Free Gaza Movement – The Gaza Boat Lift

Update 5: Date-Cooking Weather in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

            What in the world am I doing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while the Mediterranean is the site of the Gaza boat lift?  Well . . . .

            The boats are soon to depart from Crete for Cyprus.  They’ve been in Crete for some time because of weather, specifically strong winds off the east coast of that island.  We heard about the weather delay (and some other threatening Israeli shenanigans) last Wednesday and were told that the earliest the boats would be able to make it to Cyprus was next Monday.  Because we had completed all of our training, because I always have projects to work on in Saudi, and because it is always great to spend time with my friends here I booked a flight to Riyadh, arriving here right after morning prayers on Thursday (time here is measured largely in prayer-time terms here as opposed to the clock; friendly gatherings are almost always “after isha,” or the last prayer of the day).  Right now I’m sitting in the villa waiting for Soliman to pick me up for “jummah,” the Friday “gathering” during “zuhr,” or noon prayer, where we’ll listen to a short sermon (“khutbah”) and then go for coffee and socializing at a coffee house, followed by lunch, a nap, and getting ready for another night in the tent after isha.  The caption of this update, “date-cooking weather,” reflects the fact that August is the hottest month during which dates on trees are ripened and made ready to eat – there’s a significant benefit to the current 100-plus degree weather that is common during the month.

            But enough about Saudi culture and customs.  I will catch a flight back to Larnaca, Cyprus, early Monday morning.  The folks waiting for the boats in Cyprus have to clear out of the University of Cyprus in Nicosia by Monday, and thus we’ll probably get some rooms in Larnaca.  The boats now are scheduled to arrive in Cyprus shortly after I do, but we will have to load the boats, have them inspected both for seaworthiness and for contraband (weapons), and engage in onboard safety training and rehearsing our proposed responses to anticipated Israeli interception.  Then, inshallah, we’ll cast off – we understand that a Cypriot Coast Guard honor guard will accompany our departure from Cypriot waters. We have some pretty detailed plans that will require some rehearsal and practice, but obviously we don’t want to disclose them in advance.  As the old Persian saying translates into English, “The walls have mice, and the mice have ears!”  (It rhymes in Persian; something lost in the translation, I think.)

            The delays have occasioned some frustration and disappointment among the boat lift members, and some of the passengers have had to cancel due to other obligations elsewhere.  Their spots, however, have been filled immediately and overall the mood remains very positive.

            While I am enjoying my short sojourn in Riyadh, I’m looking forward to rejoining my mates in Cyprus.  To the person they are incredibly dedicated and idealistic activists.  The are among the best-informed folks I have ever met regarding not only Middle Eastern/Palestinian events but also about domestic politics and policies in the United States.  One of the most striking thing about international travel is the news coverage; Americans live in such a cocoon of disinformation when it comes to network and cable news.  Of course, now there are options, largely through the Internet, and thus there’s no excuse for not knowing the real story regarding current events such as the Georgian attack on South Ossetia – something that the U.S. media has ignored but that is well known here.  And there’s no excuse for you now knowing of the progress of the SS Liberty and SS Free Gaza – all you need to do is follow the updates on www.freegaza.org.

            Until later – Tom