FAMAGUSTA, Cyprus — A boat carrying Jewish activists from Israel, Germany, the U.S. and Britain set sail Sunday for Gaza, hoping to breach Israel's naval blockade there.
Richard Kuper, an organizer with the British group Jews for Justice for Palestinians, said one goal is to show that not all Jews support Israeli policies toward Palestinians. Kuper said the boat won't resist if Israeli authorities try to stop it.
The voyage by the 33-foot catamaran Irene comes nearly four months after Israeli commandos boarded a flotilla of Gaza-bound ships, including the Mavi Marmara, killing eight pro-Palestinian Turkish activists and a Turkish American.
Irene, carrying nine passengers and crew members, set sail from the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of the island because the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south imposed a ban on all Gaza-bound vessels in May, citing "vital interests." The catamaran crew planned to deliver children's toys, medical equipment, outboard motors for fishing boats and books to Gaza residents.
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