Jewish Boat to Gaza

The Jewish Boat to Gaza was an initiative in an attempt to break the blockade of Gaza in late 2010 organized by Jews for Justice for Palestinians, a pro-Palestinian group based in London.[1] The boat, a catamaran named the MV Irene, had eight activists on board, all of them either Israelis or Jews, including Holocaust survivors, from the United States, United Kingdom, or Germany, as well as two journalists, a total of ten passengers.[2][3] It received support by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)[4] as well as British actor Stephen Fry and Polish-born British activist Marion Kozak.[5] The boat set sail from Northern Cyprus on September 26, 2010.[6]

Interception by Israel

The boat was stopped by the Israeli Navy on September 28, 2010,[7][8] after being warned to change course. The Irene had approached within 20 miles of the coast,[9] and was confronted by at least 10 Israeli warships and boarded from speedboats by Shayetet 13 naval commandos. According to the activists, Israeli forces opened fire at them as soon as they landed on the vessel.[10] One of the activists, Vish Vishvanath, stated that its crew were "almost strip searched" and took down the Union Jack as soon as Israeli authorities boarded the yacht.[11] The IDF later issued a statement that the vessel was boarded without incident and that "no violence of any kind was used by neither the passengers onboard nor the Israel naval forces."[12]

The vessel and activists were taken to Ashdod port,[2] where foreign activists were handed over to members of the Interior Ministry's Oz Unit, while the Israelis were taken to the Ashdod police station for questioning. A group of 20 Israelis staged a protest near Ashdod port. Activists and family members followed the Israeli passengers as they were taken in for police interrogation and protested.[13][14] All of the activists were later deported and released without charge.[15]

Allegations of mistreatment

One of the activists, Yonatan Shapira, an Israeli activist and former pilot of the Israeli Air Force, said on Democracy Now!, that he was brutally beaten and shocked with a taser gun, stating, "The soldiers were very brutal to us. They didn’t kill us like they kill the other Palestinians and Muslims, but they were very brutal. I got shot with a taser shock gun, electric, and was brutally treated, just like my brother Itamar."[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Israel navy intercepts Gaza blockade aid boat". BBC News. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 Sherwood, Harriet (28 September 2010). "Israeli navy diverts Gaza-bound yacht". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Jewish activists set sail to defy Gaza blockade". France24. Agence France-Presse. 26 September 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) Supports the Jewish Boat to Gaza". ICAHD. 2010-09-27. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03.
  5. ↑ "Israeli Navy intercepts Jewish activist boat". France24. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "Jewish activists set sail for Gaza from Cyprus". NBC News. 26 September 2010. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "(Yet) Another illegal act by Israel". www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Lynne Segal. "Thoughts on the Jewish boat to Gaza". openDemocracy. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Mackey, Robert (28 September 2010). "'Jewish Boat to Gaza' Intercepted by Israel". The Lede. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Jewish boat diverted away from Gaza". SBS. Agence France-Presse. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Israel holds Gaza blockade Britons". The Independent. 29 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Kraft, Dina (28 September 2010). "Israel Stops Jewish Activists From Entering Gaza". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Magnezi, Aviel; AP (28 September 2010). "Navy stops Gaza-bound 'Jewish vessel'". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  14. ↑ "Israel commandos 'peacefully' board Jewish Gaza-bound aid boat". Haaretz. 2010-09-28. Archived from the original on October 1, 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Israeli forces 'Tasered' activist on Gaza aid boat". BBC News. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Passengers of Jewish Aid Boat to Gaza Allege Israeli Mistreatment". Democracy Now. 29 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
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