Palestinians Have A Right to Their Own Waters

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(GAZA CITY, 27 August 2008) - It was standing-room-only in Gaza City studios
today as the Free Gaza Movement held a press conference to announce the
departure of the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty, and to reaffirm that 12-14
Palestinians who have previously been denied exit visas by Israel will be
traveling to Cyprus on the two boats. Some of those leaving are students, with
vaild visas or dual citizenship, who have been accepted to universities abroad.
Additionally, one Palestinian professor will finally be able to go back to
teaching in Europe, and one young, Palestinian woman will finally be reunited
with her husband.

Since the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement will not be entering Israeli
territorial waters, and since they will request inspection from both the Gaza
Port Authority before they depart as well as from Cypriot authorities when they
arrive in Cyprus, they expect no interference on the part of the Israeli
authorities when they leave Gaza. By Israel’s own admission, it has no
authority to inspect the boats or the passengers when they leave Gaza.

With the collapse of the Israeli blockade, the Free Gaza Movement will quickly
return to Gaza with another delegation, and invites the United Nations, Arab
League and international community to organize similar human rights and
humanitarian efforts.

The SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty arrived in Gaza early Saturday evening despite
threats that the Israeli government would use force to prevent the nonviolent
human rights workers from reaching Gaza. Since arriving, both boats have
accompanied Palestinian fishermen out to sea in order to prevent Israeli
warships from firing on the Palestinians as they fish, as has happened
regularly in the past. Several of the Free Gaza international human rights
workers will remain in Gaza after their boats leave in order to do human rights
monitoring.

Dr. Vaggelis Pissias, one of the organizers of the Free Gaza Movement, stated
that: “We do not accept that Israel can stop these boats. Palestinians have
the same rights as all other peoples. Why is it that the only people in the
Mediterranean without access to their own waters are the Palestinians?”
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