Israel Hijacks Humanitarian Ship Bound for Gaza

You'd think that when a Nobel peace prize winner, a former U.S. member of Congress and 21 other passengers and crew members abroad a boat carrying humanitarian supplies are illegally seized in international waters along with their cargo--essentially, an act of piracy--and indefinitely imprisoned, there'd be a bit of an outcry. Or at least some reporting. Not so. At least not in the United States.

The "Spirit of Humanity" is a 66-foot Greek-flagged ship. It was in Cyprus at the end of June, loaded with humanitarian supplies bound for Gaza, the work of freegaza.org. Passengers included Mairead Maguire, who, in 1976, won the Nobel Peace Prize with Betty Williams for their peace initiatives in Northern Ireland. Passengers also included Cynthia McKinney, a six-term member of Congress and 2008 presidential candidate on the Green Party ticket, Mansour Al-Abi, a cameraman with Al-Jazeera TV, and Denis Healey, the British captain of the Spirit of Humanity, making his fifth trip to Gaza. Or not making it: The Israeli navy seized the ship on June 30 and imprisoned the passengers and crew pending their deportation.

Nothing of this in The New York Times. The Washington Post made a passing reference to it, but only in a gossip blog and as an excuse to make fun of Cynthia McKinney. Nothing in the Wall Street Journal or USA Today. The Los Angeles Times ran a four-paragraph brief on July 1, but said Israelis "intercepted" the vessel and treated the encounter as a legitimate police matter, though it took place in international waters. The European press is more alert, with the Irish Times leading the way, considering that Derek Graham, a former member of the Irish military, is among the prisoners.

Back in January, when the Spirit was on another run to Gaza, the Israeli navy surrounded the ship and threatened to open fire if it didn't turn back.

For the past two years Israel has maintained a strict and brutal blockade on Gaza, in response to Hamas being elected to a majority of the Palestinian parliament. "Not one of the siege's aims have been achieved and the damage is only piling up, perhaps for all eternity," writes Haaretz's Gideon Levy. "Folly and malevolence, a fairly common combination, have melded into one of Israel's most fateful mistakes. Even if we leave aside the moral aspect of the inhumane and illegal siege, it is no longer possible to ignore its stupidity as a policy. [Gilad] Shalit has not been released - no siege is going to free him. Hamas has not fallen - the group is only more firmly establishing its regime. And above all, a new reality is developing before our eyes that is worse for Israel than all its predecessors. ... The Palestinians are split and there's no one to talk to."

At least humanitarian supplies were supposed to be exempt from the blockade. More than that: An international conference at Egypt's Sharm-el-Sheikh earlier this year had concluded ion the pledge of $2 billion in reconstruction money for Gaza. Israel hasn't let that money through, either, and Barack Obama, whose administration pledged large amounts, is not pushing the issue. Is it any wonder that humanitarian activists are taking matters into their own hands?

Back in February the Israeli navy stopped another vessel, the Brotherhood Ship,. that had sailed from the Lebanese port of Tripoli with toys, food and medical supplies bound for Gaza. Israel feared it might “threaten security concerns,” banned it from docking in Gaza and hijacked it it instead to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the crew was detained, questioned then deported to Lebanon.

It's a mockery of law, and of Gaza's status as anything but an open-air prison rimmed by Israeli whims and cruelty, and the useful indifference of the American press. As Levy writes, "When there are no terror attacks, there are no Arabs: When Gaza isn't shooting, it is abandoned to its fate. That is the message Israel is sending its imprisoned neighbors: Launch Qassams and we'll take an interest in you, don't launch Qassams and we won't take an interest. Only abducted soldier Gilad Shalit is still reminding us of Gaza's existence: The activists for his release demonstrated again last week. But instead of demonstrating for the release of Palestinian prisoners, they demonstrated for tightening the siege and collective punishment. Only Gilad was born to be free."

See Also:

• Hamas-Israeli Conflict - Background and Primers
• How Israel Helped to Create Hamas
• Israel and Gaza - A Withdrawal That Did Not End Israel's Occupation
• Waltz With Hamas: Israeli Atrocities in Gaza
• Final Tally of 2009 Gaza War Casualties
• Who Is Gilad Shalit and Why Is Hamas Holding Him?