‘Audacity of Hope’ voyage ends in disappointement

In the July 1Winsted Journal, I wrote about the Audacity of Hope, the ship with U.S. citizens and others attempting to sail to the shores of Gaza to provide humanitarian aid and much-needed publicity to the Palestinian tragedy. Since its launch, the passengers and crew have experienced a tremendous effort on the part of the Greek and Israeli governments to stop the ship. On July 6, the website providing coverage of their pursuit released a statement saying, “The Greek government’s willingness to serve as the enforcer of Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza made it impossible for this journey to happen.”The end of the voyage was not easy. On July 1, and after the sabotages of two other boats docked in Greece, the Audacity of Hope set sail without the permission of the Greek government. The boat was stopped 20 minutes after its departure and confiscated after a two-hour standoff. The captain of the ship, John Klushmire, was arrested and charged with disturbing sea traffic, endangering the lives of the passengers aboard the ship and disobeying police orders; and though he was released after several days in jail, the charges have yet to be dropped and the United States embassy has yet to address the issue.These activists continued to promote their cause, participating in a hunger strike in front of the U.S. embassy for three days and marching in peaceful demonstrations throughout Greece before returning home. As of July 6, Gale Toensing of Falls Village, a Gaza activist, has returned home with news to share. The voyagers are returning home to spread awareness locally, but Gale tells us, “Half of my heart is still on the Audacity of Hope.” Though the Audacity of Hope remains in the custody of the Greek government, the passengers plan to continue their work to peacefully bring the plight of Gaza’s people to the world’s attention. John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and co-director of the university’s Program on International Security Policy, wrote “Why Leaders Lie: The Truth About Lying in International Politics.” In an interview on C-SPAN Book TV, he said that it is bad policy and not healthy for either the United States or Israel to prohibit criticism of Israel’s policies regarding the Palestinians. The topic is almost completely ignored by the mainstream news agencies. The United States government refuses to go beyond the superficial explanation of the situation (as approved by the Israeli government). It is left entirely to individuals and smaller organizations to try to get the word out about the atrocities in Israel in the name of security. Sage Hahn is a recent graduate, with high honors, of Northwestern Regional High School in Winsted. She is attending Bennington College in Vermont in the Fall. She has worked as an intern in the Office of the Community Lawyer for the past three years.

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