Tag: gaza

Start of the Season

It looked like a scene from an opera.  Massed in the doorway and second floor balconies of a quaint building in Athens, facing a magnificent view of the Parthenon, Spanish activists hung banners and flashed peace signs and proclaimed that they wouldn’t leave the building, the Embassy of Spain, until their government assured them that … Continue reading “Start of the Season”

A July Fourth Shame on the Founders

Yes, that was I standing before the U.S. Embassy in Athens on the eve of the July Fourth weekend holding the American flag in the distress mode — upside down. Indignities experienced by me and my co-guests on The Audacity of Hope, the American boat to Gaza, over the past 10 days in Athens leave … Continue reading “A July Fourth Shame on the Founders”

Confrontation Begins Before Gaza Flotilla Sets Sail

ATHENS — Activists are engaged in a harsh confrontation with Israeli authorities days before the international “Freedom Flotilla II — Stay Human” sets sail toward the Gaza strip in an attempt to break the naval blockade Israel has imposed since 2007. The flotilla will include 10 ships that have already reached Athens. Two are cargo … Continue reading “Confrontation Begins Before Gaza Flotilla Sets Sail”

Staying Human: Preparing to Sail to Gaza

Last week, newly arrived in Athens as part of the U.S. Boat to Gaza project, our team of activists gathered for nonviolence training. We are here to sail to Gaza, in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade, in our ship, The Audacity of Hope. Our team and nine other ships’ crews from countries around the … Continue reading “Staying Human: Preparing to Sail to Gaza”

Spirits of Justice Going to Gaza

For those who engage in the common struggle for Justice, an invaluable grace comes from getting to know new friends similarly engaged—and equally willing to speak with more than words. Thus, it has been a great grace to get to know folks like Alice Walker personally as well as through her writings—including some new ones. … Continue reading “Spirits of Justice Going to Gaza”

Will Israel Kill Americans Again?

Stuffing my backpack before setting out to board The Audacity of Hope, the U.S. boat to Gaza, I got a familiar-sounding call from yet another puzzled friend, who said as gently as the words allow, “You know you can get killed, don’t you?” I recognize this caution as an expression of genuine concern from friends. … Continue reading “Will Israel Kill Americans Again?”

Gaza: Where Freelance Means Abandoned

GAZA CITY — Sitting by the hospital bed of freelance photographer Mohammed Othman, Ashraf Abu Amrah knows that nobody owns a freelance journalist from Gaza who gets injured, or dies. "When a news agency crew is injured, the world reacts with anger, and human rights groups send letters of protests," Abu Amrah, 29, himself a … Continue reading “Gaza: Where Freelance Means Abandoned”