The Women's Boat to Gaza (WBG) was an initiative by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition in 2016 to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The WBG consisted of an entirely female crew and one ship, Zaytouna-Oliva. It started from Barcelona on 14 September 2016 and visited Ajaccio, Corsica and Messina, Sicily along the way.[1] On 5 October 2016, the Israeli Navy intercepted the Women's Boat to Gaza and detained its crew members, who were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. The activists were subsequently deported to their home countries.[2][3][4][5]

Goals and objectives

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition launched the Women's Boat to Gaza to raise awareness of the role of women in advancing the Palestinian struggle in the Palestinian Territories and diaspora. The Women's Boat to Gaza also supported the goals of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign:

  1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;
  2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
  3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.[1]

Participants

The Women's Boat to Gaza had a total of 26 participants. The voyage was divided into three legs: Barcelona to Ajaccio, Ajaccio to Messina, and Messina to Gaza. Each leg was crewed by thirteen volunteers with several members alternating at different legs of the voyage.[6][7][8][5]

StatePersonalityStatus
 SwedenMalin BjörkMember of the European Parliament of the Swedish Left Party.
 IsraelYehudit Barbara IlanyPhotographer, freelancer.
 ChilePaulina de los ReyesAcademic, Stockholm University.
 MalaysiaDr. Fauziah HasanPhysician.
 AustraliaMadeleine HabibActivist and seafarer.
 SpainRosana PastorActress, director/activist, and politician.
 United StatesAnn WrightBoat leader, retired United States Army colonel and diplomat.
 SpainLucia Muñoz LucenaTelesur journalist.
 SpainJaldia AbubakraActivist.
 CanadaWendy GoldsmithSocial worker and boat leader.
 NorwaySynne Sofie RekstenStudent and crew.
 SwedenEmma RinqvistMusic teacher and crew.
 United StatesKitt KittredgePeace activist.
 United StatesLisaGay HamiltonActress.
 AlgeriaKhadija BenguennaAl Jazeera journalist.
 TunisiaLatifa HabachiTunisian lawyer, politician, and Member of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People.
 EgyptHayat Al YamaniAl Jazeera Mubasher Al-‘Amma journalist.
 MalaysiaNorsham Binti AbubakrSupport Services Manager at An-Nur Specialist Hospital.
 United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)Mairead MaguirePeace activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
 New ZealandMarama DavidsonGreen Member of Parliament, environmentalist, and human rights activist.
 SwedenJeannette EscanillaSwedish Left Party Member of Parliament.
 AlgeriaSamira DouaifiaMember of the Algerian People's National Assembly.
 South AfricaLeigh-Ann NaidooBeach volleyball player.
 RussiaHoda RakhmeAl Jazeera camerawoman and editor.
 United Kingdom (England)Mina HarballouAl Jazeera journalist.
 SpainSandra BarrilaroPhotographer.

Ships

The Zaytouna-Oliva was the sole ship in the Women's Boat to Gaza expedition. The Oliva was named after a civil protection boat that the Italian journalist Vittorio Arrigoni sailed in prior to his murder by a Palestinian militant group in Gaza in 2011. A second ship called the Amal-Hope was originally due to participate but pulled out subsequently.[1]

Organization partners

Organizations and campaigns participating in the Women's Boat to Gaza have included Sweden Ship to Gaza, Norway Ship to Gaza, Canadian Boat to Gaza, the Italian Freedom Flotilla, the South African Palestine Solidarity Alliance, the Spanish Rumbo a Gaza, International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza, US Boat to Gaza, the New Zealand-based Kia Ora Gaza, and Free Gaza Australia.[1]

See also

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Frequently Asked Questions". Women's Boat to Gaza. Freedom Flotilla Coalition. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Sanchez, Raf (5 October 2016). "Israeli navy intercepts all-female flotilla protesting against Gaza blockade". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "No violence as Israel intercepts women's boat to Gaza". The Times of Israel. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  4. ↑ Booth, William; Eglash, Ruth (5 October 2016). "Israel sends female naval cadets to stop women's boat headed to Gaza". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Participants on Board: Barcelona to Ajaccio". Women's Boat to Gaza. Freedom Flotilla Coalition. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Participants on Board: Ajaccio to Messina". Women's Boat to Gaza. Freedom Flotilla Coalition. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "Participants on Board: Messina to Gaza". Women's Boat to Gaza. Freedom Flotilla Coalition. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.

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