In Pictures – Photo Tour IV End the Suffering in Gaza
In May the Israeli navy opened fire on activists onboard a ship trying to bring aid goods into Gaza and at least nine people were killed. Peace Boat participants showed their solidarity with these victims and the people of Gaza who are suffering because of an Israeli blockade imposed on them by creating a huge banner.
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The banner calls for an end to the blockade of Gaza, which began when Hamas won power in the Palestinian territory in 2007. This blockade has had a crippling effect on locals, with the United Nations estimating that less than a quarter of the aid that was going to the area before the blockade is trickling through now.
Participants onboard the 69th Voyage have spent a lot of time learning about conflict in the Middle East and many visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. The experience taught them how war can leave a lasting legacy that affects many generations.
Peace Boat strongly condemns the targeting of civilians by any military force and participants showed their solidarity with the activists who were killed by the Israeli navy by placing their own hand prints on the banner.
They were joined by members of an international seminar held onboard Peace Boat, exploring steps towards creating a Nuclear Weapons Convention in order to abolish nuclear weapons. The participants included a member of the UK House of Lords and a representative from the United Nations.
The banner was hung off the side of The Oceanic as it arrived in Dublin to show Peace Boat's strong call for a dialogue between all parties in Israel and Gaza, as well as an end to the harsh conditions imposed on the citizens of Gaza. (Photo courtesy of Mizumoto Shunya.)
