Free Gaza Sets Sail

Yesterday two boats from the free Gaza movement set sail from Cyprus. The two boat were carrying humanitarian activist and are attempting to penetrate the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. They hope to raise awareness of the open-air prison like conditions in the impoverished Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to reevaluate the sanctions in place that are causing the humanitarian crises in Gaza to worsen. On board the ships are a diverse group of people from many different countries and backgrounds. Included in this group is an Israeli, a Palestinian, three European parliamentarians and Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of the former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Laura Booth in a statement said, "What is going on there is so far beyond what the general public around the world is allowed to see. You can not not react with compassion and pity for what the individuals of Gaza is going through. I want to reach there. All of us desperately hope that there will be humanitarian aid increase and a port opened for these people to be able to go in and out of this giant, open-air prison.”

I believe the ships will also bring needed medical supplies to the Palestinians in the Gaza strip. Any donations to them are encouraged. Their campaign was mentioned on Democracy Now a number of times including yesterday. Their website is http://www.freegaza.org/.

If you would like to organize around Palestinian rights email me at ajvp@rochester.rr.com.