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This past Tuesday was the 7th anniversary of the death of American activist Rachel Corrie who was killed in Gaza on March 16th 2003 while attempting to defend a Palestinian home from being bull dozed. An Israeli Defense Forces bulldozer crushed her to death. Corrie had been present in the Palestinian territories as part of the International Solidarity Movement. A trial on a wrongful death lawsuit brought by her parents began in Haifa, Israel earlier this month, while Palestinians named a street after Corrie in Ramallah. The International Solidarity Movement continues to bring international activists to the occupied territories to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people in a meaningful way. An off-shoot of the ISM has been the Free Gaza Movement, also an international effort, which in the past year and a half has garnered the spotlight for their bold attempts to break the Israeli siege of Gaza by sea. In August 2008 the Free Gaza Movement sailed the first international boats to land in Gaza’s port in 41 years. Since then, the international activists have had subsequent attempts thwarted by Israel. This spring, however, the Free Gaza Movement is planning a joint venture with the Turkish Relief Foundation in sailing a flotilla of boats to Gaza in another attempt to break the blockade. Two cargo ships are expected to be among those delivering building supplies, educational materials and generators to the people of Gaza in the effort dubbed “Our Last Port is Freedom.” The Israeli imposed blockade has continued since 2007. I spoke recently with Palestinian American activist Huwaida Arraf who was briefly in the US, visiting from the Palestinian territories where she lives full time. Huwaida is one of the co-founders of the International Solidarity Movement and currently the chair of the Free Gaza Movement and I began by asking her to explain how it all started.

GUEST: Huwaida Arraf, long-time Palestinian American activist, chair of the Free Gaza Movement