Canadian plan to run Gaza blockade draws criticism from both sides

Canadian activists planning to buy a boat and slip through the Israeli blockade of Gaza next spring announced Tuesday that they have raised one-third of the $300,000 they believe will be needed to set sail.

The Canadian Boat to Gaza, as the group is called, has raised $100,000 through private donations and the “support of grass-roots organizations,” including two CUPE union locals, and counts prominent left-wing activists Judy Rebick and Murray Dobbin among its public supporters. Most of the money raised will go toward the purchase of a boat — a lease is out of the question, given the likelihood of Israel confiscating any craft attempting to land in the Gaza Strip.

While the Canadian Boat to Gaza has the support of dozens of left-leaning groups, the initiative has divided the Muslim and Jewish communities alike.

Organizers insist that the voyage is not meant to give support to Hamas, the political and military entity that controls the Gaza Strip and that Canada and several other Western countries recognize as a terrorist organization.

“Our first goal is to reach the people of Gaza with much-needed supplies that they are short of, and also to show them the world is not forgetting about them,” said Ehab Lotayef, a Montreal-based spokesman for the Canadian Boat to Gaza, in an interview Tuesday.

“Our second important goal is to voice opposition to the position the Canadian government is taking regarding the siege of Gaza, and doing what the Canadian government always seems to do, which is to take the side of Israel,” he said.

In May, the Turkish boat Mavi Marmara was boarded by the Israel Defense Forces, leading to a clash between blockade runners and IDF servicemen that left nine dead. Any future attempt to run Israel’s three-year blockade of Gaza risks igniting a similar confrontation, although the Canadian activists have said they do not intend to resist any Israeli use of force.

Mr. Lotayef said he could not reveal the sources of major donations. He repeated his offer Tuesday to have the ship inspected by a neutral third party in advance of its launch next spring to verify the contents of its hold.

The Canada-Israel Committee is among pro-Israel groups that denounce the project as an effort to “de-legitimize” Israel. Committee CEO Shimon Fogel also has doubts about the $100,000 fundraising figure released by the Canadian Boat to Gaza.

“They claim to have raised $100,000. I’m not sure how credible that claim is,” he said. “But even if it were, I’m not at all worried. The international community has weighed in clearly in opposition to these kinds of publicity stunts.

“Not only is this manipulative, it’s more than a bit hypocritical. I can think of a dozen places around the world where $100,000 of medical supplies would mean the difference between life and death,” he said. “To mount this kind of operation, where $300,000 [is spent] to take a picture for propaganda purposes, given the real needs within the international community, is as foolish as it is distressing.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Lotayef said the steering committee for the Canadian boat includes “four or five” Jewish Canadians, one of whom is the group’s other spokesperson. At the fundraising kickoff in Toronto in July, attendees listened to a presentation by an Israeli activist opposed to the blockade of Gaza.

A list of supporters of the Canadian Boat to Gaza includes dozens of Muslim and Arab-run organizations. However, support for the voyage is not unanimous among Canadian Muslims.

In Montreal, a prominent Muslim leader has said there are better ways to help the Palestinian people than by funding a “freedom flotilla.”

In July, Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Montreal Muslim Council, said ensuring there is a Canadian vessel under the banner of the Free Gaza Movement is not an objective of his group.

“All this money should be used for aid, not for controversy — especially now that sanctions have been lifted and conditions have improved,” he said.

“Of course, we continue to call for the Israeli government to bring better conditions to the people of Gaza.”

While Mr. Fogel of the Canada-Israel Committee acknowledged that “the situtaion in Gaza is perhaps not ideal as measured by our standards,” he said conditions have improved since the summer. In June, Israel announced that it would “liberalize” the import of civilian goods into Gaza, including building supplies and food.

Tags:

flotilla

canadian boat to gaza

canada

gaza