Home > Free Gaza Boats Leave Gaza With Palestinians On-Board
Movement Wars and conflicts International
Free Gaza Boats Leave Gaza With Palestinians On-Board
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SS FREE GAZA & SS LIBERTY TO LEAVE FOR CYPRUS WITH PALESTINIANS ON-BOARD
For More Information, Please Contact:
(Gaza) Paul Larudee: +972 598 765 370
(Gaza) Huwaida Arraf: +972 599 130 426
(Cyprus) Osama Qashoo: +357 97 793 595 / osamaqashoo@gmail.com
(Jerusalem) Angela Godfrey-Goldstein: +972 547 366 393 / angela@icahd.org
(GAZA CITY, 28 August 2008) - After having shattered the Israeli blockade of Gaza earlier this week, the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty will depart Gaza for Cyprus at 2pm today. Several Palestinians who have previously been denied exit visas by Israel will join international human rights workers on the journey. Among the Palestinians leaving are Saed Mosleh, age 10, of Beit Hanoon, Gaza. Saed lost his leg due to an Israeli tank shell and is leaving Gaza with his father to seek medical treatment. Also on board are the Darwish family, who will finally be reunited with their relatives in Cyprus.
"I can’t believe we’re finally able to leave for medical treatment," said Khaled Mosleh, Saed’s father. "This is a miracle of God."
Nine international human rights workers will remain in Gaza to do longer-term monitoring and accompaniment, and one, Dr. Bill Dienst of Omak, Washington, will attempt to cross over into Israel later today via the Erez crossing.
By freely traveling to Gaza, on Saturday, August 23rd, in two, small, wooden boats, the Free Gaza Movement forced the Israeli government to issue a fundamental policy change regarding their military and economic blockade of Gaza. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs publicly announced that humanitarian and human rights missions to Gaza will no longer be stopped or threatened by Israel. With the end of the Israeli siege of Gaza, Palestinians should be free to exercise their rights without fear of being stopped or killed by the Israeli military.
Yvonne Ridley, a journalist and member for the Free Gaza Movement, summed up her experience in Gaza by saying, "I missed the start of the Berlin Wall coming down by just a few days, but now I know how people felt when they tore down those first few bricks. This has been a huge victory of people over power."
Since the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement will not be entering Israeli territorial waters, and since they will request an inspection from both the Gaza Port Authority when they depart, and the Cypriot authorities upon their return, they expect no interference on the part of the Israeli authorities when they leave Gaza. By Israel’s own admission, it has no authority to inspect the boats or the passengers when they leave Gaza.
With the collapse of the Israeli blockade, the Free Gaza Movement will quickly return to Gaza with another delegation, and they would like to encourage the United Nations, Arab League and international community to organize similar human rights and humanitarian efforts. The Free Gaza Movement will continue to work to ensure that safe passage between Gaza and the outside world will remain free and open.
###
PALESTINIANS LEAVING GAZA ON THE SS FREE GAZA & SS LIBERTYMaha M.S. Darwish, motherOmar Darwish, age 5Sami M.J. Darwish, age 14Ayman M.J. Darwish, age 17Tawfiq M.J. Darwish, age 18Khaled Mosleh, fatherSaed Mosleh, age 10INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS LEAVING GAZAGreta Berlin, Los Angeles, USANikolaos Bolos, Athens, GreeceLauren Booth, London, UKMaria del Mar, Vilanova i La Geltru, SpainMusheir El Farra, Sheffield, UKEliza Ernshire, London, UKPetros Giotis, Athens, GreeceChristos Giouanopoulos, Athens, GreeceDerek Graham, Ballina, IrelandMary Thompson-Hughes, Los Angeles & LondonFathi Jaoudi, Jendouba, Tunisia & LondonYiannis Karipidis, Komothnh, GreeceGiorgios Klontzas, St. Nicolaos, GreeceJohn Klusmire, Monterey, CA, USAThe Hon. Anastasios Kourakis, MP (representing Thessaloniki, Greece)Dr. Paul Larudee, El Cerrito, CA, USADr. Edith Lutz, Cologne, GermanyTheresa McDermott, Edinburgh, ScotlandSr. Anne Montgomery, New York, USAAki Nawaz, Bradford, UKThomas Nelson, Welches, OR, USAPeter Philips, New York, USADr. Vaggelis Pissias, Athens, GreecePanagiotis Politis, Volos, GreeceYvonne Ridley, London, UKDavid Schermerhorn, Deer Harbor, WA, USAHuwaida Arraf Shapiro, Ramallah, PalestineCourtney Sheetz, New York, USAKathy Sheetz, Woods Hole, MA, USARen Tawil, Minneapolis, MNKathleen Wang, Diamond Bar, CA, USAINTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS REMAINING IN GAZAVittorio Arrigoni, Bulciago, ItalyGeorgios Karatzas, Pireas, GreeceJenny Linnell, Totnes, UKAndrew Muncie, Spean Bridge, ScotlandKen O’Keefe, London, UKAdam Qvist, Copenhagen, DenmarkDarlene Wallach, San Jose, CA, USADonna Wallach, San Jose, CA, USA--Greta BerlinMedia TeamFree Gaza Movement357 99 08 17 67