Huwaida Arraf, chairperson of the Free Gaza Movement International Flotilla Committee, was great on this edition of Al Jazeera’s Inside Story discussing the global BDS movement and Greece’s role in aiding Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
The Greek Coast Guard has arrested the captain of a boat headed for Gaza. The Audacity of Hope – the flagship vessel in a flotilla delivering aid to Gaza – was carrying 3,000 letters of support for Palestinians.
The ship set sail on Friday defying Greece’s ban on all ships heading to Gaza leaving their ports. Greek authorities accuse it of setting sail without permission and endangering the lives of passengers.
So, is Israel outsourcing its blockade to Greece? And does the move signal a shift in relations between the two countries?
Inside Story, with presenter Sohail Rahman, discusses with guests: Huwaida Arraf, the chairperson of the Free Gaza Movement International Flotilla Committee; Akiva Eldar, the chief political correspondent for Haaretz newspaper; and Mustapha Barghouthi, the general-secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative.
P U L S E 
I’m curious. If Israel has the right to use violence to stop boats from heading to Gaza even when it’s been publicly demonstrated that they are NOT carrying any weapons, don’t Hamas, Hezbollah, et al. have the right to use violence (including missiles) against planes flying into, and ships sailing into, Israel when those planes and ships have NOT been inspected beforehand to make sure they are NOT carrying weapons?
If the ships can’t leave Greece to go to Gaza what does this mean for the future? Are we all going to be blockaded by the Israelis?