DELEGATIONS ON THE DUTCH-ITALIAN BOAT TO GAZA
Open letter to:
Georgios A. Papandreou
Prime Minister of Greece

Corfu, 3rd of July

Dear Mr. Papandreou,

We, members of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla II, are outraged by your government’s decision to close the ports of Greece to our humanitarian initiative, even by force if needed. From all parts of the world we have come to the shores of Greece, leaving behind our work places and families, in order to peacefully put into practice our solidarity with the oppressed people of Gaza.

This decision not only violates the consecrated principle within international law of the freedom of the seas and the ancient tradition of freedom of the Mediterranean, but also disregards the claims for democracy and self-determination of the people of Palestine as well as of the non-governmental organizations we represent.

It is totally incomprehensible to us and fills us with just wrath that the Greek government closes the ports to our ships at the very moment in which you, Mr. Papandreou, have been constantly expressing the need for solidarity with the Greek people. You and your government acting as an ally of Israel in the Palestinian question means you also seem to have forgotten the struggle against the military dictatorship in your own country.

The members of this international peace mission therefore demand, on behalf of the people of Gaza, for us the same right to move that has been granted for centuries to the Greek people in our countries.

MR. PAPANDREOU, LET US SAIL!

Nourdin el Ouali
Ibrahim Belaidi
Rafiq Fris
Amar Harraoui
Anne de Jong
Manu van Kersbergen
Marloes Kuijer
Max van Lingen
Chris Verweij

Delegation from The NETHERLANDS

Immad Kareem
Delegation from AUSTRALIA

Leo Gabriel
Delegation from AUSTRIA
Monder Nemri
Delegation from BELGIUM

Ines Mizic
Delegation from BOSNIA

Antonio Padron
Delegation from CUBA
Dr. Samir Kazkaz
Delegation from GERMANY

Ewa Jasiewicz
Delegation from GREAT BRITTAIN, POLAND
Fintan Lane
Delegation from IRELAND

Vauro Senesi
Delegation from ITALY

Nooravman Samsuddin
Delegation from MALAYSIA

Gunnar Rutle
Delegation from NORWAY
Nadia Kevorkova
Delegation from RUSSIA

Fernando Jose Forsthuber
Delegation from SPAIN

Giovanni Esposito
Delegation from SWITZERLAND

Khalid Tuhraani
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA