Two converted fishing boats set sail from Cyprus today carrying more than forty activists and humanitarian workers who are part of the Free Gaza movement that is trying to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli foreign ministry said in an open letter to the participants, “We assume that your intentions are good but, in fact, the result of your action is that you are supporting the regime of a terrorist organization in Gaza.” We speak with three of the activists at sea: Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement; Lauren Booth, a journalist and sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; and Israeli anthropology professor Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

This program was produced by Democracy Now! for August 22, 2008.

For more information, visit:

http://democracynow.org

http://freegaza.org

http://icahdusa.org

The Free Gaza Movement has set sail from Cyprus on their way to Gaza. Reports vary as to whether the Israeli government will allow the two boats, the S.S. Free Gaza and the S.S. Liberty, to pass through the naval blockade and reach the Gazan coast. The boats are sending out video updates periodically during their trip. This report was posted from the deck of the S.S. Liberty (named after the U.S.S. Liberty which was fired upon by Israel during the 1967 war killing scores of American crewman) at 7pm GMT on August 22, 2008.

For more information and to donate to the Free Gaza Movement, visit:

http://freegaza.org