DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Mairead Maguire for Transcend

I was a participant onboard the Zaytouna-Oliva boat | 29 Sep-5 Oct 2016.

26 Oct 2016 – A few weeks ago, the US government agreed to give Israel $38 billion dollars, the largest military funding package the U.S. has given any nation.  This $38 billion in military and other type of Aid will be used to imprison the Palestinians of Gaza, and continue Israel’s military occupation, and imposition of an apartheid state, upon the Palestinian people.

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This money will be used in the training fields of Israeli military, which are in Gaza, where military experiments are done, using US military weaponry, by the Israeli Occupation Forces.  The U.S. military and government is complicit in the crimes against the people of Gaza and the Palestinian occupied territory by the use of military hardware given by USA and by the training that Israelis give to Americans and USA gives to Israel.  It is also estimated that some 70% of European humanitarian aid to Palestine ends up in Israeli pockets.

Gaza continues to suffer from the continuing Israeli blockade, naval and land, and this 25-mile-long tiny strip, 5 miles wide, with l.9 million people, living in it, is a brutal blockade and Israel controls everything including electricity, food, etc.

Indeed, everything that comes into Gaza comes through Israeli hands.  Gaza’s only airport was completely destroyed in 2002 by Israeli jets and ground forces.  Egypt continues to be a part of this blockade as they have blocked Gaza’s southern border; and Egypt continues to receive USA military funding.  Medical authorities have reported that the time for operations in Gaza now goes up to 2025 as so many are awaiting health care, and the increasing issues around food, water, sewage, electricity, all of these mounting problems have led the U.N. to declare in their latest Report, that by the year 2020 Gaza will be uninhabitable.  What hope is there for the Palestinians of Gaza, the vast majority of whom are young people?

In order to give hope to the people of Gaza by showing solidarity and support the Women’s Boat to Gaza sailed in September 2016. Also we sailed in order to challenge this illegal and immoral blockade and occupation of Palestine by Israel, and draw international attention to the fact that under Geneva Conventions it is illegal to punish civilians, which is what Israeli government policies continues to do.

The Women’s Boat to Gaza set sail from the Spanish Port city of Barcelona (Barcelona is twinned with Gaza) in mid- September 2016.  The three legs of the trip were 1715 miles from Barcelona to Ajaccio, Corsica, France and then down to Messina in Sicily, Italy. 

It was hoped to have two boats but when one developed engine trouble in Barcelona, the other 50’ sailing boat, Zaytouna-Oliva, continued alone.  At all Ports the women were greeted and hosted by mayors, officials, and supporters of the Free Palestine Movement.   Over 40 women from around the world flew to Messina in hopes of being able to sail to Gaza.

I joined the boat in Messina, and was grateful to be chosen as one of the 13 women from thirteen countries, being finally chosen to sail to Gaza.   It was sad for those of us sailing to leave behind so many wonderful women due to not enough boats to sail, but it is hoped the Palestinian Coalition will be able to get more sailings to accommodate those wishing to go on a future occasion.   The 13 chosen participants included Ann Wright, (boat leader) the captain and two crew, two Al Jazeera journalists, and women from USA, Ireland, Russia, UK, Spain, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden/Chile, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia, and Algeria.

The third leg of the journey from Messina to Gaza was almost 1000 miles and a nine-day journey.  On 29th September 2016, we set sail from Messina, Sicily, after a wonderful reception from the mayor, the Muslim community, and many Palestinian friends in Messina.

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Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

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The first few days sailing the weather was rough and many of us were seasick, but several days into the journey we had got our sea-legs and busied ourselves helping with the tasks to be done such as cooking, reporting, night watches with the crew, etc.  We shared our stories and held nonviolence training.   It was a wonderful experience getting to know the women whose courage was inspiring. Their love for the Palestinian people and their freedom was very deep.  Unfortunately, some 400 miles from Messina, with some 600 miles to go, we had problems with the boats rigging.  An appeal to friends in Crete resulted in a boatful of people coming out to meet us, bringing many gifts of food, and four men to fix the rigging!  This was for me one of the most moving experiences of the journey, and it proved yet again, the magnificence of the human spirit. Around 20 men and women answered our call for help and came to our aid, and all for the people of Gaza.  After the men fixed our boat rigging, we passed greetings to our rescuers from Crete and sailed in a happy and hope filled mood towards Gaza.

On Wednesday 5th October, we were contacted by the Israeli navy by phone.  A few hours earlier all communications via our own phones were cut off.  The Israeli navy communicator told Captain Madeleine that we were nearing the 20-mile military Israeli security zone and were breaking Israeli law.  They said if we did not turn back or agree to be escorted to Ashdod, they would confiscate our boat and take us to Israel.

However, we kept sailing towards Gaza.   We saw several Navy military ships on the horizon.  At 6 p.m., a Zodiac boat came alongside our boat.  There were 30 Israeli sailors including Israeli women sailors who were the first to come on board our boat. 

They were not in combat gear.  They wore baseball caps, and long sleeved jerseys.  In 2010,   I had been on the Rachel Corrie Irish/Malaysian boat, which was part of the Freedom Flotilla and when we were boarded by Israeli sailors, they were in combat gear, with rifles, and sniffer dogs, and we were handcuffed and forcibly taken to Israel.  I was surprised when this different approach was used to confiscate our boat, the Zaytouna.  In 2010, on the Mavi Marmara, the Israelis murdered nine people, and subsequently a 10th person died as 50 people were wounded.  Therefore, the treatment of our women’s boat to Gaza participants was very different from what happened on previous ones where I had travelled.

On the Zaytouna, when the Israeli navy sailors confiscated our boat, took us under protest against our will to Israel, arrested, held us for several days without contact with our families, and deported us for ten years, it was all completely illegal under international law. However, it is sad to report that no governments or international bodies have taken up our case for being hijacked, and again the Israeli government has been allowed to break international laws.

All the women were deeply saddened as we knew many people in Gaza were preparing for our visit, and yet again Israel was denying our entry into Gaza. So as we watched the coastline of Gaza in complete darkness and then the coastline of Israel fully lit up against the night sky, we were again witnessing the injustice and unfairness of the Israeli policies against the Palestinians. 

With this experience, many of us committed in our hearts to continue our support for the Palestinian people’s ongoing work to break the blockade and end the occupation. We also saw just off the coast of Gaza two huge gas rigs fully lit up and whose gas is piped to Israel. Yet Gaza has only a few hours of light, as Israeli bombings have destroyed most of its electricity and sewage infrastructures.

When we reached Ashdod, Israel, after six hours sailing, we were processed by Israeli security and searched, taken to Prison and released two days later.   All the women on board the Zaytouna, now have a ten-year deportation order. As this is my 4th time being given a 10-year deportation order, it will be 40 years before I can return to Israel or get into Palestine.  This thought reminds me that there are over 7 million Palestinian people who cannot return to their country, and this is why it is so important to campaign for the right to return for the Palestinian people.

I would like to thank the Freedom Flotilla Coalition who gave us the opportunity to participate on the journey to Gaza.  Their work of joining in solidarity with the people of Gaza is so important and I thank them for all they do.

To the Palestinian people of Gaza, please keep your hopes high and believe that freedom and peace will come. Thank you for your perseverance and ongoing inspiration to us all.

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY .

An article by Fatima for Alliance for Middle East Peace

An estimated 20,000 women and men marched in Jerusalem for the final rally of the Women Wage Peace March of Hope on October 19th. That morning, almost 4,000 Israeli and Palestinian women met near Jericho to begin the journey. Those who were able continued on to Jerusalem, where the March of Hope culminated in a historic rally outside the Prime Minister’s Residence, demanding a political solution to the conflict.

Thousands of women marching to Qasr al-Yahud on the border between Isral and Jordan (Photo: Women Wage Peace)
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This is all thanks to the hard work of the amazing activists at our member organization Women Wage Peace, including ALLMEP’s regional director Huda Abuarquob. Huda played an integral role in organizing this march and ensuring its success on both sides.

At the final rally, Huda gave an electrifying speech which was reported in Ha’aretz:

“Huda Abu Arqoub, a political activist from Hebron, won rousing applause when she said, in English, that she was there as a free woman, and that the time had come for women to speak their piece and to work for peace, security for everyone and mutual recognition. She ended her speech by declaring that there is a partner for peace.”

[additional notes from other news sources]

Among the participants in the final rally were Hadassah Froman, the widow of Rabbi Menachem Froman, and her daughter-in-law Michal Froman, who was wounded in a stabbing attack in 2015, Leymah Gbowee, one of three Liberian women to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, and Singer Yael Deckelbaum, who performed at the rally.

Ynet News quoted Hadassah Forman as saying: “There is a lot of energy which will lead us on a new path—maybe even to change. I hope that it will be possible to see the connections and to see what can be done to create a solution.” And they quoted Michal as saying: “I believe that the peace we want will happen, and that it will come after we see what is possible and what is definitely not possible. Even the right-wing will work with us towards peace,” she said.

According to Jews for Justice for Palestinians Leymah Gbowee said that the two days she spent marching with Israeli and Palestinian women were days of hope and of looking toward the future, and they had convinced her that peace was possible. And the singer Yael Deckelbaum spoke about the women’s prayer service she had attended Wednesday morning at Qasr al-Yahud, near Jericho. “We were 4,000 women, half of them Palestinians,” she said. “They told me there was nobody to make peace with. Today, we proved that wrong.”

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

How effective are mass protest marches?

Readers’ comments are invited on this article and question. See comments box below.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

By David Swanson

A new film called Disturbing the Peace tells the story — unknown to most Americans but painfully familiar to others — of Israel and Palestine. Of the many films I’ve seen, this is one of the best. It presents both sides without equating them. It opens itself to a broad audience without boring anybody.

Disturbing the Peace presents personal stories of soldiers and of suicide bombers. You should come away understanding while opposing all of these stories.

In a nod to the power of other films, this film recounts how Palestinians in an Israeli prison watched the film Schindler’s List and found themselves sympathizing with the grandparents of their jailers, and then thinking about what that could mean.

We also see, in Disturbing the Peace, an Israeli whose eyes are opened, who gains the ability to see children, to recognize children, to appreciate the suffering of some of Israel’s victims — and then to cease participating.

We see Israeli soldiers resist.

We see Palestinians learn nonviolence in prison.

We see an Israeli see courage, the courage of unarmed nonviolent Palestinians bringing blankets to those in need, at risk to their own lives.

Turn off your television. Avoid an election circus. Watch this film and see what you see.

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

What are some good films and videos that promote a culture of peace?

.DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

An article from Ahram Online

The Women’s Boat to Gaza (WBG) mission is set to arrive in Gaza in a couple of hours and aims to challenge the 10-year blockade of the strip and highlight the critical role of Palestinian women in the resistance movement amid fears of Israeli forces intercepting the mission, according to WBG’s website.

Sandra Barralilo, MP Jeannette Escarilla, Ann Wright, Ambassador , Dr. Fauziah, Mairead Maguire, MP Samira Douliafia. Above MP Marama Davidson. Olympic Athlete Leigh-Ann Naidoo. (Photo Courtesy of Women’s Boat to Gaza website)
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The Israeli naval and land blockade has severely restricted the movement of 1.8 million Palestinians and goods to and from Gaza since the Islamist Hamas movement became its de-facto ruler in 2006, inflicting increasing suffering on the impoverished population.

“At home we are all asking our governments to ensure the safe passage of Zaytouna [the Women’s Boat to Gaza]. We are calling on government leaders to stand with us in this challenge and to support our efforts to end this blockade, which is a collective punishment and is illegal under international law,” Wendy Goldsmith, an organiser of the Canadian Boat to Gaza campaign, told Ahram Online.

The women’s boat to Gaza, which includes only women from all over the world, is the fourth mission that has been organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition after the last attempt in 2015 ended with the seizure of the boat by Israeli forces in international waters.

“If Israel chooses to intercept this peaceful mission, they will be greeted by 13 incredibly strong and resilient women who are on a course to break the illegal blockade of Gaza. They will be met with love and determination to reach the conscience of humanity,” she said.

The two boats that make up the women’s boat mission — the Amal-Hope and Zaytouna-Oliva — have docked at a number of Mediterranean ports since 12 September, but the Amal-Hope broke off at Barcelona due to unexpected engine problems with only Zatouna-Olivia continuing the journey.

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Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

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“The women on the boat send us daily updates and they report that they are in fine spirits and are looking forward to reaching the shores of Gaza,” Goldsmith said, adding that “we are also in regular contact with the women in Gaza and West Bank who have been organising many solidarity events. We are deeply touched and encouraged by the spirit of sisterhood around the world.”

The first attempt to break the siege with a flotilla, which was organised in 2010, ended in the killing by Israel of nine activists in international waters on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara.

A second attempt was organised out of Greece in 2011, but the vessels were turned back by the Greek coastguard.

Among the diverse group of women on board are Swedish Member of European Parliament Malin Björk; a retired American army colonel and former diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, Ann Wright; Irish Nobel Laureate and peace activist Mairead Maguire; and Turkish athlete and coach Cigdem Topçuoglu, whose husband was killed in the Israeli attack on the first freedom flotilla in 2010.

“Within this struggle, men and women play equal roles. In this particular project, it has been decided that women will take on the major role of confronting the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). This does not minimise in any way the role that men take in both the organising and planning stages,” according to the launching statement of WBG sent to Ahram Online in March.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is an international coalition composed of civil society organisations and initiatives from all over the world challenging “the illegal and inhumane” Israeli blockade of Gaza.

“When we arrive in Gaza we expect to be greeted by our many supporters, perhaps with coffee and falafel, music and dance. We hope to join hands with our sisters and claim an end to the blockade that has created the world’s largest open air prison, where innocent children and their families suffer every day,” Goldsmith said.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by the Women’s Boat to Gaza

September, Cigdem Topçuoglu, whose husband was killed by Israel on board of Mavi Marmara in 2010, will be sailing with women from all over the world on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s latest mission, the Women’s Boat to Gaza (WBG). Ms. Topçuoglu’s action symbolizes Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s (FFC) position regarding the Israeli blockade of Gaza. It must be fully and unconditionally lifted.

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The Gaza Strip is the largest open air prison in the world. More than 1.8M persons have been living under an inhuman an illegal Israeli blockade since 2007. The blockade is killing Gaza. Five UN special rapporteurs found that the blockade of Gaza is illegal collective punishment.

MK Haneen Zoabi, who participated in the 2010 on board the Mavi Marmara, said that the reconciliation agreement between the two countries is a clear “admission of murder” by Israel. Ms. Zoabi called for more flotillas in order to remove “the criminal siege on Gaza”.

Laura Arau, an organizer with the FFC and herself a Mavi Marmara passenger said, “Keep in mind that the FFC is not affiliated with any government or political party,” and made a call to civil society: “Nothing can justify the suffering of the families of the activists who were murdered on board the Mavi Marmara in 2010 nor the daily violations of the human rights in Palestine. We, people of the world, must take action when our governments remain silent and are complicit to war crimes.”

Husein Oruç, member of IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation and also an organizer with the FFC, said that “all the participants, all the families, all the members of Mavi Marmara are saying we are not looking for apologies, we are not looking for compensation.Our main purpose for going to Gaza was to end the blockade. If the agreement does not have this, it is unacceptable.”

In mid September the Women’s Boat to Gaza will sail with the same goal which is to break the illegal and inhumane blockade of Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla will continue until the port of Gaza is open, and Palestinians of Gaza have the ability to fish, to import and export freely, and to lead a normal life without daily fear and suffering. Norwegian organizer Gerd von der Lippe asserts that “the Freedom Flotilla will continue to sail until the illegal and inhumane blockade of Gaza is permanently lifted.”

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

Readers’ comments are invited on this article and question. See comments section below.

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY .

An article by The Elders

The Elders welcome the international conference being convened in Paris on 3 June by the French Government, aimed at reviving efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

French President Hollande speaks to the Paris conference. Photo from AFP/Stephane de Sakutin, Pool.
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The last 18 months have seen worsening violence, a hardening of political rhetoric and a diplomatic impasse. The international community must push decisively to shift the dynamics on the ground and secure lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike. A two-state solution that respects international law, addresses legitimate security concerns and upholds human rights remains the only way forward.

Kofi Annan, Chair of The Elders, said:

“This conference is an opportunity to revitalise international engagement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After so many decades of conflict, people deserve to live in peace and dignity. This requires an end to occupation, and self-determination for the Palestinian people. The Elders call on all those involved to work constructively and in good faith towards this goal.”

The Elders note the conflicts raging in much of the wider Middle East and argue this makes it even more important that diplomatic efforts for a two-state solution are intensified.

Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States and Honorary Elder, said:

“The world cannot afford to forget about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians continue to be denied justice and human rights, and their leaders remain divided and disengaged from the search for lasting peace. This stokes resentment and support for extremism across the region. Equally, Israelis are ill-served by a government that promotes illegal settlements and flouts international law.”

(See right column for Final Communique)

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

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[Editor’s note: The final communique from the summit includes an urgent call for a two-state solution, as demanded by the Elders and by the the Arab Peace Initiative.]:

“The Participants met in Paris on June 3, 2016 to reaffirm their support for a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“They reaffirmed that a negotiated two-state solution is the only way to achieve an enduring peace, with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. They are alarmed that actions on the ground, in particular continued acts of violence and ongoing settlement activity, are dangerously imperiling the prospects for a two-state solution.

“The Participants underscored that the status quo is not sustainable, and stressed the importance of both sides demonstrating, with policies and actions, a genuine commitment to the two-state solution in order to rebuild trust and create the conditions for fully ending the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and resolving all permanent status issues through direct negotiations based on resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and also recalling relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and highlighting the importance of the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative.

“The Participants discussed possible ways in which the international community could help advance the prospects for peace, including by providing meaningful incentives to the parties to make peace. The Participants also highlighted the potential for regional peace and security as envisioned by the Arab Peace Initiative.

“The Participants highlighted the key role of the Quartet and key regional stakeholders. They welcomed the interested countries’ offer to contribute to this effort. They also welcomed France’s offer to coordinate it, and the prospect of convening before the end of the year an international conference.”