Ten years ago today the Canadian ship Tahrir and Irish sister ship Saoirse set sail to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Our commitment to ending the inhumane blockade is as strong ever : once COVID19 conditions permit we will challenge the blockade again with our Freedom Flotilla Coalition partners – because as long as governments fail, we’ll continue to sail. Stay tuned for more news.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
On Nakba Day, join Libby Davies & Ann Wright online, as we introduce CBG Freedom Flotilla participants!
On Tuesday May 15 at 7 pm, join Libby Davies and Ann Wright, as we introduce CBG Freedom Flotilla participants online!
The Canadian Boat to Gaza campaign is hosting its very first livestream videocast to mark Nakba Day (May 15), the commemoration of The Catastrophe, as the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine is called in Arabic. For this online event starting at 7 pm EDT (LIVE UPDATE, now archived on RabbleTV : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfgeSLcs5E ), we are delighted to be joined by peace activist and retired U.S. Colonel Ann Wright, as well as by former NDP MP and longtime supporter of Palestinian hurman rights, Libby Davies. With Ann and Libby, we will be discussing recent events in Gaza and the current Freedom Flotilla mission to challenge and break the illegal blockade of Gaza. We are also introducing some of the participants from Canada who will be getting on board the Freedom Flotilla mission this year, sailing for the Right to a Just future for Palestine.
A retired U.S. Army Colonel and career diplomat Ann Wright resigned her State Department post in protest of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and has devoted herself to grassroots peace initiatives ever since. She has been part in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition since the beginning, including being leader on the Women’s Boat to Gaza in 2016 and she is also active in advocating for Rohingya refugees and in the women-led movement for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Former NDP Member of Parliament and former Vancouver City Councillor Libby Davies visited Gaza in 2009 as part of a Canadian parliamentary delegation, and she is a long-time supporter of Palestinian human rights.
The 2018 Freedom Flotilla participants from Canada are:
Dr. Majed Khraishi, a professor of medicine and practicing medical specialist based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, who was born in the town of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank and was forced out of Palestine, along with his family, in the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War.
Kathy Wazana, a filmmaker, a grandmother, and a student at York University in Toronto. Born in Casablanca, she came to Canada with her family as part of the mass migration that virtually emptied Morocco of its Jewish population.
Ron Rousseau, a postal worker, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Whitehorse local, Indigenous Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress, father and grandfather, who lives in the Traditional Territory of the Carcross Tagish First Nation in Yukon.
Heather Milton-Lightening, who has over twenty years of organizing experience from local to international campaigns. She originates from the great plains region of Turtle Island, (North America) and Treaty 4 Territory. She is Nehiyaw, (Cree), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Lakota/Dakota and Welsh. Heather is a founder of Native Youth Movement and Aboriginal Youth with Initiative, Inc., an organization based on the Anishinaabe clan system.
Larry Commodore from Soowahlie, Ts'elxweyeqw Tribe, Sto:lo Nation, also known as Cultus Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Born and bred in his ancestral homeland, he's been a strong advocate for his people, their land and their rights. His solidarity with Palestinians has grown over the years as he has come to understand the common struggle against Settler-Colonial regimes.
During our livestream discussion, we hope to hear from each participant, and we will be taking questions and comments from the online audience, as well as recorded messages from some well-known Flotilla supporters. Join us by going to RabbleTV ( http://youtube.com/user/rabbletv/live) at 7 pm EDT on Tuesday May 15 (UPDATE: now available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfgeSLcs5E) to learn how you too can "get on board" the Freedom Flotilla as a “passenger on land” (if you arrive early, you should reload your page at 7 pm for the start).
We sail again in 2018 to stand with the Palestinians of Gaza, as they demand their freedom of movement and their right to a just future in their land. But we can only do it with your generous support. Our campaign needs your support in our to pay our share of the boat that the Freedom Flotilla is sailing against the blockade of Gaza and for a the Right to a Just Future for Palestine. Make out cheques or money orders to Turtle Island Humanitarian Aid and send them to:
Canadian Boat to Gaza
PO Box 1950, London Stn. B
London, Ontario N6A 5J4
CANADA
(Note: like many of our sister organizations, we would prefer to move away from dependence on PayPal for online donations. At this point, we are pleased to accept e-Interac transfers from Canadian bank accounts, and we hope to announce other electronic payment methods soon. Please e-mail us if you have questions about this). Some donors, especially those who can benefit from a charitable tax receipt in the US, may wish to donate through the US Boat to Gaza page, here.
In other parts of the world, please consider donating through one our other partner campaigns in the Freedom Flotilla.
Whether you can donate financially or not, please help us spread the word about our campaign:
share our messages with your family, friends and/or work colleagues and encourage them to join our mailing list;
send an endorsement message from your association, union, congregation or political party;
organize and attend events to raise funds and awareness for our campaign;
join a Freedom Flotilla campaign near you and encourage others to do so;
follow us on the web, Facebook, Twitter (see below), and (new!) Instagram, and share our posts widely.
Twitter: @CanadaBoatGaza @GazaFFlotilla
www.facebook.com/CanadaBoatGaza
www.facebook.com/BateauCanadienGaza
www.facebook.com/FreedomFlotillaCoalition
Together, we can help end the blockade!
—
Canadian Boat to Gaza: www.canadaboatgaza.org email: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com
Bateau canadien pour GAZA: www.canadaboatgaza.org courriel: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com
On Nakba Day, join Libby Davies & Ann Wright online, as we introduce CBG Freedom Flotilla participants!
On Tuesday May 15 at 7 pm, join Libby Davies and Ann Wright, as we introduce CBG Freedom Flotilla participants online!
The Canadian Boat to Gaza campaign is hosting its very first livestream videocast to mark Nakba Day (May 15), the commemoration of The Catastrophe, as the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine is called in Arabic. For this online event starting at 7 pm EDT (LIVE on RabbleTV http://youtube.com/user/
A retired U.S. Army Colonel and career diplomat Ann Wright resigned her State Department post in protest of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and has devoted herself to grassroots peace initiatives ever since. She has been part in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition since the beginning, including being leader on the Women’s Boat to Gaza in 2016 and she is also active in advocating for Rohingya refugees and in the women-led movement for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Former NDP Member of Parliament and former Vancouver City Councillor Libby Davies recently received the Order of Canada in recognition of her work helping marginalized people and defending social justice. In 2009 she visited Gaza as part of a Canadian parliamentary delegation, and she is a long-time supporter of Palestinian human rights.
The 2018 Freedom Flotilla participants from Canada are:
Dr. Majed Khraishi, a professor of medicine and practicing medical specialist based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, who was born in the town of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank and was forced out of Palestine, along with his family, in the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War.
Kathy Wazana, a filmmaker, a grandmother, and a student at York University in Toronto. Born in Casablanca, she came to Canada with her family as part of the mass migration that virtually emptied Morocco of its Jewish population.
Ron Rousseau, a postal worker, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Whitehorse local, Indigenous Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress, father and grandfather, who lives in the Traditional Territory of the Carcross Tagish First Nation in Yukon.
Heather Milton-Lightening, who has over twenty years of organizing experience from local to international campaigns. She originates from the great plains region of Turtle Island, (North America) and Treaty 4 Territory. She is Nehiyaw, (Cree), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Lakota/Dakota and Welsh. Heather is a founder of Native Youth Movement and Aboriginal Youth with Initiative, Inc., an organization based on the Anishinaabe clan system.
Larry Commodore from Soowahlie, Ts'elxweyeqw Tribe, Sto:lo Nation, also known as Cultus Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Born and bred in his ancestral homeland, he's been a strong advocate for his people, their land and their rights. His solidarity with Palestinians has grown over the years as he has come to understand the common struggle against Settler-Colonial regimes.
During our livestream discussion, we hope to hear from each participant, and we will be taking questions and comments from the online audience, as well as recorded messages from some well-known Flotilla supporters. Join us by going to RabbleTV (http://youtube.com/user/
We sail again in 2018 to stand with the Palestinians of Gaza, as they demand their freedom of movement and their right to a just future in their land. But we can only do it with your generous support. Our campaign needs your support in our to pay our share of the boat that the Freedom Flotilla is sailing against the blockade of Gaza and for a the Right to a Just Future for Palestine. Make out cheques or money orders to Turtle Island Humanitarian Aid and send them to:
Canadian Boat to Gaza
PO Box 1950, London Stn. B
London, Ontario N6A 5J4
CANADA
(Note: like many of our sister organizations, we would prefer to move away from dependence on PayPal for online donations. At this point, we are pleased to accept e-Interac transfers from Canadian bank accounts, and we hope to announce other electronic payment methods soon. Please e-mail us if you have questions about this). Some donors, especially those who can benefit from a charitable tax receipt in the US, may wish to donate through the US Boat to Gaza page, here.
In other parts of the world, please consider donating through one our other partner campaigns in the Freedom Flotilla.
Whether you can donate financially or not, please help us spread the word about our campaign:
- share our messages with your family, friends and/or work colleagues and encourage them to join our mailing list;
- send an endorsement message from your association, union, congregation or political party;
- organize and attend events to raise funds and awareness for our campaign;
- join a Freedom Flotilla campaign near you and encourage others to do so;
- follow us on the web, Facebook, Twitter (see below), and (new!) Instagram, and share our posts widely.
Twitter: @CanadaBoatGaza @
www.facebook.com/
www.facebook.com/
www.facebook.com/
Together, we can help end the blockade!
Freedom Flotilla boats are sailing — Please help us be part of this voyage!
Dear supporters,
The Freedom Flotilla boat Al Awda (The Return) left the Norwegian port of Bergen on Monday April 30, with hundreds of well-wishers on the dock to bid her farewell. This marks the beginning of her 75 day voyage to Gaza, to challenge and break the illegal Israeli blockade.
Since then she has been part of May Day celebrations with Norway’s largest trade union (Fagforbundet) and visited the port of Kristiansand in southern Norway. On Thursday she was in Oslo for a big celebration with our friends from Ship to Gaza Norway and other civil society supporters. She will join other boats sailing to Gaza from Sweden in the coming days. Canadians and other international supporters will join Al Awda along her route, but we need your support to help make that happen. We will be introducing some of our Canadian participants in a livestream videocast on Tuesday May 15 (7 pm EDST) along with special guests retired US Colonel Ann Wright and former NDP Member of Parliament (and now Member of the Order of Canada) Libby Davies. Please spread the word and tune in Tuesday to : https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbletv/live and watch this space for more details!
Al Awda still needs some renovation work for this voyage, and we are committed to paying part of those costs, as well as part of the costs of acquiring of this hard-working former fishing boat. Our Canadian Boat to Gaza share of the international Freedom Flotilla budget this year is $30 000. Donors like you have helped us raise amounts much larger than that in the past. Will you help us fund our contribution now?
You can donate by e-transfer (Interac, from Canada accounts only), mailing cheques or money orders, or online, see : https://canadaboatgaza.org/dona
Israel has maintained an illegal, inhumane and destructive blockade on Gaza for over a decade. The United Nations now says that Gaza will become uninhabitable by the year 2020 because of the Israeli blockade. In response to the brutal Israeli blockade, for seven years the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has carried out non-violent direct actions aimed at raising international awareness and putting pressure on the international community to end the blockade.
We sail this year for the right to a just future for Palestine. Children and minors, who make up more than half of the Gaza population of over 2 million, are victims of the ongoing blockade, which has robbed them of their childhood; their rights to safety, education, and health; and their prospects for a decent future. We will continue to put pressure on our governments and protest their complicity with Israel's crimes against humanity. We sail again to stand with the Palestinians of Gaza, as they demand their freedom of movement and their right to a just future in their land. But we can only do it with your generous support. Our campaign needs your support in our to pay our share of the boat that the Freedom Flotilla is sailing against the blockade of Gaza and for a the Right to a Just Future for Palestine. Make out cheques or money orders to Turtle Island Humanitarian Aid and send them to:
Canadian Boat to Gaza
PO Box 1950, London Stn. B
London, Ontario N6A 5J4
CANADA
(Note: like many of our sister organizations, we would prefer to move away from dependence on PayPal for online donations. At this point, we are pleased to accept e-Interac transfers from Canadian bank accounts, and we hope to announce other electronic payment methods soon. Please e-mail us if you have questions about this).Some (especially those who can benefit from a charitable tax receipt in the US) may wish to donate through the US Boat to Gaza page:
https://2018boatstogaza-nonvio
Whether you can donate financially or not, please help us spread the word about our campaign:
- share our messages with your family, friends and/or work colleagues and encourage them to join our mailing list;
- send an endorsement message from your association, union, congregation or political party;
- organize and attend events to raise funds and awareness for our campaign;
- join a Freedom Flotilla campaign near you and encourage others to do so;
- follow us on the web, Facebook, Twitter (see below), and (new!) Instagram, and share our posts widely.
Twitter: @CanadaBoatGaza @GazaFFlotilla
www.facebook.com/CanadaBoatGaz
www.facebook.com/BateauCanadie
www.facebook.com/FreedomFlotil
Together, we can help end the blockade!
Share this post: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/gaza-solidarity-blog/2018/05/freedom-flotilla-boats-are-sailing-help-us-be-part
—
Canadian Boat to Gaza: www.canadaboatgaza.org email: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com
Bateau canadien pour GAZA: www.canadaboatgaza.org courriel: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com
Mission 2018
Right to a Just Future for Palestine
Children and minors, who make up more than half of the Gaza population of over 2 million, are victims of the ongoing blockade, which has robbed them of their childhood; their rights to safety, education, and health; and their prospects for a decent future.
2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Nakba (the Disaster or the Catastrophe) – the forced displacement of the native Palestinian population from what became Israel. The blockade of Gaza and the unlivable conditions suffered by women, children and men is not a natural catastrophe: it must be understood in its political context. The international community is responsible for the refugee situation (see unfulfilled UN Security Council Resolution 194 of 1948); for half a century of military occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem; and for the gross violations of individual and collective rights of the Palestinian people, perpetrated by the State of Israel.
So this year we sail again to challenge the blockade and claim an end to our governments’ complicity with Israel’s war crimes and violation of human rights. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship this year is named Al Awda (The Return) to underline the importance of this long-standing demand of Palestinians for the right to return to the lands they have been expelled from.
The worsening situation in Gaza
Israel has maintained an inhumane and destructive blockade of Gaza for over a decade. In 2015 the United Nations predicted that Gaza will become uninhabitable by the year 2020 because of the Israeli blockade.
Since then the situation has only deteriorated. Since March 30 2018, when Palestinians in Gaza began the Great Return March, the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that medical facilities in Gaza, which are already overstrained by the longstanding shortages of medical supplies, electricity and fuel, are struggling to cope with the overwhelming number of casualties and that over 20,000 people are still displaced from the 2014 hostilities.
Another UN bulletin highlights the situation of the fishery sector in Gaza and related concerns. In a context of high unemployment and food insecurity, the fishing sector is one of the few remaining sources of employment in Gaza, and an important source of protein and other nutrients.
In our Solidarity with Gaza Fishers project beginning in 2017, we focused on showcasing the constant attacks on fishers and on creating links between international fishing communities and fishers in Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition
The international Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is a grassroots people-to-people solidarity movement composed of campaigns and initiatives from all over the world working together to end the siege of Gaza. In Just Future for Palestine our partners are: Canadian Boat to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla Italia, MyCARE Malaysia, Kia Ora Gaza [New Zealand / Aotearoa], Ship to Gaza Norway, IHH [Turkey], Palestine Solidarity Alliance [South Africa], Rumbo a Gaza [Spain], Ship to Gaza Sweden, US Boat to Gaza, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Australia and “National Collective for Palestine” and “Platform of NGOs for Palestine” [France]. Learn more about the Freedom Flotilla Coalitionhere, follow us on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram. Many of your questions about this year’s mission may be answered here.
Our partners in Gaza include:
Union of Agricultural Work Committees,which represents Palestinian fishers and farmers
We are Not Numbers.
young Palestinian journalists who tell stories that bring us closer to the reality of life in Gaza
Manon Massé of Québec Solidaire : support the Freedom Flotilla & Canadian Boat to Gaza
"I am happy to see that the Freedom Flotilla for Gaza is sailing again, especially at this difficult time for our Palestinian sisters and brothers.
In 2011, I myself participated in the Canadian Boat to Gaza, in order to support the struggles of the Palestinian people. Seven years later, it is still necessary to act in solidarity with the people in Gaza in order to have their rights respected and to lift the inhuman blockade imposed by Israel!
Palestinians demand freedom of movement and the right to live in dignity on their lands. The Freedom Flotilla is a powerful, peaceful demonstration of our solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza! "
Manon Massé
Member of the Québec National Assembly for Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques
Spokesperson for Québec Solidaire
The Canadian Boat to Gaza campaign needs your support in order to pay our share of the boat that the Freedom Flotilla is preparing to sail, starting in May 2018, against the blockade of Gaza and for a Just Future for Palestine.
You can donate online (canadaboatgaza.org/donate) or by postal mail. Make out cheque or money order to Turtle Island Humanitarian Aid and mail it to:
Canadian Boat to Gaza
PO Box 1950, London Stn. B
London, Ontario N6A 5J4
CANADA
(Note: like many of our sister organizations, we would prefer to move away from dependence on PayPal for online donations. At this point, we are pleased to accept e-Interac transfers from Canadian bank accounts, and we hope to announce other electronic payment methods soon. Please e-mail us if you have questions about this).
Some (especially those who can benefit from a charitable tax receipt in the US) may wish to donate through the US Boat to Gaza page: https://2018boatstogaza-nonvio
In other parts of the world, please consider donating through one our other partner campaigns in the Freedom Flotilla: https://sgf.freedomflotilla.or
Whether your can donate financially or not, please help us spread the word about our campaign:
- share our messages with your family, friends and/or work colleagues and encourage them to join our mailing list;
- send an endorsement message from your association, union, congregation or political party;
- organize and attend events to raise funds and awareness for our campaign;
- join a Freedom Flotilla campaign near you and encourage others to do so;
- follow us on the web, Facebook, Twitter (see below), and (new!) Instagram, and share our posts widely.
Twitter: @CanadaBoatGaza @GazaFFlotilla
www.facebook.com/CanadaBoatGaz
www.facebook.com/BateauCanadie
www.facebook.com/FreedomFlotil
Together, we can help end the blockade!
Freedom Flotilla to Sail Again, for Freedom of Movement and a Decent Future for all Palestinians
In 2018, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition will sail once more against the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza, for freedom of movement and the right to a decent future for all Palestinians.
Israel has maintained an inhumane and destructive blockade of Gaza for over a decade. The United Nations now says that Gaza will become uninhabitable by the year 2020 because of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Children and minors, who make up more than half of the Gaza population of over 2 million, are victims of the ongoing blockade, which has robbed them of their childhood; their rights to safety, education, and health; and their prospects for a decent future.
In response to the brutal Israeli blockade, for seven years, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has carried out non-violent direct actions aimed at raising international awareness and putting pressure on the international community to end.
We will continue to put pressure on our governments and protest their complicity with Israel's crimes against humanity. We will sail again – in 2018 – to stand with the Palestinians of Gaza, as they demand their freedom of movement and their right to a decent future in their land.
100 years ago, the Balfour Declaration wrongly claimed the right to “give away” the Palestinian homeland, and since then the rights of native Palestinians have been eroded and ignored with the complicity of governments around the world, including our own. We call on all humanity to help end the Israeli blockade of Gaza and make this mission a powerful display of solidarity with the beleaguered but proud Palestinians of Gaza.
Support our campaign to sail in 2018 to break the brutal and illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza!
Continue reading Freedom Flotilla to Sail Again, for Freedom of Movement and a Decent Future for all Palestinians
La Flottille de la Liberté va remettre les voiles, pour la liberté de mouvement et un avenir digne pour tous les Palestiniens
En 2018, la Coalition de la Flottille de la Liberté va reprendre la mer contre le blocus illégal imposé à Gaza par Israël, pour la liberté de mouvement et le droit à un avenir digne pour tous les Palestiniens
Cela fait plus de 10 ans qu'Israël maintient Gaza sous un blocus inhumain et destructeur. Les Nations unies déclarent désormais que la bande de Gaza deviendra invivable en 2020 à cause du blocus israélien.
Les enfants et la jeunesse qui composent plus de la moitié de la population de Gaza (plus de 2 millions d'habitants) sont victimes du blocus continu qui les prive de leur enfance, du droit à la sécurité, à l'éducation et à la santé et de toute perspective d'un avenir décent.
En réponse à ce blocus israélien brutal, la Flottille de la Liberté a, pendant 7 ans, mené des actions directes non violentes dans le but de susciter une prise de conscience internationale et de faire pression sur la communauté internationale afin qu'elle y mette un terme.
Nous continuerons à faire pression sur nos gouvernements et à dénoncer leur complicité dans les crimes contre l'humanité que commet Israël. Nous reprendrons la mer en 2018, pour nous tenir aux côtés des Palestiniens de Gaza qui exigent la liberté de se déplacer et le droit à un avenir digne sur leur terre.
Il y a cent ans, la Déclaration Balfour s'est prévalu à tort du droit de “donner” la patrie des Palestiniens et depuis lors les droits des Palestiniens autochtones ont été rognés et ignorés avec la complicité des gouvernements du monde entier, y compris le nôtre. Nous demandons à l'humanité entière de contribuer à mettre fin au blocus qu'Israël impose à la bande de Gaza et à faire de cette mission une puissante manifestation de solidarité avec le peuple palestinien de Gaza, assiégé mais fier.
Soutenez notre campagne: nous prendrons la mer en 2018 pour briser le blocus israélien brutal et illégal de Gaza!
Depuis notre dernière mission maritime en 2016, le Bateau des Femmes pour Gaza (the Women’s Boat to Gaza wbg.freedomflotilla.org), la Coalition de la Flottille de la Liberté s'est focalisée sur la terrible situation des pêcheurs de la bande de Gaza. Israël leur interdit de dépasser la limite des 6 miles marins mais même dans cette zone ils sont souvent attaqués par les forces d'occupation israéliennes.
La pêche a de tous temps été l'une des industries les plus prospères de Gaza et malgré des années de déclin dû au blocus, il reste plus de 35 000 personnes dont la subsistance dépend de la pêche.
Les sardines, par exemple, sont une importante source de fer qui permet de prévenir l'anémie. C'était une part importante de la nourriture des Gazaouis, mais les sardines se trouvent essentiellement à l'extérieur de la zone des 6 miles, ce qui appauvrit plus encore une alimentation ui est déjà mauvaise. 45 % des femmes de Gaza sont anémiées [http://www.mecaforpeace.org/blog/gaza-women-suffering-struggling] et le déficit en fer pendant la grossesse a entraîné une augmentation de l'anémie infantile.
A cause de ces attaques et ces destructions les pêcheurs attrappent moins de poissons, et de plus petite taille. Ceci amène la population locale à dépendre des importations de poisson, pour le bénéfice de l'occupant israélien.
Tous les enfants et jeunes de Gaza -pas seulement les enfants de pêcheurs-sont victimes du blocus continu qui les prive de leur enfance, du droit à la sécurité, à l'éducation et à la santé et de toute perspective d'un avenir décent. Les enfants âgés de 10 ans ont subi 3 attaques militaires de grande envergure — en 2008-2009, 2012 et 2014. Certains ont perdu leurs parents ou d'autres membres de leur famille, d'autres ont été blessés et beaucoup gardent des handicaps dûs aux blessures.
De nombreux Gazaouis vivent encore dans des décombres car la communauté internationale a échoué à tenir sa promesse de financer et assurer la reconstruction. Le blocus empêche l'importation des matériaux nécessaires.
Beaucoup de gens souffrent de traumatisme psychologique tandis que tout le monde subit le manque d'électricité et d'eau potable, le traitement insuffisant des eaux usées et l'absence d'infrastructures éducatives. Mais surtout, les Palestiniens de Gaza souffrent de l'absence de toute perspective d'un avenir décent.
La bande de Gaza est l'une des zones les plus densément peuplées du monde, plus de 2 millions de personnes y vivent sur 360 km². Selon l'UNWRA 70 % des habitants sont des réfugiés qui vivent dans 8 camps [https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip].
2018 marque le 70 ième anniveraire de la Nakba (le désastre, ou la catatrophe) l'éviction des Palestiniens autochtones de ce qui devint Israël. Le blocus de la bande deGaza et les conditions insupportables infligées aux femmes, aux hommes et aux enfants ne sont pas des désastres naturels. Il faut les mettre en contexte. La communauté internationale est responsable de la situation des réfugiés (voir la résolution 194 des Nations unies, de1948); responsable de 50 ans d'occupation militaire en Cisjordanie, dont Jérusalem-Est, à Gaza et dans le Golan ; responsable de violations flagrantes des droits individuels et collectifs du peuple palestinien, perpétrées par l'Etat d'Israël.
Afin de continuer à faire pression sur nos gouvernements et de dénoncer leur complicité avec les crimes contre l'humanité que commet Israël, nous reprendrons la mer en 2018 en solidarité avec les pêcheurs, les enfants, la jeunesse, avec tous les Palestiniens de de Gaza qui exigent la liberté de se déplacer et le droit à un avenir digne sur leur terre.
Nous demandons à l'humanité entière de faire de cette mission une puissante manifestation de solidarité. Que ce message d'espoir atteigne le rivage de Gaza et toute la Palestine et que l'on mettre fin au blocus !
Trop d’années d’occupation et de blocus: Déclaration de la Flottille de la Liberté
Israël s’attaque aux pêcheurs palestiniens pendant qu’il est en train de piller le gaz naturelle sous les eaux de Gaza
Selon l’OCHA ( United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ), entre le premier janvier et le 15 mai 2017, les forces d’occupation israéliennes (IOF) ont ouvert le feu 133 fois contre les pêcheurs de Gaza. Le 15 mai, la marine israélienne a tiré sur deux bateaux de pêche à environ 3 miles nautiques du rivage de Gaza, au nord de Gaza-ville. Ils ont tué un pêcheur âgé de 25 ans, Mohammed Majed Bakr, dont la femme se retrouve veuve avec deux petits enfants, de 3 et un an.
En contravention avec le droit international, Israël a décrété que les pêcheurs de Gaza peuvent pêcher uniquement dans une zone proche du rivage. À la fin de l’attaque massive contre la population de Gaza en 2014, Israël a promis d’élargir la zone où les Palestiniens sont autorisés à pêcher. Une fois que l’attention médiatique internationale s’est attenuée, Israël est revenu sur sa parole. Et même dans cette zone “autorisée”, la marine de guerre israélienne terrorise fréquemment les pêcheurs palestiniens, détruisant ou volant leurs bateaux, détruisant leurs filets et confisquant leur pêche.
Ces petits bateaux de pêche palestiniens ne représentent aucun danger pour la sécurité d’Israël, mais ils pourraient bien entraver les efforts israéliens pour piller les ressources des champs gaziers proches des zones de pêche traditionnelles, à environ sept ou dix miles nautiques du rivage.
La destruction par Israël de la pêche palestinienne et le vol des ressources sous-marines sont l’une des conséquences désastreuses de l’occupation continue de Gaza, dont les médias internationaux ne disent pratiquement rien.
Cela fait 50 ans qu’Israël occupe Gaza, la Cisjordanie, Jérusalem-Est et les Hauteurs du Golan. Cela fait 10 ans que dure le blocus renforcé de Gaza.
Ces “anniversaires” sont un réquisitoire contre les gouvernements et les diverses autorités internationales qui ne font aucune pression sur Israël pour qu’il mette fin à l’occupation et à l’oppression du peuple palestinien. Quand les gouvernements faillissent, ce sont les peuples du monde qui doivent agir.
La Coalition de la Flottille de la Liberté (FFC), composée de campagnes du monde entier, continuera à concentrer son action constamment sur l’opposition active au blocus illégal et à l’occupation de Gaza, afin de les briser, et à exiger des gouvernements du monde qu’ils agissent.
La société civile palestinienne a souvent appellé la communauté internationale à prendre des mesures qui entraineront l’isolement d’Israël tant qu’il ne se conformera pas au droit international et aux droits de l’Homme. En réponse à cet appel, la Coalition( FFC) apporte son soutien à toutes les formes de lutte non-violente adoptées par le peuple palestinien contre l’oppression et l’injustice.
Avec des organisations qui représentent les pêcheurs de Gaza, nous avons lancé la campagne “Solidarité avec les pêcheurs de Gaza” .
Nous vous appelons à vous joindre à nous pour mettre en évidence la terreur qu’ Israël inflige aux pêcheurs de Gaza, afin de contraindre le gouvernement israélien à y mettre un terme et d’amener nos gouvernements respectifs à ne plus la soutenir.
Solidarity with Gaza Fishers: Logo competition
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is launching a new project and we need your help to DESIGN A LOGO!
The Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) restrict fishers in Gaza to a maximum of six nautical miles from the shore. People fishing beyond this arbitrary border risk being shot at by the Israeli Occupying Forces, having their boats stolen, and dehumanized by the IOF, who regularly force them to undress and swim to the IOF military boats. In the past 30 days there have been over 20 attacks on Gaza fishers which largely go unreported in the mainstream media. Fishing is a major source of food and income for the Palestinian people of Gaza and yet it is being seriously eroded.
Solidarity with Gaza Fishers will include:
- Events at fishing harbours around the world to educate the public about the Israeli Government’s brutal and inhumane treatment of fishers in Gaza
- Opportunities for fishers to donate a financial proportion of their catches to Palestinian fishers in Gaza through an established Non-Governmental Organization
- Flags/banners being flown in solidarity with Gaza fishers… this is where you come in!
Our new project needs a logo that reflects the values of the FFC and that will become a symbol of solidarity and hope with Gaza fishers for use in solidarity events around the world.
Here is what we are looking for:
– A logo that is scalable,clear and appealing whether it is reduced to a thumbnail or painted on the hull of a boat or a banner/flag
– A logo that could be used in colour or in grayscale/B&W
Please submit your entry to mediawbg@gmail.com by 15 April 2017. The FFC will select the winning design or designs and will then notify all applicants of its decision.
* Background:
Gaza has been under Israeli blockade for the past decade during which Israel has also launched countless attacks against the besieged population, turning their life into a nightmare and a continuous struggle. Through Freedom Flotillas and other naval missions we have brought international attention to the suffering and the resistance of the Palestinian people of Gaza.
The FFC seeks not only to challenge the Israeli blockade but to also show solidarity and bring a message of hope to the Palestinian people. With the support of women, men, non-governmental organizations and civil society groups we will make this happen.
FFC is composed of civil society organizations and initiatives from many countries. We have been challenging the illegal and inhumane Israeli blockade of Gaza for years and are committed to continue the struggle until the blockade is unconditionally lifted and Palestinian people everywhere regain their full rights.
Please help spread the word by sharing and forwarding this message widely!
In solidarity,
The Canadian Boat to Gaza Team
Canadian Boat to Gaza: www.canadaboatgaza.org email: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com
Bateau Canadien pour GAZA: www.canadaboatgaza.org courriel: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com
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