Women’s Boat to Gaza ready to sail

What do the words “Palestinian women” conjure up for you? Images of courage, strength and the backbone of Palestinian survival under ruthless and vicious Israeli occupation? There is not a single Palestinian woman who is unscathed by the violence that Israel unleashes daily on the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. While Palestinian women are the stone-throwers, demonstrators, field-workers, activists and heads of households, they are also the victims of daily human rights violations, assault, imprisonment, torture and murder.

Indeed, Palestinian women play multiple roles in the survival of Palestinian life. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s Women’s Boat to Gaza (WBG) project aims to throw the spotlight on this role. The illegal Israeli land, sea and air blockade of the Gaza Strip increases the difficulty of the tasks faced by Palestinian women exponentially.

Gaza is to all intents and purposes the largest open-air prison in the world. The illegal blockade prevents aid and daily consumables from entering the territory. Items such as paper, diesel fuel, gasoline, fruit, vegetable, wheat, sugar, meat, chicken, fish products, dairy products, animal feed, hygiene products, clothing and shoes are not allowed into the enclave. Construction materials to rebuild Palestinians homes after three devastating invasions of Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces are also banned. The effects of the siege on Gaza are economic and designed to deprive people of basic commodities. This ties in with Zionist philosophy to try to change the demographics of historic Palestine through slow genocide and ethnic cleansing.

This is why non-violent, women-only initiatives such as the WBG, which attempt to challenge the blockade while promoting women and their rights, are important. The Women’s Boat to Gaza is not an aid ship; it is a humanitarian solidarity mission.

Notable activists, politicians, members of the media and cultural artists from around the globe are sailing on board the WBG. These include Nobel Laureate and peace activist Mairead Maguire, playwright and screenwriter Naomi Wallace and Cigdem Topçuoglu, a professional athlete and coach, whose husband was killed in the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010.

As a woman, I am in awe of these brave female activists. Israel is an illegal, pitiless and heartless occupier and has no respect for human rights or life. The Zionist apartheid regime has displayed its total disregard for international law repeatedly and I doubt that it will hesitate to use excessive force again, even where such brave women are concerned.

There have been many attempts to break the siege on Gaza, not least the Freedom Flotilla of which the Mavi Marmara was the largest vessel. Even though it only carried humanitarian aid and construction material, it was attacked by Israeli commandos in international waters in what has been called an act of unprovoked aggression and piracy. Nine peace activists were killed during the assault; one died a few years later of his wounds.

There are actually two boats taking part in the 2016 WBG project: Amal-Hope and Zaytouna-Oliva; the names are significant. Amal, which will set sail on 14 September, symbolises the hope that will be brought to the shores of Gaza. Oliva was the name of the civil protection boat that Italian activist-journalist Vittorio Arrigoni sailed in solidarity with Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Gaza before he was murdered in 2011.

Zaytouna symbolises the olive tree. The role of the mighty olive tree in Palestinian history is well

documented. It is also an ancient symbol of the inevitable victory and peace that will embody the courage of the Palestinian women; Palestinian women who bend with the wind, but never break.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.