18 October, 2010 — Gaza Friends
Amazing to watch Alan Dershowitz lose his cool and the plot as the event progresses, pointing his finger at Susan Abulhawa, calling her names (part 2) and finally asking the audience to shutup (part 3).
Dershowitz keeps getting angrier to the point he asks someone from the audience to shutup and points a finger at Susan calling her “this woman…”
Part 2
Part 3
23 August, 2010 — Free Gaza
Two years ago today, 44 people from 17 countries were on the Mediterranean heading toward Gaza. We were in two dilapidated fishing boats, the seas were rough, most of us were seasick, and all of us were worried that Israeli military warships would prevent us from getting into the illegally blockaded port of Gaza.
Israel had blocked our communications equipment; our two captains, long-time seafarers were working off compass and pieces of paper. At 3:00 pm, we saw the shores of Gaza, and no Israeli war ship was there to prevent us from sailing in to the raucus shouts, applause and joy of 20,000 imprisoned Palestinians waiting on shore, covering every inch of standable ground.
Continue reading
7 July, 2010 — Gaza Friends
Please reserve your copy before the book comes out. Watch this stunning preview of Midnight on the Mavi Marmara.
http://midnightonthemavimarmara.org/
Greta Berlin, Co-Founder
witnessgaza.com
www.freegaza.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freegaza
8th January, 2010
British MP George Galloway was officially deported from Cairo today (Friday), when Egyptian ununiformed plane clothes police officers bundled him onto a London plane. Galloway had been trying to return to Rafah after news broke that seven of the Viva Palestina convoy members were said to be arrested.
Police – who at one point were numbered at 25 mainly plane clothes officers, refused him to return.
Several officers even followed Galloway to the toilet, rest room and a BA lounge.
Picture below is of one officer, presumed to be from Mukhabarat which was taken outside the BA lounge airside.
The incident began after George Galloway and his colleague Ron McKay arrived at the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt. As soon as they emerged onto Egyptian soil both men were forcibly pushed into a van, refused exit and told that they were leaving the country. They were then driven off in a police convoy.
Viva Palestina convoy of 550 people from 17 countries was attacked by Egyptian riot police and plane clothes intelligence officers in the early hours of Wednesday (6th January). 55 of the convoy members were injured and 7 were also arrested.
However Galloway and Turkish MP’s struck a deal with Egyptian authorities, part of this deal was that the 7 detainees were released without charge.
On the enforced drive to Cairo, news came through of the imminent arrest of the 7 but when Galloway demanded to return to Rafah, permission was repeatedly denied.
For further information please call Alice Howard on Tel: 07944 512 469 or via email at alice@vivapalestina.org
———————
Alice Howard
Viva Palestina UK – Administration Manager
Tel: 07944 512 469
Email: alice@vivapalestina.org
Website: http://www.vivapalestina.org/
31 December, 2009 — Gaza Friends
Written by Mary Hughes-Thompson, part of the GFM convoy that has been trying to get into Gaza.
In about an hour the Gaza Freedom Marchers in Cairo will be meeting in Tahrir Square to celebrate the beginning of 2010. January 1st will be the fifth day of my hunger strike.
It was an eventful and exhilarating day for all of us here in Cairo. This morning we began to arrive in small groups at a couple of locations in downtown Cairo, intending to join and up and begin a solidarity march to Gaza. We didn’t expect to get far before being stopped, so we took what things we had that would make it easier to spend the night in the street. As soon as we got out of our taxi near the Museum, Hedy and I and Hedy’s two friends from St Louis were immediately surrounded by security police who tried to lead us away from the area.
All around us we saw other small groups receiving the same reception. After sitting on a bench in front of the Nile Hilton for half an hour, with half a dozen police standing close and trying to persuade us to continue walking away, we suddenly saw a surge of people crossing the street a few yards from us, and we quickly rushed to join them. Free Gaza signs appeared, chants of “Free Gaza” were heard. Passengers in cars and buses gave us a wave and a smile. We were immediately encircled by several hundred policemen who placed barriers around us and began to push us more tightly together. We tried to keep space around Hedy, as we were pushed and squeezed. I feared my ribs would be crushed as I was squeezed tighter and closer to people around me. A few people fell or tried to sit in the middle of the circle and the police went after them.
27 August 27, 2009
We will return. We will come back. We will never forget. A year ago, 23rd August 2008, 44 of us saw the coastline of Gaza in the distance, after 30 hours of traveling across the Mediterranean Sea….We will return. We will come back. We will never forget. We were jubilant. We had made it to Gaza. We had actually made it to Gaza. We had really, really made it to Gaza.
We had MADE IT TO GAZA.
Thank you to all of you who made this possible, who worked on the land crew, who sent out the information to your lists, who covered the story while we were in Gaza.
44 of us made it to Gaza last year, but we were supported by HUNDREDS OF YOU. A special thanks to Ramattan News Agency and AKI Nation for footage upon arrival of our two boats: the Liberty and the Free GazaImages: Mohammed Omer and Sameh A. Habeeb
Soundtrack : Articoolaction
http://widgets.vodpod.com/w/video_embed/Groupvideo.3298626
17 June, 2009
This week’s update is lighter in tone than last week’s update. It gives you an idea of what we are doing to get the Free Gaza ready. We are hoping this time to entertain you a bit (our first mate would do well at open-mike night) and to let you know that we have enjoyed fixing the boat. We leave next Thursday, so the update for next week will be interviews of some of the people asking them why they want to go back.
Greta Berlin
Free Gaza Movement
357 99 081 767
www.freegaza.org
www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02/
We want to break the siege of Gaza.
We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation.
Palestinians inhabitants of all territories occupied by Israel since June 5, 1967 must have unimpeded access to international waters and air space, in conformity with all UN resolutions and international law.
more about “Video: GazaFriends – We are sailing a…“, posted with vodpod
The New Dark Age 