[fse-esf] Forty-six international human rights workers are now sailing to Gaza

[Yannis Almpanis]

EWS                                                                                         
                                                                                   
                                             													  						 Forty-six international human rights workers are now sailing to Gaza			   					  					  						For Immediate Release  Date : 08-22-2008							  A STATEMENT TO THE PRESS FROM THE FREE GAZA MOVEMENT
For more information, please contact:

JERUSALEM: Angela Godfrey-Goldstein
Tel. +972 547 366 393
angela at icahd.org
CYPRUS: Osama Qashoo
Tel. +44 78 333 81660 / +44 79 779 3595
osamaqashoo at gmail.com
Forty-sixinternational human rights workers are now sailing to Gaza throughinternational waters with one overriding goal: to break the Israelisiege that Israel has imposed on the civilian population of Gaza.  Anyaction designed to harm civilians constitutes collective punishment (inthe Palestinians’ case, for voting the “wrong” way) and is both illegalunder international law and profoundly immoral.  Our mission is toexpose the illegality of Israel’s actions, and to break through thesiege in order to express our solidarity with the suffering people ofGaza (and of the occupied Palestinian territory as a whole) and tocreate a free and regular channel between Gaza and the outside world.
Israelclaims that since the “disengagement” in 2005 it no longer occupiesGaza.  However, the International Committee of the Red Cross and otherinternational human rights organizations reject this claim since Israelstill exerts effective control over Gaza.  As an Occupying Power,Israel has a responsibility for the well-being of the people of Gazaunder the provisions of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.  Israel hasabused its control and responsibilities by wrongfully obstructing vitalsupplies and humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.  
AsIsrael’s 41-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip defiesinternational consensus, and because Israel has grossly violated itsobligations, we do not recognize Israel’s right to stop us outside itsown territorial waters, which we will not be approaching.  To removeany “security” pretense that Israel may raise, we have had our boatsinspected and certified by Cypriot authorities that they carry no armsor contraband of any kind.  We have invited Israeli Foreign MinisterTzipi Livni to join us on our voyage and, in fact, the Israeli Ministryof Foreign Affairs has itself told us the Israeli government “assume[s]that your intentions are good.”
We are human rights activists,invited to visit Gaza by our Palestinian partners, and each of us hasvowed to do no violence, in either word or deed.  If Israel chooses toforcibly stop and search our ships, we will not forcibly resist.  Sucha search will be under duress and with our formal protest.  After sucha search, we fully expect the Israeli navy to stand aside, as wecontinue peacefully to Gaza.  If we are arrested and brought to Israel,we will protest and prosecute our kidnapping in the appropriateforums.  It is our purpose to show the power that ordinary citizens ofthe world have when they organize together to stand against injustice. Let there be no doubt: the policies of repression against the civilianpopulation of Gaza represent gross violations of human rights,international humanitarian law, and constitute war crimes.  The goal ofour voyage is to break the illegal siege on the people of Gaza as astep toward ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

http://www.freegaza.org/


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