TEL AVIV: Ship to Gaza, a European activist organization, announced that they are in the process of organizing a new flotilla in solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. The boat is set to sail on a roughly 5,000 kilometer journey, which is estimated to span between two and three months. Beginning in northern Sweden, it will dock in several countries en route to Gaza, holding events to raise awareness about the Israeli blockade. “Estelle, our beautiful ship, is going to play a key role in Ship to Gaza's renewed attempt to break the blockade on Gaza," reads the organization's website. “At each stop, there will be speakers, concerts, and public festivals providing information about the situation in Gaza." Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been placed under a strict Israeli military blockade which hinders the flow of imports and exports from the territory. Gazans are regularly affected by Israeli military raids and bombing campaigns. Fishermen are limited in how far they are able to sail from the coast, and those that exceed the limit are often attacked by the Israeli Navy with water cannons. In March, Ma'an News Agency reported that gas shortages had forced Gaza's hospitals to run at an average capacity of 20 percent. In 2010, a similar flotilla, a Turkish ship named the MV Mavi Manara, sailed to Gaza and was boarded by Israeli naval commandos. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that roughly 40 activists resisted the soldiers with bars and knives. During the fighting, nine activists were shot to death and several were wounded. Five ships that were sailing alongside the MV Mavi Manara were boarded and rerouted, though no violence was reported. In the aftermath, Israel drew widespread international condemnation, and Turkish-Israeli relations, traditionally close, suffered a public rift. Relations have yet to be completely mended. Many detractors claim that the blockade is not the problem, and that the activists are merely staging a publicity stunt. “There are more effective means of helping Gazans," Johnny, an Israeli student of Tel Aviv University, told Bikyamasr.com. “Normally, the goods make it through to Gaza with no problems after the Israeli military checks them. The flotilla thing is a bit self-aggrandizing, and there's more efficient ways for activists to spend their time and money to help Gazans." Supporters of the flotilla, however, argue that such opponents miss the point. “The point is publicity. Of course, it's for publicity. We want the whole world to know how people's lives are being treated contemptuously in Gaza, in all of Palestine," said Ghassan, a university student from Ramallah. “The whole world is talking about Syria now and how evil Assad is, but no one has anything to say about the bombings and killings in Gaza," he added.
