Opinion Editorials, January 2008
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International Free Gaza Movement to Challenge Israeli siege of Gaza By Sailing Boats from Cyprus to Gaza in September 2008
Project De
This movement is an
international nonviolent resistance project to challenge Israel’s siege
of Gaza.
The Mission
1.
To open Gaza to unrestricted international
access, i.e. Palestinian sovereignty
2.
To demonstrate that Israel still occupies
Gaza, despite its claims to the contrary
3.
To show international solidarity with the
people of Gaza and the rest of Palestine
4.
To demonstrate the potential of nonviolent
resistance methods
The Plan
Up to 100 international
volunteers will sail from Cyprus to Gaza in 2 to 6 seagoing vessels of
12 to 60 passengers each.
The prospective date is September 15, but
will depend upon funding, logistics, weather and other factors.
The journey will take approximately 24
hours.
Contingencies
If Israel respects Palestinian
sovereignty, we’ll arrive without incident.
Some of us will fish at sea with Palestinian
fishermen, while others will travel back and forth to test the passage
for as long as permitted.
If stopped, we’ll nonviolently resist.
We are prepared to stay at sea if necessary,
and/or resist arrest and confi
The Passengers
Aboard will be Palestinians,
Israelis, Americans, Europeans, Africans and Asians. There will be
rabbis, imams, Christian and
The Organizers
We are experienced human
rights volunteers and organizers, including Huwaida Arraf, Greta
The Vessels
Commercial fishing boats and
cruise vessels powered by diesel and sail will be used.
Volunteer vessels are also welcome.
All will have standard GPS, plus radio and
communications equipment for international navigation. They’ll also have
refrigeration and cooking facilities for their size and passenger load.
The larger vessels will carry fuel for both the voyage and an extended
period at sea.
Security
If Israel wishes to harm our
mission, we expect them to try to plant arms on board. Therefore, before
boarding, all participants, vessels and supplies will undergo a security
check by qualified personnel from an internationally recognized NGO to
verify that no dangerous items are brought aboard.
Since we will not be entering Israeli
territory, we will not allow Israeli authorities to perform such
inspections.
Supplies and
equipment
Passengers will take basic
necessities and electronic devices.
Journalists, technicians and crew may also
bring tools and equipment. Larger vessels will have at least one
satellite phone with high-speed data transfer.
Provisions, including food, water and
medical supplies, will be laid aboard for an extended period at sea.
We will also carry relief supplies to the
people of Gaza, but this isn’t a pri
Captains and
crew
Although we prefer competent
volunteers who take principled risks, we are unlikely to recruit the
personnel we need by such means.
We will therefore hire captains and crew, to
whom we will fully di
Costs
We have considered vessel
donation, lease and purchase. However, we prefer purchase, to have
complete control and avoid cancellation by others.
Terms are a down payment plus installments
to be made either by reselling the vessels after the mission or by using
them for nonprofit revenue.
Other costs will be crew, equipment,
supplies, fuel, docking and agent fees.
The estimated cost is $300K, half from
donations and half from loans.
We can succeed on a smaller
Further
information
Organizational endorsements
and financial support are needed and highly appreciated. We’re also
available to speak to interested groups.
Tax-exempt donations may be sent to our fi
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