Word: palestinians
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...governments have blocked off the Jordan's sources. The relative trickle is so shocking that American pilgrims are often heard exclaiming "That's it?" when crossing the river at Allenby Bridge, the checkpoint separating the Kingdom of Jordan on the river's east bank from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories on the west...
...remarkable odyssey for the two battered ships of the "Free Gaza" movement, a U.S.-based pro-Palestinian group, which set out from Cyprus on Friday morning with few hopes of reaching Gaza. The activists, who hail from 14 countries, said that before they even set sail, they faced anonymous death threats, the mysterious drowning of one potential sponsor, and constant badgering by Israeli spies badly disguised as guitar-strumming hippies. "They kept popping up, everywhere," said Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, an organizer. "They were really annoying...
...biggest danger they faced was possible arrest by the Israelis. Earlier, Israel had declared Gaza's waters to be a "designated maritime zone" and warned the peace activists to steer clear or face arrest. At one point, says Palestinian-American law professor Huwaida Arraf who joined the activists, the radar picked up three vessels which were shadowing them from just over the horizon. The "Free Gaza" crew presumes the ships were Israeli...
...contend with a barrage of international media coverage of the two peace vessels sailing into Gaza harbor - and the publicity boon this will give to the Hamas militants who have ruled Gaza since June 2007 when they split with Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who governs from the Palestinian inland enclave in the West Bank. Hamas' leader in Gaza, Ismael Haniyeh, personally welcomed the activists. Israel and Hamas are sworn enemies (the Islamic militants say they want to destroy the Jewish state) but nonetheless they agreed to a cease-fire in June that has largely held firm...
...next question: how will the peace activists get out of Gaza? The Israelis will probably allow them to sail back to Cyprus, without much shore leave in the Palestinian territory. It will be an especially circuitous and watery route home for Halper, who usually lives in Jerusalem. "It's funny. From Gaza, I'm only an hour from home. I should be able to go home by bus, but instead I have to go back to Cyprus and then fly to Israel," says Halper. Still, the voyage home should be far less of an ordeal than it was running through...