The tiny Dignité/Karama–, –¬sailing under a French flag–, –¬left Corsica on 25– –¬June–, –¬and has been chugged along for the past weeks mostly in Greek waters–. –¬Its last stop was the Greek island Kastellorizo on Saturday–, –¬after which it headed south–. –¬The 16– –¬passengers– –¬onboard view themselves as representatives of the entire Freedom Flotilla II–: –¬Stay Human–. –¬The rest of the Flotilla’s ships have all been detained in Greek ports–, –¬some sabotaged–, –¬others on technicalities–, –¬and when that failed– –¬–”– –¬the withdrawal of their flags–.–¬
According to Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement– (–¬FGM–), –¬the Dignité was only allowed to leave Kastellorizo when it told Greek– –¬coastguard officials it was heading for Alexandria–, –¬Egypt–, –¬not Gaza–. –¬By Sunday night–, –¬it was nearing the Egyptian city of Port– –¬Said but came to a stop and then changed course–, –¬heading for Gaza after all–. –¬The captain–, –¬Zacharia Stylianakis–, –¬decided that Egypt’s political turmoil making a visit there unadvisable–, –¬that it was perfectly legal to go to Gaza–, –¬so why not–?–¬
By Tuesday morning it was 50– –¬miles away from the Gaza Strip when an Israel Navy ship started trailing the yacht and threatened to attack it if it entered the blockaded waters–. –¬Soon three gunboats were surrounding it–.–¬
The delegates on board include French Communist Party firebrand Jacqueline Le Corre–, –¬ex-Euro parliamentarian Jean Claude Lefort–,–¬– –¬as well as representatives of the stymied Canadian–, –¬French–, –¬Greek and Swedish Flotillers–. –¬Israeli journalist Amira Hass–, –¬is reporting for– –¬Haaretz–, –¬and there is a team from Al-Jazeera TV–. –¬
Hass is author of– –¬Drinking the Sea at Gaza– (–¬1999–), –¬a heart-wrenching account of Gazan society from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s–. –¬She lived in and reported from Gaza during the 1990s and now lives in the West Bank city of Ramallah–. –¬Her book recounts the 1948– –¬expulsion and flight to Gaza–, –¬and how village structures and traditions were reconstructed in the crowded camps of Gaza–. –¬”Even if most Gazan refugees are now ready to accept the political consequences of losing their land–, –¬emotionally they will always see the villages as home–.–¬”
That the Dignité chose Kastellorizo–, –¬in the far east of the Greek archipelago near the Turkish mainland–, –¬as its launch pad to break the siege is no coincidence–. –¬Many Kastellorizans fled the Nazis during WWII–, –¬finding refuge in Gaza–. –¬The present mayor of the island–, –¬Paul Panigiris–, –¬was born in Gaza–, –¬and he and his fellow islanders are staunch supporters of their besieged brothers–. –¬Their support for the Dignité was no doubt an important factor in– –¬”convincing”– –¬the Greek official to let it proceed–.–¬
The Dignité is not just the remnant of Freedom Flotilla 2–, –¬as depicted in the mass media–, –¬but a first wave of others according to the FGM–. –¬”It is a message to the Israeli government–, –¬to the international community and to the besieged people of Gaza–: –¬The Free Gaza Movement and the coalition of Freedom Flotilla II are not giving up until the inhumane and illegitimate blockade of Gaza is lifted–.–¬”