From Boycott!—"Supporting the Palestinian BDS [boycott, divestment, sanctions] call from within"—June 4:

Israelis call on the world's governments and civil society organizations:
Gaza and MV Rachel Corrie Need Your Backing Now!
We are Israeli citizens and residents, Palestinians and Jews. We work in our society to raise the voices of conscience and dissent in light of the hostility, self-righteousness and racism which dominate it, but these efforts are not sufficient. In the wake of our government's deadly attack on the Free Gaza aid ships, including the MV Marmara, and due to the continued cruel and illegitimate Israeli siege on the Gaza strip—we call on the world's governments and civil society organizations to take concrete and immediate steps in pressuring Israel to refrain from interfering with the ship MV Rachel Corrie, currently on route to Gaza, or any future vessel, sailing from international waters to the waters of the besieged Gaza strip.

The international community's tragic failure in ending Israel's impunity—especially after the massacre of more than 1400 Palestinians in Gaza over a year ago—is the key enabler of the latest crime performed by the Israeli government and military leaders, killing at least 9 people and wounding dozens. Only if its support, funding and international ties are put in jeopardy, will Israel reconsider its policy of violence and collective punishment against the Palestinian civilians and their many supporters from abroad.

MV Rachel Corrie is carrying cement, a material banned by Israel which is indispensable for the reconstruction of Gaza after much of its buildings have been destroyed during Israel's latest assault on Gaza. MV Rachel Corrie's name was chosen to commemorate the life of the international activist who was squashed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in Gaza, on March 16th, 2003. Corrie was non-violently attempting to prevent the Israeli army from demolishing the home of local pharmacist Samir Nasrallah.

In memory of the dead and for the sake of the living—now is the time to set free 1.5 million prisoners in the open-air prison set by Israel, prisoners whose sole "crime" is being Palestinian in the Gaza strip. It would only be fitting that MV Rachel Corrie's accomplished journey would serve both to commemorate the lives lost on the MV Marmara as well as to carry out the mission of breaking the siege on Gaza.

With justice and peace,

Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS call from within

See our last post on the Gaza crisis.