One thing that definitely won’t change whether McCain, Obama or Sandra Oh is the next American President is the US policy towards the Palestinians. Yesterday, the USS Dignity left the shores of Gaza en route to Cyprus, the third vessel to break the intolerable siege imposed on the people of Gaza by Israel and Egypt with the overt approval of the United States and its allies.
The Dignity carried on board 27 human rights activists, including Nobel Peace laureate Mairead Maguire, four doctors and independent Palestinian member of Parliament Mustafa Barghouthi. Barghouthi’s trip underlined the insane travel restrictions placed on Palestinians. Not allowed to drive the fifty miles from the West Bank to Gaza, the MP had to leave the West Bank, enter Jordan, fly to Cyprus and then sail to the Strip.
Like the first trip back in August, the Dignity’s journey is largely symbolic-there is only so much 27 activists can do for 1.5 million Gazans. As such, many will be ready to gleefully denounce it as a PR Stunt, but like I said when commenting on the first boats, this is meant to be a PR incident. It is meant to bring attention to the flagrant and systematic human rights abuses carried out against an entire segment of the Palestinian population, imprisoned and denied access to the outside world. Apart from bringing attention to this crime, the courageous activists again proved that basic human willpower is capable of confounding Israel’s war machine.
The passengers and crew of the Dignity spent three days in Gaza, touring hospitals and areas destroyed by the Israeli military, providing the limited medical aid they could. They also met with representatives of civil society and the Hamas leadership. While Palestinians engage in nonviolent (and therefore, barely reported) resistance daily, high profile acts of international solidarity such as this can go a long way towards reassuring Palestinians under occupation and continuous attack that nonviolence does have a place in the repertoire of nations seeking independence and dignity.
Let us hope the Free Gaza movement’s brave stand for human rights and justice will show all the world the fundamental evil of the siege, and the effectiveness of people power in the face of international oppression.
For more information on the Free Gaza movement, including continuous updates on the voyages and future plans, as well as the chance to offer much needed donations, please visit FreeGaza.org.
Related posts:
- Free Gaza Boats to break Siege
- Shoah Watch: Sudden Pullout
- Gaza on the brink
- One Day In
- Shoah Watch: The fifth day
mairead maquire was shot in the leg with a rubber-coated steel bullet in bil’in last year by the israeli army, while she was joining the people there in their demonstration against the wall.
Posted by Emily | November 2, 2008, 6:04 pmAs I thought. Arab and Moslem blood worth less. And? as long as Isreal/USA continue to treat Palestinians and Moslems as sub-humans ( in the same way as the Nazis-Germany treated the Jews as sub-humans) there will be never justice and peace in the Middle East.
Posted by haramin | November 2, 2008, 6:28 pm