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Highlighting the plight of Gazans
US-based pro-Palestinian group defies Israel by sailing to the besieged Gaza Strip.
- Gulf News
- Published: 23:28 August 24, 2008
Palestinians can celebrate a small victory. Despite the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, two boats carrying 44 activists from a US-based pro-Palestinian group managed to make it to Gaza.
The group, which aimed to draw attention to the brutal blockade of Gaza, achieved its goal - the stunt made headlines around the world. The group also succeeded in delivering a cargo of 200 hearing aids for a school for the hearing impaired and 5,000 balloons.
Indeed the blockade against Gaza needs to be highlighted. Since June 2007, Israel has stopped any movement in and out of the Strip - save for some basic humanitarian aid. The closure of the borders has also restricted Palestinians' movement out of Gaza. In doing so, Israel has punished an entire people for choosing a certain political party (Hamas) as their representatives, after free and fair elections. Tel Aviv has opted to try to push Hamas out by isolating the Strip from the outside world.
This visit highlights the need for members of the international community to immediately address the suffering of the Gazans, as opposed to simply brushing it aside. And for far too long, Palestinians have been let down by their own leadership and by their Arab brethren, too.
The activists showed a lot of guts in challenging Israel. Let's hope they have set a precedent.
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