The following 24-hour chronology was compiled by David Heap, from London, Ontario, one of the delegates on board the Canadian Boat to Gaza, The Tahrir, which set sail from Turkey at the beginning of November with the aim of penetrating the longstanding Israeli blockade around Gaza.
Friday, Nov. 4, at approximately 8:00 a.m.
The Tahrir and the Saoirse enter Israel's unilaterally declared 100 nautical mile military exclusion zone. We are in fact in international waters up until and after we are boarded.
12:30 p.m.
First spotted large military vessels (frigates?), one to port two to starboard.
12:30 p.m. to 13:00 p.m.
The status of the authors of this article and the others from the Tahrir and the Saoirse is currently unknown. There has been no contact since they were taken into custody by the Israeli navy early Friday. A Vancouver-based colleague of the crew was told "your delegates are being interrogated" by a conservative Israeli journalist, with no further explanation offered.
A few months ago, the Greek government acted at the behest of Israel to help enforce its illegal and unjust blockade of Gaza. Freedom Flotilla II was blocked, and the closure of Gaza was extended all the way to the shores of Europe.
Canadian activist Dylan Penner describes what has happened to The Tahrir, its crew, and international activists since it made a dash to leave Greece early Monday.
Cathryn Atkinson: Where are you?
Dylan Penner: At port. I am below deck. The Tahrir has been damaged by the Greek coastguard when they forced us into port. [Editor's Note: The Tahrir was slammed into a concrete wall -- with the boat taking on water and its diesel tank having been damaged, though it is not sinking.] We're still on board, but essentially what we've seen is the very clear expansion of the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza to Greece.
CA: What is happening currently?
For Immediate Release:
Protester disrupting Netanyahu in Congress arrested at hospital
See press release and videos: http://bit.ly/lUU82f
Photo available for use: http://bit.ly/jBbsdp
Police arrested CODEPINK peace activist Rae Abileah at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC. Abileah was taken to the hospital after having been assaulted and tackled to the ground by AIPAC members of the audience in the House Gallery during Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress.