Huqul al-Nakhl

SS Free Gaza and SS Free Liberty

Two boats Free Gaza and Liberty manned by fourtysome activists from various lands, safely reached the shores of besieged Gaza. They passed through the naval blockade established by the Israelis, and brought a message of hope, and even some provision for the besieged. This was far from obvious and expected conclusion of the daring enterprise; some 20 years ago, a similar attempt ended in catastrophe. In 1988, the PLO staged an unsuccessful effort to sail from Cyprus to Haifa. The Israeli frogmen attached a limp mine to the ship, named the Sol Phryne and re-christened Exodus-2, while it was in the Cypriot port of Limassol, while a day earlier they planted a bomb in the car of the crew and killed three of them. That voyage had been timed to coincide with 40 years of Nakba and the founding of Israel. For twenty years, nobody even mentioned it, nor tried to repeat the suicidal trip. This trip marked the 60th anniversary, and it went off successfully.

This is a happy event: we should be glad that the boats arrived safely. Let these small vessels be remembered together with Granma and Exodus, if not with Santa Maria of Columbus, for they did an historic deed. The siege of Gaza is breaking down. The Israeli authorities said they did not want to interfere with the boats in order to give it less publicity. But events have their own dynamics; and we may hope that Israeli leaders won�t find it that easy to go back to their bad old ways. One small demonstration may lead to revolution. This operation should be extended, and multiplied; instead of one boat, hundred boats should sail.

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