Free Gaza Movement
Free Gaza Movement is an international, pro-Palestinian organization that is registered in Nicosia and is supported by various organizations and political activists. Critics of her is held, inter alia, cooperation with openly anti-Semitic and Islamist groups.
History
Own account, the movement has to break the target, the Israeli blockade of Gaza and to draw attention to this.
In 2007, the organization began preparations to overcome the exclusion zone that had been set up after the violent takeover by Hamas in the Gaza Strip from Israel. Approximately $ 300,000 was collected from donations and two chartered ships. The first ride with these ships took place in August 2008.
Since then, there have been claims to a total of ten attempts to reach by sea to Gaza - in August 2008, October 2008, December 2008 to January 2009, June 2009 and May / June 2010 (see also Ship-to- Gaza incident ) -, five of them (all in 2008) successfully. One last attempt in July 2011 has been defeated in Greece.
Particular caused a stir especially the convoy in May 2010, which was accompanied, among others, three members of parliament of the party Die Linke and the Swedish writer Henning Mankell. The fleet as previously boarded on 31 May 2010 several announcements of Israel by the Israeli navy in international waters. Here, nine people were killed.
Supporters
The movement has more than 70 prominent supporters, including Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire and Noam Chomsky. Among the participating organizations of the Free Gaza Movement, the International Solidarity Movement and the Islamist IHH counts. In Germany it is supported by the organization Pax Christi and the Association International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Among the participating activists offer are Jeff Halper, Hedy Epstein, Lauren Booth and members of various Christian, Jewish and Muslim organizations.
Criticism
The Free Gaza Movement is often criticized for its links with openly anti-Semitic and Islamist individuals and groups who participate in the publicity actions. Such was 2010, for example, Hamas supporting IHH, as well as authors of radical Islamist newspapers and officials of the extreme right-wing BBP on the passenger list of the " Mavi Marmara ".
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki -moon, the United States, France, Great Britain, Turkey and Canada in 2011 protested publicly against the planned phasing out of the flotilla.
2012, saw the founder of the Free Gaza Movement Greta Berlin as a result of it publishes anti-Semitic tweets great criticism, a few from the ranks of anti- Zionist activists exposed. In response, the hitherto associated with the Free Gaza Movement and Berlin organization Jewish Voice for Peace distanced from them. The American journalist Jeffrey Goldberg accused the organization, in this connection, to operate a delegitimization of Israel and also to be hypocritical because they would not protest against the Egyptian blockade of Gaza.