|
http://gazafreedommarch.org
Canadian activists aim to test Gaza blockade A group of Canadian activists met last night to begin raising $300,000 in a bid to launch a boat to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, insisting it is doing nothing that will aid Gaza's Hamas government. The group called Gaza Freedom March is co-ordinating the effort to charter and crew an all-Canadian boat to sail into the same waters where the Turkish boat Mavi Marmara was boarded by the Israel Defense Forces in May, leading to a clash between blockade runners and IDF servicemen that left nine dead. If successful, the boat would pick up Palestinian goods in Gaza to be sold abroad, organizers said. "Our aim is not confrontation. Our hope is that we will be able to fulfill our goal, which is to bring attention to the suffering of the people of Gaza," said Montreal-based activist and writer Ehab Lotayef. "This is a peaceful mission." Activists gathered at the Steelworkers Hall in downtown Toronto last night to hear about the proposed mission to send a boatful of Canadians to challenge the three-year-old Israeli blockade on the territory controlled by Hamas, a political and military entity Canada and several other Western countries recognize as a terrorist organization. Hamas refuses to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, or to renounce violence, and regularly launches rockets into Israeli territory. Among the 14 other groups involved are the left-wing political news and activism website rabble. ca and the Canadian Arab Federation, which was stripped of federal funding last year after it called Hamas a "legitimate political party." Asked in an interview this week if it was her group's aim to avoid aiding Hamas in any way, organizer Sandra Ruch of Gaza Freedom March responded: "I'm going there to support the people of Gaza, the Palestinian people and the civil society.... I do acknowledge that Hamas was a democratically elected government. It's not a mission to do something for Hamas." Mr. Lotayef was less equivocal: "We are not supporting Hamas. It is very clear to us and to everybody who is working with us," he said. Canada-Israel Committee CEO Shimon Fogel yesterday condemned any attempt by activists to break the blockade. "The plan has no merit," he said. "The notion of flotillas in the context of [Israel's recent efforts to ease the blockade] can't be seen as anything other than an attempt to delegitimize Israel. It's certainly not about providing support or humanitarian aid to Palestinians." Much about the mission is still undecided. Organizers differed, for example, on the question of whether the boat will chart a course for Gaza with humanitarian aid supplies on board, or whether it will set sail empty. Mr. Lotayef said it will be up to the Palestinians to decide what the boat will carry out of Palestine to be sold abroad. "It's their choice, really, what would be important symbolically to carry outside of Gaza. It's not up to us in any way to decide or suggest. I can only assert one thing: Neither in or out are we willing to carry anything that is remotely questionable," he said, adding he would welcome Canadian officials to inspect the boat before the voyage. Mr. Lotayef said the attempt to break the blockade will itself be symbolic. It will sail during daylight hours and not make any attempt to evade Israeli forces. On whether activists would offer resistance to IDF personnel, Mr. Lotayef said, "there is no plan or intention or even thought to resist the IDF in any way, but again this is premature to discuss in any detail." A University of Ottawa law professor said the likelihood of prosecution under Canada's Anti-Terrorism Act is slim, given the group's stated humanitarian intentions. "It is an offence to offer financial support to a terrorist organization," said David Paciocco. "If this is more of an effort to demonstrate support for the Palestinian people, the fact that Hamas might incidentally and necessarily gain some type of credibility by virtue of this activity doesn't elevate it to a criminal action," he said. "The motive matters." The Gaza flotilla information section of the website gazafreedommarch. org says the Canadian boat is one of several planned for this fall
|