Region | Palestinian Territories
Gaza boat campaign reminded activist of Berlin wall falling
Just over two weeks ago, people around the world sat glued to their television sets as they watched a group of peace activists set sail from Cyprus to end a year-long blockade that has paralysed the economy of the Gaza Strip.
- By Layelle Saad, GCC/Middle East Deputy Editor
- Published: 00:03 September 8, 2008
Dubai: Just over two weeks ago, people around the world sat glued to their television sets as they watched a group of peace activists set sail from Cyprus to end a year-long blockade that has paralysed the economy of the Gaza Strip.
Despite calls from aid agencies and human rights groups to end the humanitarian crisis, Israel has continued the blockade, maintaining that Hamas is a terrorist organisation that aims to destroy Israel.
Gulf News spoke to one of the activists, a woman with an indelible track-record of bravery and intrigue.
Yvonne Ridley is a British journalist and author who made headlines in 2001 when she was captured by the Taliban while on assignment. She was released 11 days later, promising her captors that she would read the Quran. Little did she know that promise would change her life. She subsequently embraced Islam and spends much of her time travelling around the world, speaking about her experience and defending her religion.
But long before her conversion, Ridley was always vocal about the Palestinian issue. Earlier this year, she learned of the Free Gaza Boat Campaign during a tour in San Francisco, and was invited to take part.
Risky business
The task at hand was risky, but Ridley, along with 43 other activists, decided to brave the storm and board the boat.
"The crew and passengers were absolutely amazing," she said.
Before embarking, the passengers were warned that the Israeli navy would be conducting military exercises within a 35-mile radius of the coastline.
"We were given the opportunity to disembark, but not one of us faltered," she said.
Ridley recalled a specific encounter with a young Syrian seaman at the port of Larnaca just before embarking, that motivated her to carry on with her mission.
After learning she was a convert to Islam, the young man ran to his boat and retrieved a copy of the Quran, which he presented to her.
"It was an act of kindness and show of solidarity from someone I did not know and will probably never see again," she said.
She told Gulf News that after that experience, she was more determined than ever to pass on his act of kindness to the people of Gaza.
But while being tossed around the boat in the dead of the night with the communications down, Ridley was gripped by panic. "I asked myself, 'What the hell do you think you are doing? You're no spring chicken and you have a daughter at home'," she recalled.
But her panic was short-lived as she was swept up in recollection of her years of activism. She remembered a promise she made to herself after witnessing the aftermath and brutality of the Israeli siege on Jenin in April 2002.
"I vowed to never stop fighting for Palestine, and to me the pen is mightier than the sword. Everyone should play to their strengths and writing and activism are mine," she said.
She decided that the boat was where she belonged, it was her ultimate resistance.
As the boat neared the shore, the enormity of the experience sank in.
"It felt like when the Germans began dismantling the Berlin Wall," she said.
Thousands of Gazans lined the shore, standing on rocks, boats and wading in the water. As the boat approached the coast, she shouted to the people 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great).
"The Gazans echoed my calls in a giant roar of approval," she recalled.
Once on shore, Ridley met Gazans and learned their countless tales of woe. She said she was overwhelmed by their hospitality.
She recalls eating dinner by candlelight at the home of a senior Hamas official after the electricity had been cut off - a frequent occurrence for Palestinians living in Gaza.
Ridley was amazed to see such high-ranking officials living in such conditions - to her it was admirable.
"Even the most powerful members live like the people, eat like the people, and suffer like the people," she said.
Despair
The experience was exhilarating but much of what Ridley saw struck her with overwhelming despair.
She recalls one of the saddest moments of her life when she walked into a meeting of key decision-makers who were sorting through piles of travel documents, deciding which Palestinians would be able to leave Gaza.
"We wanted to take everyone. But from a safety and legal standpoint, our hands were tied," she said.
Saed Mosleh, a teenager who lost his leg in an Israeli rocket attack, was one of the lucky ones who were able to board the boat. He hopes to get an artificial leg and special treatment for his condition.
Ridley has no plans to halt her activism or any future acts of defiance. She said she realises she will come in the line of fire occasionally but it's a price she is willing to pay.
"Palestinians like Mosleh are in the line of fire every day without any other choice and that is something everyone of us should not forget."
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