Just like in June 2010, North Africans are gearing up to take part in a humanitarian mission to Gaza by boat. Morocco's PPS and the National Action Group for Palestine are rallying their supporters to join the initiative. The forthcoming peace flotilla aims to lift the years-long blockade imposed by the Israeli army on Gaza's population. This initiative, spearheaded by international pro-Palestinian activists, plans to set sail from the Spanish coast on August 31 and from Tunisian ports on September 4. As these dates draw near, Moroccan organizations are rallying their supporters to join the cause. The Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), under the leadership of Nabil Benabdellah, has called on its members to participate robustly in the operation, which seeks to «expose the complicity of the international order in war crimes and genocide» against the Palestinian people. «We stress that this initiative is part of a Maghreb partnership uniting Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, thereby underscoring the solidarity of Maghreb countries in supporting the Palestinian cause and defending Gaza», declares the PPS. Maghrebis Set Sail for Gaza, Echoing June 2010 Efforts The National Action Group for Palestine has also joined the peace flotilla. «This endeavor reflects our national, regional, and humanitarian duty to stand with our people in Gaza, who have endured an extermination war and a suffocating blockade for years. It also reaffirms that the Moroccan people, in all their diversity and strength, are committed to the struggle for freedom, dignity, and justice», the NGO states in a release. Notably, Moroccan journalist Mohamed El Bakkali was aboard the vessel «Handala», which was intercepted by the Israeli army in international waters of the Mediterranean on July 26. Maghrebis have a history of participating in peace initiatives for Gaza, dating back to the «Freedom Flotilla» in June 2010, launched from Turkish ports. During that mission, Islamists from the PJD, including Abelkader Amara—then a deputy and now president of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council—alongside three members of Al Adl wal Ihsane, were aboard ships that were attacked by the Israeli army in international waters, resulting in nine deaths and dozens of injuries among international activists. In the 2010 operation, 41 Maghrebi nationals took part: 32 Algerians, 7 Moroccans, and 2 Mauritanians, all of whom returned home unharmed.
