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S.S. Dignity Breaks Israeli Blockade of Gaza
By Larry Redmond
Guild members Huwaida Arraf and
Audrey Bomse are making history in the
Middle East. They were among the 23
passengers and four crew members
aboard the S.S. Dignity that broke, for
the second time, the Israeli blockade of
Gaza on October 29, 2008. The S.S.
Dignity is a private vessel owned by the
Free Gaza Movement which first broke
the blockade on August 23, 2008,
aboard the S.S. Free Gaza and S.S.
Liberty.
Along with Saha Hassan and the
author, Audrey Bomse is co-chair of the
Free Gaza Subcommittee under the
International Committee of the NLG.
Her answers to a few e-mailed questions
follow.
Q: Why did you decide to make this
trip?
A: As a human rights lawyer from the
U.S., I wanted to make a statement that
the man-made humanitarian disaster in
Gaza, imposed by Israel but which
could not exist without the support and
aid of the U.S., was not being done in
my name. That until I, and others,
could change U.S. policy toward Israel
and toward the democratically elected
government in Gaza, a popular movement
needed to be built to end the
inhumane and illegal siege. I wanted to
encourage other Guild members to join
this growing movement to return hope
to the people of Gaza.
On a more personal note, I spent
several years working with human rights
NGOs which seemed to have so little
effect. My hope was that documenting
human rights abuse would expose the
truth, and then justice would prevail.
However, Palestinian, international and
We felt tremendous joy at having actually
made it, but also tremendous sadness, seeing the
excitement that our small action had caused
among a people who believe they have been
abandoned by the international community.
Israeli human rights NGOs, as well as
countless UN agencies and committees,
have been documenting the human
rights abuse of the Palestinian people
for decades now. The truth is known.
What is missing is the political will to
do something about it. I needed to try
and do something more direct and
hopefully more effective to challenge
this abuse.
Q: Can you describe for us the scene
at the launch?
A: It had been raining on and off in
Cyprus all day, but the sun literally
broke through the clouds about a half
hour before our departure, enabling us
to hang our banners and flags—and to
joke that this was surely a sign from
above that we would get through.
Q: What was your reaction when you
learned the Israel Navy planned to
stop you?
A: Of course we were all a bit scared,
knowing the disregard that Israel has
shown—and which the U.S. has
permitted Israel to show—to international
law and human rights. But as
internationals, we also realized that
Israel would not treat us in the same
brutal manner as it treats Palestinians
day in and day out. So there was no
question but that we would proceed
with our plans. We prepared ourselves
for every possible scenario: being
arrested, being targeted by bullets,
water cannons, tear gas or “the skunk”
(Israel’s new method of crowd control,
a stinking nauseating substance that
remains on the body and clothing for
days). Our respect and trust for each
other grew and our resolve to continue
was strengthened through these
discussions.
Q: How did you spend the night
passage?
A: Thankfully I was not as sick as some
of the passengers, but I cannot say that
the trip was a pleasant one. We did,
however, have a nice pleasure boat—
much larger, faster and more comfortable
than the two tiny fishing boats
which made the first voyage. When it
was my turn to lie on one of the beds
down below, I was able to catch a few
hours of fitful sleep.
Q: When did you learn the Israel
Navy had decided not to stop you?
A: We started receiving radio communication
from Israel about two hours
before we reached Gaza. We responded,
telling Israel that we were a pleasure
boat, detailing how many passengers
were on board and the cargo of medical
supplies that we carried. We also told
them that we did not intend to enter
Israeli waters. They told us that there
were two Israeli naval ships monitoring
us and one began to approach at high
speed. It finally veered away, but
continued to follow us, first on our left
12 • GUILD NOTES • WINTER 2008