in lands near to the notorious Huwarra checkpoint, highly visible to all those at the checkpoint. One resident of Burin commented “My friend called me from the checkpoint saying ‘come and see the settlers burning the lands'”. The fire was lit directly adjacent to the lands which were burnt exactly one week before – an attack in which settler youth, witnessed milling about the area during the blaze, were the only suspects.

A number of dounums of land were torched, including olive groves, orchards, and grasslands.

Burin has faced many arson attacks this olive season by settlers from the Bracha and Yizhar settlements. Ali Eid, the mayor of Burin estimates that over fifty percent of the village’s olive groves have been burnt by the settlers, greatly diminishing the yield of this year’s harvest. Other attacks on Burin farmers during this harvest include settlers throwing stones at farmers, with one requiring hospitalization; shooting into the air; as well as burning farmers’ equipment. In other areas, settlers have severely beaten farmers; smashed cars; and stolen olives before farmers can harvest.

These attacks have been increasing throughout the West Bank since the launch of the “Price Tag” or “Mutual Responsibility” settler campaign, designed to prevent any settlement eviction anywhere in the West Bank by wreaking havoc in areas surrounding every settlement. The main targets of this campaign are Palestinian farmers whose lands lie near to the illegal settlements, with the burning of Palestinian lands being advocated as a prime tactic.

This increase in the number of attacks and levels of intimidation taking place has led to some farmers in neighbouring villages feeling unable to harvest their olives at all, for fear of attack – even with the offer of accompaniment by international and Israeli activists. These attacks are enabled by an apartheid policing system that not only ignores Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and their lands; but also many times facilitates them through direct collusion between Israeli soldiers and settlers.

Ynet: European politicians sail to Gaza

Third sailing protest sets off from Cyprus towards Strip with 11 politicians from UK, Switzerland, Italy in tow. ‘We want to challenge failure of our gov’ts to uphold Geneva convention,’ says British MP

To view original article, published by Ynet on the 7th November, click here

Eleven European politicians set sail to Gaza from Cyprus on Friday after saying attempts to get to the Palestinian territory via Egypt failed.

Members of parliament from Britain, Ireland, Switzerland and Italy left the Mediterranean island on a boat arranged by a pro-Palestinian group.

“We were going to witness the living conditions in Gaza. We were not allowed through the Rafah crossing so we are going by boat because it is the only way to get in,” said British MP Clare Short.

The parliamentarians said they expected to arrive in Gaza early on Saturday. It is the third time the US-based Free Gaza Movement has sailed from Cyprus to Gaza since August.

Israel has repeatedly announced that it would prohibit the group’s boats from arriving at their destination, but the two previous sails have been successful. Angela Godfrey-Goldstein of the Free Gaza Movement told Ynet that this was good news.

“We are very pleased, and I believe people in Gaza are pleased as well and hope that Gaza’s sea border remains open from now on.”

The sea-goers are taking a metric ton of medical supplies and three medical scanners used for spinal injuries, said Arafat Shoukri, 37, a doctor based in Britain.

“We are taking very basic medical supplies like paracetamol and painkillers. We were shocked when we got the list from the Health Ministry in Gaza, it means they don’t have anything,” Shoukri said.

Short, a former minister in Tony Blair’s government, said: “We want to witness the living conditions of these people, challenge the siege, and challenge the failure of our governments to uphold the Geneva convention. The whole of the EU is colluding to what is taking place in Gaza to our shame.”

Organizers of the boat shuttle said more activists would travel to Gaza in mid-December, and a boat of European musicians would travel there in January.

One arrested and seven injured in Ni’lin prayer demonstration

Friday, November 7, 2008

Six residents of Ni’lin and a Danish solidarity activist were injured today by Israeli forces as they demonstrated against the construction of the apartheid wall in the village of Ni’lin. One American solidarity activist was also arrested as the demonstration was coming to an end.

Immediately after a group of 300 Palestinians, accompanied by 25 Israeli and international activists, gathered for a weekly Friday prayer the army began to fire tear gas at those who attempted to enter their land. The canisters being fired were shot directly at the demonstrators, an act which caused multiple of the seven injuries. As the demonstration continued tear gas was not only fired at the Palestinians and internationals attempting to enter the land but also into the village of Ni’lin, away from the demonstration. During the four hour demonstration rubber bullets and sound bombs were also used by the Israeli army.

The Palestinians gathered in this weekly demonstration to attempt to cross their land towards the construction site of the illegal apartheid wall which would annex another 40% of Ni’lin’s land accumulating a loss of around 85% of it’s land since 1948.

The Danish solidarity activist, was taken immediately for treatment in Ramallah after having being shot from close range by Israeli forces with tear-gas cannisters, in the arm. she required 15 stitches to her arm as well as being treated for shock. The six injured Palestinians, one of which was hit in the head with a tear gas canister and badly wounded, were all treated at the local clinic. The American activist was detained by the Israeli forces and remains in custody.