In Athens a boat is preparing to sail to Gaza. On this boat are a lot of American friends with whom I corresponded through the years, as they supported the struggle of the Israeli peace camp against the occupation and were eager for every bit of information. Now they have become themselves center stage, and I am the one following from Tel Aviv their action to break the siege of Gaza.
That they felt they have to do this makes me aware of our failure. True, we protested the collective punishment of the siege and made efforts to get truckloads of food and medicines into Gaza. Gush Shalom at one occasion even succeeded to get the materials actually through. And there are the good people of 'Other Voice', living in the Qassam's reach - in Sderot and the kibbutzim surrounding the Gaza Strip - but nevertheless open to how much more the Palestinians of Gaza suffer and maintaining contact by phone.
With that all we didn't succeed to change the policy of siege and though the polls point out that we succeeded to convince our fellow Israelis of the two-state solution, this did not at all translate into their voting for political parties which would implement it.
So, now I read in Haaretz that the "celebrated poet and novelist Alice Walker" will be on the boat and wrote a piece for CNN. Alice Walker! I know that name. I remember how a few years ago she was among those who sent money to buy olive saplings when we made a campaign of replanting uprooted trees. I didn't know that she is well-known.
An email which came today contains all the 36 passengers, and there are many more whose name is very familiar; some I met in person. The majority of them are decades-long peace seekers. In their press release they express disappointment with their own government. The State department issued this week a "travel advisory" urging Americans not to participate in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, reminding that previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea "have been stopped by Israeli naval vessels and resulted in the injury, death, arrest, and deportation of U.S. citizens."
"Apparently, the State Department subscribes to the view that Israel's anticipated violence against unarmed protesters is an immutable act of nature," complains Hagit Borer, a professor of Linguistics at the University of Southern California and, yes, a passenger on the boat. It is indeed strange, such a "don't travel" advise and warning for the violence expected of a US ally, the one of the special relationship. Or perhaps it isn't so strange. After all, these American activists dare to confront this ally, something which their government doesn't.
The boat is not a very big one, and has a very fitting name: "Audacity of Hope".
