A boat carrying 27 international activists sailed into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to draw attention to the blockade sanctions on the Hamas-controlled territory.
Free Gaza activists arrive in the Strip on Wednesday
Фото: AP , JPost
Free Gaza activists arrive in the Strip on Wednesday.
Photo: AP
Slideshow: Pictures of the week Israel had threatened to block the boat, but navy ships did not intervene, and the boat sailed unhindered into a Gaza harbor, where it was greeted by Hamas policemen and a small group of Palestinian activists.
The 66-foot yacht, Dignity, sailed from Cyprus on Tuesday with a shipment of humanitarian supplies.
Among the 27 passengers on board the boat were five physicians, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire, who has been involved in the protests at Nil'in, MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) and Palestinian Legislative Council member Mustafa Barghouti.
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"The government of Israel cannot cut off Gaza forever. We will come again and again," Maguire said. The activists - who also include Italians, Israelis, Palestinians and Americans - are scheduled to remain in Gaza for four days.
Maguire was wounded at an April 2007 demonstration against the West Bank security barrier when a rubber bullet fired by police hit her in the leg.
The Dignity was chartered by the US-based Free Gaza group, which sailed two similar boats into Gaza in August. Israel let those boats through, saying at the time that ignoring them would deny the protesters the publicity they were seeking.
The Foreign Ministry initially said Israel would not allow this one to dock, but spokesman Yigal Palmor said the decision was changed late Tuesday. He would not comment further.
Israeli activist Gideon Spiro said he joined the boat to express his opposition to his government policy toward Gaza. "It is collective punishment against people who did not do anything wrong, especially children, women, elderly people, and I think that's not the way to handle it and that's why I'm here," he said.
Jamal Khoudary, one of the Palestinian organizers of the protest, said the boat would take 10 Gazans back to Cyprus, including students and patients needing medical care. Israel and Egypt control who enters and leaves Gaza, and it was not immediately clear whether the boat would be permitted to sail.
He said plans were under way for more boats and for a flight into Gaza to break the air blockade.
"We are not going to give details, but preparations are under way," he said.
