Several hours ago, the two Free Gaza ships entered Gaza.
According to Haaretz, the decision was made by the Israeli Security Cabinet (Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert) on FRIDAY evening. They reportedly decided, in effect, that they were refusing to be provoked by what they had earlier called an intolerable provocation.
So, if the decision was made on FRIDAY, why wasn’t it conveyed to the Free Gaza expedition, and to the world, earlier? Why all the bellicose and belligerent statements?
Israel’s YNet website reported Saturday evening that “Foreign Ministry official Aryeh Mekel said Israel allowed the boats to enter Gaza in order to ‘prevent a media-covered provocation at sea’. ‘We know who’s on these boats and what they contain, and therefore we’ll allow them to reach shore’, he said … The Foreign Ministry slammed the leftists and said that they did not deserve to be referred to as ‘peace activists’, branding them as a ‘handful of provocateurs seeking a public relations stunt who initiated a political protest aimed at boosting Hamas’ regime of horrors in Gaza’. ‘How does such delusional journey promote peace?’ the Foreign Ministry added. ‘What kind of contribution does this journey make to the promotion of ideas of reconciliation and compromise? None’.” This YNet report can be read in full here .
The Jerusalem Post reported that “Israel’s decision to allow two boats carrying international activists into Gaza’s port on Saturday was a ‘one-time’ event and did not constitute a decision by the government to allow sea access to the blockaded Palestinian territory…Israeli defense officials said a consultation was held late last week between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak during which it was decided to allow the boats into Gaza and not to use the navy to prevent their arrival. ‘It was clear from the beginning that this whole operation was a provocation aimed at making Israel look bad’, a senior defense official said on Saturday. ‘We decided to let them through in order not to play into their hands’. The official stressed that despite the opening of the Gaza port for international boats on Saturday, Israel did not plan to lift its sea blockade of Gaza and would not allow additional ships into the Strip out of fear that they will try to transport weaponry and explosives to Hamas … Now that the group is in Gaza, the expectation in Jerusalem is that they will at some point ask Israel to let them into the country so they can fly back home, since it is unlikely they will want to sail back the way they came. No decision, however, has yet been made on whether they will be allowed into Israel”. This report can be read in full here .
At least one of those on board has been refused admission into Israel in the past … but it’s not clear why the JPost believes these people are so eager to return home via Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport.
The Free Gaza website reported that “The boats were crewed by a determined group of international human rights workers from the Free Gaza Movement. They had spent two years organizing the effort, raising money by giving small presentations at churches, mosques, synagogues, and in the homes of family, friends, and supporters. They left Cyprus on Thursday morning, sailing over 350 kilometers through choppy seas. They made the journey despite threats that the Israeli government would use force to stop them. They continued sailing although they lost almost all communications and navigation systems due to outside jamming by some unknown party. They arrived in Gaza to the cheers and joyful tears of hundreds of Palestinians who came out to the beaches to welcome them. Two small boats, 42 determined human rights workers, one simple message: ‘The world has not forgotten the people of this land. Today, we are all from Gaza’. Tonight, the cheering will be heard as far away as Tel Aviv and Washington D.C.”