Make this project happen!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/freedom-stitchers/x/382000

Announcing the launch of the “Freedom Stitchers” project to help create self-sufficiency for marginalized and jobless women in Gaza.

The “Freedom Stitchers” project begins in Gaza, late summer/early autumn 2013

ABOUT

“Freedom Stitchers” will be a sustainable project to assist the women of Gaza in creating handcrafted items that can then be exported and sold to generate a small income for the women who participate. This micro-business is based on the idea that Palestinian women possess their own unique artistic and design skills, but they need a process to sell their finished products to the world, (with a little help from their friends at “Freedom Stitchers.”)  We therefore intend to help set up this business for women in Gaza to market not only their exquisite embroidery, but to also enhance their artistic skills by teaching them how to knit, crochet, do silk ribbon embroidery, beadwork, felting, and other types of hand stitching for textile art which can then be sold.

The three of us organizers, Sinead MacLochlainn, Mary Hughes Thompson and Greta Berlin are long-time activists for justice in Palestine. You can read more about us on our bio page and on the website at www.freedomstitchers.org then donate what you can to make this project work. Indiegogo accepts credit cards and PayPal or you can send a donation to the bank in Ireland. It's listed in the website above.

You all stepped up and donated for the boats. No matter how big or small the donation, this project is also worthy of your support. Once Mary, Sinead and I set up the micro-business, we will step back and provide support as needed. 

Everyone says it is not possible to organize a micro business in Gaza. But they said the same thing about sending boats. The boats could not have happened without all of you. Make this project happen!

--
Greta Berlin, Co-Founder, the Free Gaza movement
Editor, Freedom Sailors
www.freedomsailors.com

Why they go: Freedom riders then and now

Here's an article about the 2011 Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the U.S. Boat to Gaza (one of our member groups), that appeared Friday on the blog of Washington, DC, newspaper The Hill. Hannah Schwarzschild is a Philadelphia-based attorney and Palestine Solidarity activist.

Fifty years ago next month, my father, then a 35-year-old refugee from Hitler’s Germany with a young wife and two small children at home, boarded a Trailways bus headed for Jackson, Mississippi.

Like the 427 other freedom riders who rode voluntarily into the terror that was the segregated South in May and June of 1961, my father set out to violate the illegal state laws that barred white-skinned people from sitting together with black-skinned people on public transit  – laws that were vigorously enforced not only by police but also by the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizens’ Council. Only weeks before, a mob of angry segregationists in Anniston, Alabama had attacked and set fire to a bus with dozens of black and white freedom riders trapped inside.

My father’s purpose in joining that Freedom Ride was twofold: to pressure the federal government into enforcing the Supreme Court’s decision that racial segregation in interstate travel violated the U.S. Constitution; and, just as importantly, to focus public attention on the injustice, brutality and defiance of the Jim Crow South.

My father was lucky. By the time he was arrested and jailed, the worst of the violence against the Freedom Riders was already over. Still, he was one of the so-called “outside agitators” whom Alabama Governor George Wallace had accused of “provoking” violence by his defiance of local laws and customs. As such, he had no assurance of a safe return, or any guarantee that his government, the United States government, would protect him from the torches, snipers and attack dogs of the local KKK.

ARTICLE CONTINUES...

Take Action: Two Years after "Cast Lead," Obama Administration must hold Israel accountable

Dear Friend,

Two years ago today, Israel launched a horrific attack, codenamed "Operation Cast Lead," against the 1.5 million besieged people of the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

Israel's leaders have not been held to account for what the Goldstone Report documented to be violations of human rights and international law, war crimes, and possible crimes against humanity.

Join the US Campaign's call upon the Obama Administration to:
1. Demand that Israel end its illegal siege of the Gaza Strip, and
2. Stop blocking the international community from holding Israel accountable for its actions.

Help us reach our goal of 22,000 signatures in the next 22 days!...
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5424

Three weeks ago, on Human Rights Day, the State Department told us that there is a "single universal standard that applies to every country, including our own. We apply it to Israelis," and that it views "Palestinians as being human beings under the Universal Declaration [of Human Rights] and entitled to these rights."

You can help us hold the Obama Administration to its words today by signing our petition and spreading the word.

In hope for a new year when U.S. policy upholds Palestinian rights as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

Josh Ruebner
National Advocacy Director
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

P.S. -- Click here now!...
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5424

Song for the Freedom Flotilla by Doc Jazz

Wonderful song by Doc Jazz about the Freedom Flotilla. Please watch, then pass on to your own contacts. The song is clear and eloquent and should be seen around the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuDdevj0iLc



--
Greta Berlin

Free Gaza's investigation has shown the following....

Regarding the attack on the flotilla, below is what we have found out. In addition, we are providing a link to the attack on the Irene from the 'most moral army in the world.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hphSiBrnBYw

Please distribute to your lists and, if in the US, write to your representatives asking them why we Americans support murder on the high seas. Greta Berlin

• The military units are "Shayetet 13" (the navy commando unit).

• The helicopters that were used to drop them on the ship (according to the media and to the army spokesperson as well) are from The IAF's Black Hawk squadron. All the helicopters of the IAF, including the Black Hawk squadron, were given to Israel as part of the US military aid.

• The new black hawks given to Israel in 2002 (of the Lima model) are most likely the ones that were used in the attack on the Maramara.

• Almost all of the weapons used by the IDF are US made, and it is 100% clear that some was used to kill the passengers on the Mavi Marmara. 

Letter to israel

Journalist Lauren Booth was on the first Free Gaza voyage and stayed to work ...

URGENT!!!

From someone with contacts in the Israeli military, the following message has been translated.

Commando units that will be used to stop the boats. He says they are highly trained, very efficient and very SILENT.
They will use silent inflatable boats to get to our boats and both try to board our boats directly from the inflatables and by dropping divers into the water to clime onto the boats.

He said that no matter the circumstances, the boats must NOT travel by night or with little light. They must keep in formation at all times, with the smaller boats in the inside and the larger boats on the outside. They must not allow any israeli boats to penetrate the formation.

But we are traveling at night, so everyone out there needs to be aware of what the Israeli military is planning. If this does happen, we have been forewarned. The boats have also. Lubna has just reported that some kind of plane came over the ships, perhaps trying to block the satellite and it looks suspiciously like a drone.. which would make sense.

--
Greta Berlin, Co-Founder
+357 99 18 72 75
witnessgaza.com
www.freegaza.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freegaza

Корабите за Палестина чакат в Анталия

Корбът „Mavi Marmara” вече е в Анталия в пристанището „Yeni Liman”. Заради закъснение на другите корабите от Гърция, Италия и Ирландия, пътниците ще изчакат още 2 дена в града. След пристигане на всички кораби всички заедно от международните ще потелгят към Газа.

Пътниците от корабите в момента чакат в закрития спортен салон „Kepez”. Активистите снощи органзиираха среща и обсъдиха текущото положение.

Председателят на IHH Бюлент Йълдъръм осведоми пътниците за подробности.
Той подчерта, че Израел прави различни предложения, за да отклони влизането на корабите в пристанището в Газа. Йълдъръм каза: „Израел ни предлага да разтоварим хуманитарната помощ в пристанището в Аскалон, след което те ще се ангажирдат с доставянето им в Газа. Твърдят, че и те помагат на Газа. Но не бяхте ли вие, които убихте децата и опустошихте Газа. Днес Израел се е срещнал с Египет. След отхвърлянето на предложението за пристанището Аскалон ни насочват към пристанището в Ариш в Египет. Но нашата цел е да стигнем в Газа”.

Той продължи така: „След потеглянето на корабите Израел ще ни обвини,че корабите идват за Хамас. Не, ние отиваме там за децата, жените и възрастните. Ние отиваме, за да защитаваме угнетените хора. Било то Хамас или други правителствени и неправителсвена организации водят борбата по техния си начин. В тази флотилия има хора от 50 държави – сред тях евреи, християни и мюсюлмани. Всички се събраха в името на човечеството. Всички са съвестни хора. Радваме се, че сме с тях заедно.”
Във флотилията, съставена от 9 кораба, освен правозащници се включиха много писатели и депутати. Във флотилията ще се включат общо 25 депутати – от Кувейт – 1, Алжир – 10, Йордания – 1 , Йемен – 3 , Бахрейн – 1, Мароко – 1, Египет -2, Ирландия – 3-ма .
В товарния кораб „Gazze”(Газа) се намират 2 104 т. цимент, 600 т. строилетни железа,50 т. други строителни материали.

А в другия товарен кораб „Defne”(Дафина) 150 т. желязо, 98 бр. разнотипни генератора, 50 сголбямеми къщи, 16 развлекателни уреди и мед. материали. Мед. материали са от следните типове: видеозони, рентгенови апарати, болнични легла, зъболекарски уреди, инвалидни колички и акумулаторни такива, микроскопи, уреди за хемодиализа, патерици, уреди за преглед на УНГ(уши, нос, гърло), операциони и гинекологични маси и др. подобни.

Източник: http://www.ihh.org.tr/filistin-gemisi-antalya-da-bekliyor/

Корабът „Mavi Marmara” потегли за Палестина с дуа

Корабът „Mavi Marmara” потегли за Палестина с дуа

Корабът Mavi Marmara(Синьото Мраморно море) със 750 пътници на борда и хуманитарна помощ, беше изпратен от пристанището Сарайбурну/Сиркеджи.
В тържеството по изпращане на кораба се включиха хиляди. На пристанището Сарайбурну навсякъде се вееше палестинското знаме. Всеки, намерил палестинско знаме, се стече при кораба. Тържеството буквално се превърна в митинг. Сред присъстващите имаше жени, дарили своите обеци и гривни. Малки кораби съпроводиха Mavi Marmara след потеглянето му.

За изпращане на кораба се включиха личности от различни неправителствени организации, политически партии, актьори и изпълнители. Преди изпращането на кораба председателите на Free Gaza, IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi), който е организатор на движението „Направлението ни е Палестина, товарът - хуманитарна помощ”, предствителите от Малайзия, Кувейт, Алжир, Гърция, Англия и Ирландия държаха кратка реч.

Председателят на IHH Бюлент Йълдъръм също изнесе реч. Той събщи, че няма да обръщат внимание на заплахите на Израел и допълни: „Няма да се откажем. Няма да отстъпим назад. Заедно с Иззет Шахин и ние бяхме в затвора. Нашите приятели Фарук Акташ и Бахаттин Йълдъз бяха убити(станаха шахиди) в Афганистан, отишли с цел изграждане на дом за сираци. Аллах да улесни пътя ни. Нас ни подкрепят милиони с дуата си.”
Йърдъръм изрази своята благодарност за подкрепата им на партиите AKP, Saadet Partisi и на Buyuk Birlik Pаrtisi.

Йълдъръм каза, че Израел се отнася към палестинците така, както Хитлер се отнесе с евреите: „В Германия Хитлер създаде концлагери. Сега пък ционистите изграждат концлагери в Палестина. Оттук се обръщам към Израел. Управлявате добре тази криза. Ако се възпротивите на тази акция, ще останете сами - вие ще губите. Това са кораби, натоварени с хуманитарна помощ. Няма дори и един нож. Деца, жени и възрастни, медицински материали.

След него председателят на палестинското движение „За земите от 48-ма” шейх Раид Салах в своята реч похвали премиера Тайип Ердоган. Салах подчерта, че всички арабски лидери трябва да го вземат за пример. Също каза, че Турция и турският народ е рамо до рамо с Палестина.

Депутатът на AKP от Муш Сераджеттин Караягъз каза: „Оръжията на Израел не може да бъдат по-силни от решителни хора. Израел убива хиляди хора и след това обявява Исляма в тероризъм. Това не може да го приемем”.

След изказванията корабът се изпрати с дуа. Mavi Marmara след 40 часово пътуване ще пристигне в Анталия. Значителна част от пътниците ще се качат оттам. Ако Израел не попречи, се очаква корабът да стиге в Газа на 26 май 2010.

Хуманитарните организации като IHH (Организация за хуманитарна помощ) и Free Gaza от 2006 год. насам изпращат помощ със своите кораби на блокираната от Израел Газа. Във флотилията са включени общо 9 кораба – 3 от Турция, 1 от Гърция, 1 от Ирландия, 2 от Англия и по един от Алжир и Кувейт.

Движението, озаглавено „Направлението ни е Плаестина, товарът ни – хуманитарна помощ”, се подкрепя от около 50 държави и хиляди неправителствени организации и активисти. Последната акция се оказва най-голямата досега.

Корабите ще закарат медицински и строителни материали, сглобяеми къщи, играчки за деца и др. подобни хуманитарни средства в Палестина. Товарът е около 10 000 тона.
От Истанбул потеглиха 3 кораба, от които 1 товарен и 2 пътнически. Корабите от Истанбул и другите от Европа ще се срещнат в международни води.

Те ще потеглят от Анталия на 25 май 2010 (вторник). В случай, че Израел не се съпротиви, се очаква след 24 часа корабите да бъдат в Газа.

Източник: http://www.ihh.org.tr/mavi-marmara-gemisi-filistin-e-dualarla-ugurlandi/

Members of Swedish Parliament demand security for Ship to Gaza

On Wednesday, Helén Pettersson, Social Democratic member of the Swedish Parliament, submitted a written inquiry to Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, asking what measures the government intends to take in order to protect Ship to Gaza’s peaceful, lawful, humanitarian initiative. The reason for the inquiry is that Ship to Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla—the coalition in which the Swedish initiative will be included— has been threatened with military resistance from Israeli authorities and private individuals. The following is Petterson’s inquiry in its entirety:

“One and a half million Palestinians are living in isolation on the Gaza Strip, in pure misery. There is a shortage of food, medicine and other necessities, such as building materials to repair homes, schools and other buildings which were destroyed by the bombings during the war around Christmas in 2008. In order to address the situation, Ship to Gaza is planning to take the sea route to Gaza, bringing medicine, desalination plants, cement, etc. in order to help the people in need. Ship to Gaza is a politically and religiously independent, non-profit organization that is working to promote increased respect for human rights and general international law. Israel’s government has now threatened to stop Ship to Gaza and to use force if necessary. Does the Foreign Minister intend to protect this humanitarian initiative?”

As early as last week, Mehmet Kaplan of the Green Party of Sweden requested a meeting with the Foreign Minister, along with Ship to Gaza spokespersons Dror Feiler and Mattias Gardell, in order to discuss which security measures the Swedish government plans to take. Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has still not responded to any of the questions. As the convoy is setting sail this weekend, Ship to Gaza-Sweden wishes to emphasize how important a response from the government is regarding this matter. Especially since the Israeli media is reporting that the Swedish Ambassador to Israel has informed the Israeli government that she and the Swedish government intend to discourage Swedish citizens from participating in the Freedom Flotilla’s peaceful, lawful, humanitarian convoy. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and several other human rights organizations have all condemned the blockade. Furthermore, the director of U.N. relief operations in Gaza, John Ging, welcomes initiatives such as Ship to Gaza, in order to break the blockade.


Ship to Gaza-Sweden
Contact:
Mattias Gardell: +46 703036666
Dror Feiler: +46 702855777

Free Gaza Movement
Contact:
Greta Berlin: +33 607374512
www.freegaza.org

The Freedom Flotilla Sails to Gaza in May

Contact: Greta Berlin, +33 63 142 7577, Iristulip@gmail.com

Huwaida Arraf, +970-598-336-215, +972-542-635-936, huwaida.arraf@gmail.com

Caoimhe Butterly, +353 876 114 553, sahara78@hotmail.co.uk


(London, UK) On May 24, 2010, the Freedom Flotilla sets sail for Gaza determined to, once again, challenge Israel’s blockade of 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in an open-air prison. Under the coordination of the Free Gaza Movement, numerous human rights organizations, including the Turkish Relief Foundation (IHH), the Perdana Global Peace Organization from Malaysia, the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza, and the Swedish and Greek Boat to Gaza initiatives will send three cargo ships loaded with reconstruction, medical and educational supplies. At least five passenger boats with over 600 people on board will accompany the cargo ships.


http://www.youtube.com/gazafriends#p/a/u/0/yz-LYXV6_t0


These passengers include members of Parliament from around the world, U.N., human rights and trade union activists, as well as journalists who will document the largest coordinated effort to directly confront Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza and take in basic supplies.


Said Mary Hughes Thompson, one of Free Gaza’s co-founders, “Although we were happy with the first trips, it was bitter-sweet, knowing that our small boats and symbolic amounts of relief paled in comparison to what was really needed in Gaza. Now, we finally feel we are helping to organize a powerful action, one with the potential to translate into a sustained campaign of much more effective challenges to Israel's brutal siege.”

In the past three months, Israel has limited fuel to run the power station. Much of Gaza is often in darkness. There are just enough trucks coming in to barely prevent total starvation, and Egypt, complicit with the Israeli-US policy of blockading Palestinians, is building an underground steel wall to prevent people in Gaza from bringing in vitally needed supplies through tunnels.

A cargo ship sponsored by the people of Malaysia and loaded with cargo donated from citizens of Ireland, Scotland, and Britain as well as thousands around the world, will depart from Ireland the second week of May. When it reaches the Mediterranean, she will be joined by the other boats and begin the journey to Gaza.

Dr. Mona El-Farra, Deputy Director of the Union of Health Work Committees in Gaza was pleased to hear we are coming back. “When the two boats from Free Gaza entered the harbor in 2008, it was like a dream, it was historic. And all great things start with some dreamers who made it true. For us in Gaza, the dream of freedom will not be lost, and we welcome this next voyage with open hearts.”


The Free Gaza Movement along with the partners listed above, are the organizers of this flotilla. However, dozens of organizations and tens of thousands of people around the world are taking part to make this voyage a success.

--
Greta Berlin
www.freegaza.org

One last plea before we sail - from Gaza Friends

Our four boats are purchased or refurbished, flagged and registered. The cargo ship is now named the MV Rachel Corrie with the blessing of the Corrie family. Children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank will name the other two boats, and we will let you know what they chose.

We are hard at work collecting the cargo… cement, books for children and universities, paper for printing books, water filtration equipment, and medical equipment, all being denied the people of Gaza by Israel’s brutal blockade.

So we ask one last time for a $25.00-$100.00 donation from each of you, a donation that will be used for our operating costs. It is not enough to buy, register and insure the boats. We need fuel for all vessles, crew expenses, supplies for all four boats, a crane to add to the cargo ship to offload the cargo, and miscellaneous expenses that always appear at the last minute.

Please go to http://www.freegaza.org/de/donate and help us raise the final 20%. You can donate in the U.S. by writing a tax-deductible check to our fiscal sponsor in DC, donate through our two PayPal accounts, one in Cyprus and one in the U.S. or wire an amount into our Free Gaza account in Cyprus. The website provides all of the detail for you.

With your help, our final $100,000 can be raised in the next month as we get ready to leave Europe on May 3 and begin our voyage to Gaza. More than 5000 of you now follow our voyages; you have signed up for our TWITTER account, you have joined our newsletter, and you are members of many Free Gaza lists. Please donate, send our plea to your own lists, then watch our journey as we make our way across the sea to Gaza.

Thank you from all of us at Free Gaza. Every one of you has made this flotilla a reality.

Press release: Our Last Port Is Freedom

Translations of this press release are available at:
http://www.freegaza.org/our-last-port-is-freedom

Sending a Flotilla in the Spring to Break the Siege of Gaza

Contact:
* IHH, Ahmet Emin +90 530 341 19 34
* Free Gaza Movement, Eliza Ernshire +44 754 011 22 94

[Istanbul, Turkey, 28 January 2010] Today the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Relief Foundation (IHH), announce a joint venture, sending 10 boats in the spring of 2010 to the besieged Gaza strip. Organizations from Greece, Ireland and Sweden have also promised to send boats to join the flotilla with the Free Gaza movement and
Turkey.

Mr. Bulent Yildirim, chairman of the IHH said, “We sail in the spring to Gaza, and our last port is freedom; freedom for the 1.5 million Palestinians denied the right to rebuild their society. We will never stop sailing until Israel's siege is lifted.”

Two cargo ships will be part of the flotilla, one donated by the Malaysia-based Perdana Foundation and one from IHH. Both will be laden with building supplies, generators and educational materials that Israel prohibits from entering Gaza since their brutal attack on the civilian population a year ago.

The many passenger boats accompanying the cargo ships will carry members of Parliament from countries around the world as well as high-profile journalists and human rights workers.

According to the chair of the Free Gaza Movement, Huwaida Arraf, “The illegal blockade on Gaza and Israel's continued intransigence make a mockery of international law. If our governments will not take a stance to stop Israel's abuse of the Palestinian people, global civil society is showing that we will.”

The Free Gaza movement, a human rights group, sent two boats to Gaza in August 2008. These were the first international boats to land in the port in 41 years. Since then, seven more voyages boarded Parliamentarians, human rights workers, and other dignitaries to witness the effects of Israel's draconian policies on the civilians of
Gaza. The last three voyages were illegally stopped by the Israeli navy when, in December, 2008, they rammed the DIGNITY in international water, turned back the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY by threatening to shoot all on board, then hijacking the SPIRT on July 1, 2009, kidnapping the passengers and throwing them into prison for a week. www.freegaza.org.

Since 1992, the Turkish Relief Foundation (IHH) has provided humanitarian assistance to civilians who have been victims of war or natural disasters all over the world. One of IHH's main objectives is to take necessary steps to prevent any violations against civilian basic rights and liberties. IHH aims at providing relief help so
communities can resume their daily life and stand on their own feet, as well as strengthening leadership and institutions of communities that have been made dependent on aid. http://www.ihh.org.tr

We're Sailing Again: Join Us!

This announcement is also available at
http://www.freegaza.org/we-are-sailing-again-join-us in Arabic, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Swedish, Malasian, Portuguese, Turkish and Catalan.

This spring, the Free Gaza Movement is sending at least six boats to Gaza to break Israel’s illegal blockade on 1.5 million Palestinians. This blockade constitutes an act of collective punishment, a crime prohibited under international humanitarian law. Gaza's man-made and internationally perpetuated crisis is set to deepen as Egypt builds an Iron wall 30 meters deep on the southern Rafah border, closing off the final route for Palestinians to get basic supplies.

The urgency of breaking the blockade grows by the day, as Palestinians living in this prison are denied their most basic rights.

Our mission will include two boats committed by a Turkish NGO plus a cargo ship purchased with donations from the Malaysian people. This ship will be loaded with cement, water filtration systems and paper - all essential reconstruction materials denied entry to Gaza by Israel.

Free Gaza's missions were the first to challenge Israel’s hermetic closing of Gaza when we sailed two small boats into Gaza in August 2008. We did not ask permission of Israel or Egypt to travel to Gaza and sailed directly from international waters into the waters of Gaza. Since then, we have been the catalyst for a growing international movement of civilian advocates, including the Gaza Freedom March and Viva Palestina.

Of course we will face Israel’s illegal naval blockade. But we have broken through it before and we will do it again. We are writing to ask you to make sure the mission is funded and publicized.

We sailed four more successful missions to Gaza since August 2008, and we intend to come back this year with a small flotilla, so you still have time to get boats and come with us. We are calling on all NGOs, human rights organizations and communities around the world to join us. If you already have funding for boats, we can provide the logistical and technical advice on how get them ready to join the flotilla. If you want to help in other ways, we have listed five below.

Fundraise for this trip. Consider organizing a big or small fundraiser in your community. We already have people available to speak at your events.
http://www.freegaza.org/speakers
Friends returning from the Gaza Freedom March, or the Viva Palestina convoy can be especially helpful by turning report backs into fundraisers. Get your community involved and turn this flotilla into a global effort. Our boats will carry building supplies and school supplies, both banned by Israeli authorities. Contribute by donating paper, ink or books for our Right to Read campaign:http://www.freegaza.org/right-to-read.
If you can donate reconstruction supplies, please contact us. Get your children and
their schools involved by having them write letters to children in Gaza that we will carry on our boats and deliver. Publicize the trip. Once we have announced the date, help us get the message out to the media and to your elected officials to assure the passengers and boats will sail safely. Ask your Member of Parliament/Congress to come with us. We already have MPs from South America, South Africa, Malaysia, Turkey and Europe who are going. If you have contacts with other high profile people,
please let us know. Volunteer as land crew, media or support crew in your countries.

To help, organize a fundraiser, suggest passengers and offer support, please email us at friends@freegaza.org , and we will follow up immediately. We have only two to three months to finish organizing, raise the additional funds, and to set sail.

Join us as we sail together to Gaza this spring!

'We're Sailing Again – Join Us!'

This spring, the Free Gaza Movement is sending at least six boats to Gaza to break Israel’s illegal blockade on 1.5 million Palestinians. This blockade constitutes an act of collective punishment, a crime prohibited under international humanitarian law. Gaza's man-made and internationally perpetuated crisis is set to deepen as Egypt builds an Iron wall 30 meters deep and 20 meters high on the southern Rafah border, closing off the final route for Palestinians to get basic supplies.


The urgency of breaking the blockade grows by the day, as Palestinians living in this prison are denied their most basic rights.


Our mission will include two boats committed by a Turkish NGO plus a cargo ship purchased with donations from the Malaysian people. This ship will be loaded with cement, water filtration systems and paper - all essential reconstruction materials denied entry to Gaza by Israel.


Free Gaza's missions were the first to challenge Israel’s hermetic closing of Gaza when we sailed two small boats into Gaza in August 2008. We did not ask permission of Israel or Egypt to travel to Gaza and sailed directly from international waters into the waters of Gaza. Since then, we have been the catalyst for a growing international movement of civilian advocates, including the Gaza Freedom March and Viva Palestina.


Of course we will face Israel’s illegal naval blockade. But we have broken through it before and we will do it again. We are writing to ask you to make sure the mission is funded and publicized.


We sailed four more successful missions to Gaza since August 2008, and we intend to come back this year with a small flotilla, so you still have time to get boats and come with us. We are calling on all NGOs, human rights organizations and communities around the world to join us. If you already have funding for boats, we can provide the logistical and technical advice on how get them ready to join the flotilla. If you want to help in other ways, we have listed five below.


Fundraise for this trip. Consider organizing a big or small fundraiser in your community. We already have people available to speak at your events. http://www.freegaza.org/en/join-in/speaker-bureau. Friends returning from the Gaza Freedom March, or the Viva Palestina convoy can be especially helpful by turning report backs into fundraisers.
Get your community involved and turn this flotilla into a global effort. Our boats will carry building supplies and school supplies, both banned by Israeli authorities. Contribute by donating paper, ink or books for our Right to Read campaign: http://www.freegaza.org/right-to-read. If you can donate reconstruction supplies, please contact us. Get your children and their schools involved by having them write letters to children in Gaza that we will carry on our boats and deliver.
Publicize the trip. Once we have announced the date, help us get the message out to the media and to your elected officials to assure the passengers and boats will sail safely.
Ask your Member of Parliament/Congress to come with us. We already have MPs from South America, South Africa, Malaysia, Turkey and Europe who are going. If you have contacts with other high profile people, please let us know.
Volunteer as land crew, media or support crew in your countries.


To help, organize a fundraiser, suggest passengers and offer support, please email us at friends@freegaza.org, and we will follow up immediately. We have only two to three months to finish organizing, raise the additional funds, and to set sail.


Join us as we sail together to Gaza this spring!

Break the siege on Gaza, let them live in peace and dignity

As Israeli F16s attack northern, Western, Southern and Middle Gaza tonight,
doing extensive damage, the Palestinians of Gaza are, once again, terrorized by
American bombs and Israeli genocidal policies. Viva Palestina is still there,
and the Gaza Freedom March has just finished.

For those of us, Palestinian, International and Israel who are continuously
outraged, we can still make our voices heard. Watch this video and see what
happened around the world on December 31, 2009 as Supporters marched on
December 31, 2009 and January 1, 2010 to demand of their governments, "Break
the siege on Gaza, let them live in peace and dignity"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8osR2BtQZs


The famous song you hear, Va pensiero by Giuseppe Verdi was first performed in
1842 when the Northern part of Italy was under the thumb of the Austrian
empire, occupied as Palestine is today. It is a song about the plight of the
Jews as they are assaulted, conquered, and subsequently exiled from their
homeland by the Babylonian King Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar).

The song has become a plaintive cry for freedom for all occupied people and is
dedicated to the Palestinian fight for justice, from the Occupied West Bank to
besieged Gaza.

Watch for the Free Gaza announcement of a flotilla of boats to go to Gaza in
the spring.

Sailing into trouble: "To Gaza with Love" reviewed

Asa Winstanley, 4 January 2010


To Gaza with Love is a documentary by Aki Nawaz for Iran's English-language channel Press TV. It is an account of the first boats that successfully broke the siege of Gaza in August 2008. The filmmakers traveled to the Gaza Strip with the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the trip. The subjective format of the film works well -- presenter Yvonne Ridley speaks to the camera in an amiable video diary style, while Nawaz narrates to add context.

The Free Gaza Movement is a group of activists from around the world who decided to sail to Gaza from Cyprus to break the Israeli-enforced siege. The idea came about in response to Israel's claim that, since the 2005 "disengagement," it no longer occupies the coastal strip. Despite withdrawing its settlers, Israel still remains in control of all the borders, airspace and coast. The Free Gaza Movement is an effort to call Israel's bluff. If Israel no longer occupies Gaza, it could surely have no objection to civilian boats sailing in -- or so the argument went.

Although it is independent of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), many in the Free Gaza Movement are or have been ISM members, including ISM founder Huwaida Arraf. Israel has banned some of the members from entering Palestine/Israel.

The small group purchased two second-hand boats in Cyprus, and the film recounts the trials and tribulations they went through in the course of preparing to embark on the sea journey.

At the time, many in the global Palestine solidarity movement were skeptical of the chances of success -- but were happy to be proven wrong when the two small vessels eventually landed in Gaza. After watching this film, it becomes apparent this success was a near miracle.

It took about a week of false starts before the crew could even embark on the 30-hour sea journey. Beset by a number of logistical problems, the boats very nearly stayed in Cyprus. One of the vessels needed so many replacement parts that it would probably have been cheaper to buy a new boat. There were several changes of captain. And, as Ridley puts it, "consensus raised its ugly head" -- referring to the often long-winded consensus decision making process used by the activist group.

Clashing egos, cabin fever and seasickness at times led to tensions within the group. Personalities like Ken O'Keefe (he of the 2002 human shields to Iraq group), Paul Larudee and Jeff Halper certainly make for an interesting cast of characters familiar within the Palestine solidarity movement. Nawaz does not shy away from showing the tensions and disagreements onboard. Ridley also criticizes the "anarchists and communists" (an oversimplified characterization of the group) for their indecision.

Media context is missing from this film. As narrator, Nawaz says the boats had been "a battle for world public opinion" -- yet we see none of the coverage itself. Analysis of the media and some TV news clips would have added a lot to this film. At the very least the filmmakers could have shown screen-grabs from newspaper websites.

The narrator incorrectly includes James Miller in a list of "global activists" murdered by Israel along with ISMers Tom Hurndall and Rachel Corrie. Miller was in fact a cameraman, and was not part of any activist group. Death in Gaza, the film Miller was making when he was shot to death by an Israeli tank, ended up reserving most of its criticism for the Palestinians rather than Israel (it was finished after Miller's death).

This first successful trip set a precedent, and four additional boat trips between October and December 2008 succeeded in landing on the shores of Gaza. It seemed for a while that Israel did not quite know what to do with the activists. Some who arrived on these boats stayed on in Gaza as ISM activists or worked with other organizations. Many stayed through the whole of Israel's invasion of Gaza last winter. They did important work including documenting Israel's war crimes against the civilian population of Gaza and medical and emergency workers and personnel.

Israeli ships took advantage of the fog of war and rammed the sixth Free Gaza boat on 29 December (only two days into the invasion). Since then it seems the siege-breaking tactic has itself been broken. Each subsequent boat trip has either been forced back, or, in the case of the last trip in June, had their crews kidnapped and forced into Israel (later expelled to their countries of origin). The narrative of this film ends after the first trip, but a brief summation of these later events would have been useful.

Despite these quibbles, this film is a unique account of an important and historic achievement. It is a useful resource for solidarity activists thinking about strategies on how to break the siege of Gaza, and how to express practical solidarity with Palestine.

Asa Winstanley is a freelance journalist who has lived in and reported from occupied Ramallah, working for the Palestine Times and the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre. His website is www.winstanleys.org.

The number is the American Embassy in Cairo

A couple of you have written to say that this number Telephone: (202) 2797 3300
does not work as a DC number. It is the number of the American Embassy in
Cairo. Ironically, it has the same prefix as DC.

If you dial the number (and dialing on SKYPE if you have an account is very
inexpensive), make sure you have a 00 in front of the 202. SKYPE will do that
for you.

Also, the Americans have been released, but this is a good number to keep,
because the story is not finished. Please hold on to the number. We may need it
again.

Greta

Together we can make this next voyage happen

Together we can make this next voyage happen, not only for the people in Gaza, not only for Palestine, but for the principle that the power of the people can defeat even the most powerful militaries in the world.

Huwaida Arraf, Chair, Free Gaza Movement

Dear Supporters

On November 7 and 8, The Free Gaza interim board of directors met in London to plan our strategy for 2010 as well as to schedule the next mission to Gaza.

The situation in Gaza is as bad today as it was the day the bombs stopped falling in January. The Gaza Strip is still sealed; homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and mosques still lie in rubble; and fundamental supplies are in severe shortage, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of basic goods such as fuel, medical equipment, oxygen, baby formula, paper, books, and construction material.

We are determined not to let Israel’s violence halt our efforts to break the siege on Gaza, and even more determined to open a sea route so the people of Gaza can import the supplies they need to rebuild their lives.

However, Israel’s use of force to stop our last 3 voyages has made it imperative to revise our strategy. Instead of sending one vessel to Gaza, we are working on a flotilla, or mini fleet with more boats, including at least one cargo ship, more people, more supplies, and more media on the high seas. And around the world, tens of thousands of people engaged in the mission. Our intention is to build a truly international fleet that will reach Gaza, or, if stopped, be politically costly for Israel.

Over the past six months, we have been to various countries meeting with political figures, unions, Palestine solidarity activists, and other groups and NGOs. To make this next mission to Gaza successful we need to continue to:

(1) Raise money to purchase boats

(2) Secure members of parliament and other high profile people to come

(3) Obtain letters of support from governments and/or parliaments

(4) Get resolutions passed in parliaments in support of our efforts

(5) Mobilize various civil society groups for action in their home countries

We have tentative commitments from over a dozen members of parliament from around the world. From MPs who are not able to come with us, we have written and vocal support. We now have Free Gaza branches / coordinators in over 20 countries and are still growing. We have made initial visits to Latin America, India and South Africa and have enthusiastic support in all of these countries.

In addition, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed established a Free Gaza fund and secured the money for us to obtain a cargo ship. On this cargo ship, we will take construction supplies to Gaza. We had wanted to travel in October / November so that at least some people in Gaza could start rebuilding their homes before the cold weather hit. Unfortunately we could not meet this deadline.

We have the funds for one cargo ship, and one passenger vessel. However, we need at least one more passenger vessel plus the operating expenses before we can go. In financial terms, we need about €300,000, or someone to donate a passenger vessel and €100,000 in operating expenses (fuel, port fees, crew wages, etc.)

We thought we could go, if not in October / November, then in early January, to coincide with the planned Viva Palestina convoy and the Gaza Freedom March* both initiatives the Free Gaza Movement supports.

However, it is now end-November, and we are still €300,000 short of the funds, it is not realistic that we can be ready to sail by early January.

The efforts of the Free Gaza Movement are vitally important; we need to end the blockade, not just deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. While many potential funders recognize the significance of our work, for various reasons they have not come through with funding. Most prefer their financial contributions go toward to humanitarian aid for Palestine. But Palestine is not a charity case! There are hundreds of millions being pumped into Palestine by aid agencies that are unable or unwilling to address the political issues, or by donor countries that shirk their political, legal, and moral obligations, by throwing money at Palestine.

This aid is paying for Israel’s occupation by alleviating Israel of the responsibility to care for the people it occupies. We firmly believe that activists and people who care about Palestine should not be raising money for humanitarian aid but should focus on direct action to confront the Israeli policies that leave Palestinians in need of this aid.

If you believe as we do that our efforts are important, please help us raise the remaining funds we need to launch an international flotilla to Gaza by early February 2010. Please:

(1) Make a personal contribution by going to www.freegaza.org and donating through our website at http://www.freegaza.org/en/donate

(2) Contact people you know who might be able to help us and either ask directly for a donation or make an introduction for us to speak

(3) Organize a private fundraiser for Free Gaza and ask for one of our speakers at http://www.freegaza.org/join-in/speaker-bureau

(4) Speak at potential fundraisers that we organize

If you have any other suggestions, please email us at friends@freegaza.org

•Note: we will have a Free Gaza delegation at the Gaza Freedom March. If you are considering joining the Gaza Freedom March, please contact Dina at dkennedy@freegaza.org so we can connect you to other FG Movement representatives

Every Kind of Weapon Was Used Against the People of Gaza

Ewa Jasiewicz, Free Gaza Coordinator in Gaza, talks in Berlin, Germany about
what she witnessed during the 22-day massacre of civilians in Gaza. Her
on-the-ground reporting of what she and seven others saw during that time is
heart-wrenching. Israel deliberately murdered 16 medics trying to do their job
of rescuing other injured Palestinians, targeting them directly. Ewa and the
other volunteers from Free Gaza and the International Solidarity Movement
accompanied thes ambulances, horrified at what they saw.

http://www.youtube.com/gazafriends#p/a
She also eloquently speaks about the people in Gaza, how they are trying to
make a living for their families as the Israeli Occupation Forces shoot to kill
the farmers and fishermen, long after Operation Cast Lead was supposedly over.

Listen to her speech, see the images from the people who were there recording
Israel’s use of phosophorus bombs and other deadly weapons that Israel
literally threw at a civilian populations. Families have been torn apart, 29
members of one family murdered in their home as they held a white flag of
surrender.

As Ewas says, “Israel’s objective is to rid Palestine of Palestinians: drip
by drip, body by body, person by person, village by village.”

She as well as more than a dozen other speakers are available to speak to your
groups. You can contact us at http://www.freegaza.org/join-in/speaker-bureauand ask for someone to come and talk about the voyages of Free Gaza movement,
the work in Gaza and witnessing the attempt by Israel to destroy a civilian
population with American money and weapons.