A boat carrying activists against Israel’s blockade of Gaza docked in a strip harbor without interference.
The Free Gaza Movement’s 66-foot yacht, named The Dignity, arrived Wednesday with 26 activists and medical supplies.
Israeli officials had said Tuesday that a decision to stop the boat was made last month at the "highest governmental levels," but a new decision was made overnight to allow the boat to enter Gaza, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The passengers, including 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire and Palestinian Legislative Council member Mustafa Barghouti, plan to remain for four days. An Arab-Israeli lawmaker scheduled to make the trip did not participate. The activists plan to take 10 Gazans back to Cyprus when they depart.
This is the Free Gaza’s second trip. A trip in August was comprised of two boats full of activists and was not blocked by the Israeli navy.
Israel’s blockade of Gaza was instituted after the terrorist group Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
