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Gaza's Ark is an international grassroots civil society campaign challenging the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip (which was found to be legal by the UN's Palmer report, but which has been declared illegal by the International Committee of the Red Cross and by a number of other international bodies〔Amnesty International Israel's Gaza blockade continues to suffocate daily life 18 January 2010 ()〕) through nonviolent direct action, by sailing from Palestine with export products.〔(Gaza's Ark Products 16 December 2014 )〕 The campaign's goals include empowering Palestinians through a focus on the export economy and trade rather than a dependency on aid.〔(Gaza's Ark Mission Statement 16 December 2014 )〕 The campaign funded the rebuilding of a former fishing boat in the port of Gaza to enable it to undertake a sea voyage from the only Mediterranean port closed to commercial navigation. At the same time, Gaza's Ark arranged sales contracts for Palestinian export products, whereby buyers in Europe, North America and Australia paid Palestinian producers in Gaza for their export products.〔Building hope: Palestinian producers receive payments for Gaza Ark exports 7 July 2014 ()〕 The initiative includes participation from Palestinian civil society in Gaza as well as international solidarity activists from Free Gaza Australia,〔(Free Gaza Australia 16 December 2014 )〕 the Canadian Boat to Gaza,〔(Canadian Boat to Gaza16 December 2014 )〕 and Americans affiliated with the organizing committees for the US Boat to Gaza and the Gaza Freedom March. Gaza's Ark is part of the ongoing international Freedom Flotilla Coalition,〔(Freedom Flotilla Coalition 16 December 2014 )〕 which sends boats to challenge the blockade of Gaza from the outside. Accordign to Gaza's Ark, their actions have been endorsed by a number of internationally prominent figures including Alice Walker, Desmond Tutu, Vandana Shiva and Noam Chomsky〔(Prominent Endorsers 16 December 2014 )〕 as well as hundreds of other individuals and organizations.〔(Endorsers 16 December 2014 )〕 ==History and timeline== * May 2012 Gaza's Ark campaign launched,〔(Gaza Ark launched 16 May 2012 )〕 began raising funds and awareness. * Summer 2012 campaign endorsed and adopted by Freedom Flotilla Coalition * November 2012 Campaign launched publicly in Gaza * April 2013 former fishing boat purchased in Gaza * November 2013 Mini Arks project * Spring 2014: Gaza's Ark announced it would be ready to sail by mid-2014 * April 2014: Palestinian producers begin to receive payments for Gaza Ark exports.〔 * April 2014: Gaza's Ark sabotaged by an underwater bomb attack. Sailing postponed until fall 2014 to allow for repair work.〔(About attack on Gaza Ark 16 May 2014 )〕 * July 11, 2014: Gaza's Ark targeted and destroyed by a navy shelling during an attack on the port of Gaza. * September–November 2014: Payments continue to producers for export products ordered via Gaza's Ark.〔Support for Gaza exports: Product payments & ongoing solidarity 9 October 2014 ()〕 *December 2014: Foodstuffs worth more than $14 000, purchased via Gaza's Ark export contracts, are donated and distributed to needy Palestinian families in Gaza〔(MECA Distributes Local Food Packages in Gaza 19 December 2014 )〕 *2015: Gaza's Ark was one of the international civil society initiatives which was involved in organizing Freedom Flotilla III 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gaza's Ark」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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