A Free Gaza Group boat, the SS Dignity, was rammed by Israel in international waters in late 2007 on its way to provide the Gazan people with humanitarian supplies.
It was just the latest example of the Jewish state trying to silence voices who oppose its occupation policies.
I was asked by Reporters Without Borders for a statement about the incident (and the group has a good round-up of information about the current Gaza crisis):
Australia and the United States stand virtually alone in the world in either supporting these actions or remaining silent.… The SS Dignity follows a noble tradition of innovative activism to draw attention to the plight of dispossessed peoples. Israel claims the boat was trying to “create a media event”, as if that is somehow illegal or inappropriate in the current circumstances.
If Israel is proud of its handiwork in Gaza, it should be willing to allow foreign eyes to judge it.