Israel boards ships headed to Gaza in international waters

This morning two boats (one Irish and one Canadian) carrying 27 international human rights activists from five countries were intercepted and boarded by Israeli commandos in international waters. This latest international civil society-led flotilla, dubbed Freedom Waves, was attempting to sail to Gaza in order to challenge Israel's longstanding illegal blockade and siege of the of the coastal strip. Among the passengers is an American, Kit Kittredge, of Washington State.

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GUESTS:

Diana Buttu is a Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a former legal advisor to Palestinian negotiators. Ms. Buttu also serves as a Policy Advisor to Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network and is a frequent commentator on TV and radio, offering legal and political analysis of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Medea Benjamin is one of the organizers of the U.S. delegation on the current flotilla and was one of the Americans on the U.S. Boat to Gaza, The Audacity of Hope, which this past summer was stopped at sea en route to Gaza by the Greek coast-guard. Benjamin is cofounder of CODEPINK, a peace and social justice movement, as well as international human rights organization Global Exchange.