MK Jamal Zahalka of the Israeli Arab Balad party said that he will sail to Gaza on the second Free Gaza shipping sojourn, in direct violation of an IDF ban on ships entering the area. Emboldened by the failure of the IDF to enforce the ban of last August’s Free Gaza ship journey, Zahalka will become the first Knesset member to openly break the laws of his own government when he sails Wednesday.
As his ship awaits departure in Cyprus, Zahalka said, that "it is my duty as a politician who slaves away night and day against the siege, to board that boat and work towards ending this inhumane siege." Many in Israel do not understand how the Israeli government’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza and the expulsion of all of its 9,000 Jewish residents constitutes a siege.
Although Israel issued a clear ban against any ships entering the Gaza coast, as well barred Israeli citizens from entering Gaza through any means, Zahalka remains defiant. "This journey is part of an opening of a naval passage to Gaza, which will constitute a doorway for the residents," he said, suggesting that it will be the actions of a small group of left-wing activists from Israel and abroad that will determine Israeli policy, and not the Israeli government.
Zahalka will join some 20 activists and several doctors on the second boat to illegally enter Gaza since the first ‘Free Gaza’ expedition in August. In last month’s ‘Free Gaza’ landing, 44 activists landed a boat on a Gaza beach without interference from the Israeli navy. The government decided not to enforce its maritime ban on Gaza despite the clear challenge to Israeli authority, fearing that the seizure of the ‘Free Gaza’ boat would attract undue attention to the anti-Israel activists. However, Wednesday’s planned departure of another boat, due to arrive the following day, indicates that the organizers of the August boat were encouraged by their successful landing.
Among the activists in August’s boat were Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and left-wing activist Jeff Halper, an Israeli citizen. Halper was arrested on his return to Israel for violating the ban on Israelis entering Gaza. Although Halper awaits possible indictment, Zahalka, as a member of Israel’s parliament, will be immune from the laws that he plans to break.
The Israeli government has yet to decide on whether to enforce the entry ban this time.