Outsourcing the Gaza blockade
Is Greece helping Israel enforce the siege by banning the Freedom Flotilla 2 from leaving its ports?
The Greek Coast Guard has arrested the captain of a boat headed for Gaza. The Audacity of Hope – the flagship vessel in a flotilla delivering aid to Gaza – was carrying 3,000 letters of support for Palestinians.
The ship set sail on Friday defying Greece’s ban on all ships heading to Gaza leaving their ports. Greek authorities accuse it of setting sail without permission and endangering the lives of passengers.
So, is Israel outsourcing its blockade to Greece? And does the move signal a shift in relations between the two countries?
Inside Story, with presenter Sohail Rahman, discusses with guests: Huwaida Arraf, the chairperson of the Free Gaza Movement International Flotilla Committee; Akiva Eldar, the chief political correspondent for Haaretz newspaper; and Mustapha Barghouthi, the general-secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative.
This episode of Inside Story aired on Sunday, July 3, 2011.