[Imc-East.-Mediterr.] FREE GAZA BOATS LEAVE FOR CYPRUS WITH PALESTINIANS ON BOARD

[Angela Godfrey-Goldstein]

FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE

 

FREE GAZA & LIBERTY TO LEAVE FOR CYPRUS 



WITH PALESTINIANS ON-BOARD

 

For More Information, Please Contact:

 

(Gaza) Paul Larudee: +972 598 765 370

(Gaza) Huwaida Arraf: +972 599 130 426

(Cyprus) Osama Qashoo: +357 97 793 595 / osamaqashoo at gmail.com

(Jerusalem) Angela Godfrey-Goldstein: +972 547 366 393 / angela at icahd.org

 

(GAZA CITY, 28 August 2008) - After having shattered the Israeli blockade of
Gaza earlier this week, the Free Gaza and Liberty will depart Gaza for
Cyprus at 2pm today. Several Palestinians who have previously been denied
exit visas by Israel will join international human rights workers on the
journey. Among the Palestinians leaving are Saed Mosleh, age 10, of Beit
Hanoun, Gaza.  Saed lost his leg due to an Israeli tank shell and is leaving
Gaza with his father to seek medical treatment. Also on board are the
Darwish family, who will finally be reunited with their relatives in Cyprus.

 

"I can't believe we're finally able to leave for medical treatment," said
Khaled Mosleh, Saed's father. "This is a miracle of God."

 

Nine international human rights workers will remain in Gaza to do
longer-term monitoring and accompaniment, and one, Dr. Bill Dienst of Omak,
Washington, will attempt to cross over into Israel later today via the Erez
crossing.

 

By freely traveling to Gaza, on Saturday, August 23rd, in two, small, wooden
boats, the Free Gaza Movement forced the Israeli government to issue a
fundamental policy change regarding their military and economic blockade of
Gaza. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs publicly announced that
humanitarian and human rights missions to Gaza will no longer be stopped or
threatened by Israel. With the end of the Israeli siege of Gaza,
Palestinians should be free to exercise their rights without fear of being
stopped or killed by the Israeli military.

 

Yvonne Ridley, a journalist and member for the Free Gaza Movement, summed up
her experience in Gaza by saying, "I missed the start of the Berlin Wall
coming down by just a few days, but now I know how people felt when they
tore down those first few bricks. This has been a huge victory of people
over power."

 

Since the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement will not be entering Israeli
territorial waters, and since they will request an inspection from both the
Gaza Port Authority when they depart, and the Cypriot authorities upon their
return, they expect no interference on the part of the Israeli authorities
when they leave Gaza. By Israel's own admission, it has no authority to
inspect the boats or the passengers when they leave Gaza.

 

With the collapse of the Israeli blockade, the Free Gaza Movement will
quickly return to Gaza with another delegation, and they would like to
encourage the United Nations, Arab League and international community to
organize similar human rights and humanitarian efforts. The Free Gaza
Movement will continue to work to ensure that safe passage between Gaza and
the outside world will remain free and open. 

###

 

PALESTINIANS LEAVING GAZA ON THE FREE GAZA & LIBERTY

Maha M.S. Darwish, mother

Omar Darwish, age 5 

Sami M.J. Darwish, age 14

Ayman M.J. Darwish, age 17

Tawfiq M.J. Darwish, age 18 

Khaled Mosleh, father

Saed Mosleh, age 10

 

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS LEAVING GAZA

Greta Berlin, Los Angeles, USA

Nikolaos Bolos, Athens, Greece

Lauren Booth, London, UK

Maria del Mar, Vilanova i La Geltru, Spain

Musheir El Farra, Sheffield, UK

Eliza Ernshire, London, UK

Petros Giotis, Athens, Greece

Christos Giouanopoulos, Athens, Greece

Derek Graham, Ballina, Ireland

Mary Thompson-Hughes, Los Angeles & London

Fathi Jaoudi, Jendouba, Tunisia & London

Yiannis Karipidis, Komothnh, Greece

Giorgios Klontzas, St. Nicolaos, Greece

John Klusmire, Monterey, CA, USA

The Hon. Anastasios Kourakis, MP (representing Thessaloniki, Greece)

Dr. Paul Larudee, El Cerrito, CA, USA

Dr. Edith Lutz, Cologne, Germany

Theresa McDermott, Edinburgh, Scotland

Sr. Anne Montgomery, New York, USA

Aki Nawaz, Bradford, UK

Thomas Nelson, Welches, OR, USA

Peter Philips, New York, USA

Dr. Vaggelis Pissias, Athens, Greece

Panagiotis Politis, Volos, Greece

Yvonne Ridley, London, UK

David Schermerhorn, Deer Harbor, WA, USA

Huwaida Arraf Shapiro, Ramallah, Palestine

Courtney Sheetz, New York, USA

Kathy Sheetz, Woods Hole, MA, USA

Ren Tawil, Minneapolis, MN

Kathleen Wang, Diamond Bar, CA, USA

 

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS REMAINING IN GAZA 

Vittorio Arrigoni, Bulciago, Italy 

Georgios Karatzas, Pireas, Greece 

Jenny Linnell, Totnes, UK

Andrew Muncie, Spean Bridge, Scotland 

Ken O'Keefe, London, UK 

Adam Qvist, Copenhagen, Denmark

Darlene Wallach, San Jose, CA, USA 

Donna Wallach, San Jose, CA, USA

 

Forwarded from Free Gaza Movement on Cyprus by:

Angela Godfrey-Goldstein

Media Team

Free Gaza Movement
0547-366 393

 <http://www.freegaza.org/> www.freegaza.org

 <http://www.anis-online.de/office/events/FreeGazaSong.htm>
www.anis-online.de/office/events/FreeGazaSong.htm
 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02/>
www.flickr.com/photos/29205195 at N02/ 

 <http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aUPA0z2zRHQ>
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aUPA0z2zRHQ and 
 <http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DGBHPMe5c>
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DGBHPMe5c

 

 

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-eastern-mediterranean/attachments/20080828/b796b6a6/attachment-0001.htm 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 19480 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-eastern-mediterranean/attachments/20080828/b796b6a6/attachment-0002.jpeg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 3789 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-eastern-mediterranean/attachments/20080828/b796b6a6/attachment-0003.jpeg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Dear friends.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 32768 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-eastern-mediterranean/attachments/20080828/b796b6a6/attachment-0002.doc 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 61952 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-eastern-mediterranean/attachments/20080828/b796b6a6/attachment-0003.doc