Bring Surfing to the People of the Gaza Strip

Your chance to help people live like you.

Ken O'Keefe and friends on the beach in Gaza

(SALEM / GAZA CITY) - We always try to bring our readers stories about surfing; but seldom are they like this article, where Gaza Correspondent Ken O'Keefe, reminds us of the incredible shore that faces this war torn strip of land in the Middle east. It's a place that people keep dying in needlessly.

Here, a million and a half people live cut off from the world, always under the shadow of the Israeli occupation that continually threatens peace efforts that are so badly needed here and nowhere to be seen.

In spite of the violence and constant threat from Israel that completely surrounds Gaza, with walls, fences, soldiers and navy boats that are always quick to fire, Ken reminds us that it is an amazing coast with beautiful beaches, and there are great waves that break all day without bringing joy to people.

I've always believed that surfing is God's single most natural sport. As Ken says, it is time for the surfing community to come together and gather supplies to deliver to Gaza. Imagine the difference it could make, surfers understand this.

There is a new Flotilla that will set sail soon for this port, and that is one good way to get board to Gaza.

If nothing else, maybe the peace activists can use them to paddle away from Israel's guns if they come under attack as they did last year.

There is a time that the late Gaza Activist Vittorio Arrigoni sure could have used a surfboard; it was a day that he and his Palestinian fishermen friends came under a direct Israeli Navy machine gun attack in a rickety aged wooden boat.

Eventually they were boarded and the IDF shot Vittorio with a taser gun after he told them he had a heart issue and it could kill him. After the taser struck 'Vik', he dove overboard and tried to swim to shore. The Israelis followed slowly in a boat until he turned blue, and then they pulled him out and began beating him.

The story above was just published yesterday, though Vik died last week and that particular IDF boat attack occurred in 2008.

His friend and translator Daniela Domenica Loffreda, sent it to Salem-News.com; and she and I and Ken and many others will always talk about Vik and relate his stories and ensure that his efforts were not made in vain.

Surfing is not a new subject in Gaza, though it is a very strained one. In April of 2008, aspiring a filmmaker named Alexander Klein flew to Israel with three friends to make a surf documentary that chronicled the efforts of the non-governmental organization, Surfing 4 Peace, to bring 23 donated surfboards into Gaza for the small Palestinian surf community.

The film is called: “God Went Surfing with the Devil” You can read about it here: Surfer Magazine

Violence at Sea

On 31 May 2010, the Mavi Marmara and several other Gaza Freedom Flotilla ships were attempting to reach Gaza in an effort to end the Israeli blockade, when they were attacked by Israeli military forces, who killed nine unarmed peace activists aboard the Mavi Marmara, which Ken O'Keefe was aboard.

Gaza surfer kids, one wears a shirt with Vittorio Arrigono's image. He was loved by all

He personally disarmed two of the Israeli 'commandos' and handed them off to other crew members who took them below and gave them medical treatment, before releasing them back to the Israeli Defence Forces.

Ken and his fellow crew aboard the Mavi Marmara only had positive intentions, every story about their "violent intent" is 100% grade a bullshit.

From Ken: Aloha everyone, I just surfed in Gaza yesterday, although I have lost so much in my abilities to surf if was an absolute joy.

The day reminded me of my fondest memories as a kid. My love for the sea will never die and I want to share that love with my extended family in Gaza by bringing them more surfboards and other water equipment.

Here is a video of the day, it also includes thoughts about my dear brother Vittorio who was murdered last week;

What Surfers can do

Whether it is kayaks, surfboards, inflatable boats, outboard motors, boogie boards, you name it, anything to enhance the ability of the children to interact with the sea.

I will be leaving from London for Gaza around mid May and we have the means to transport valuable items, so please give what you can.

Thanks to everyone in advance, please spread this message to the entire surfing community, please be reminded that those that live and surf as I did in Hawaii and California are so blessed that it is practically criminal to not do good in this world.

The people of Palestine in Gaza have been through more than most know and despite decades of horrendous propaganda meant to villainize all the people here, the truth of the matter is that the people of Palestine are among the most generous and beautiful people you will ever meet.

They do in fact resemble the Hawaiian people in incredible ways and they have a form of Aloha here that is virtually identical.

I would love to have something sent from the Hawaiian/kanaka maoli community to Gaza as well, it is a dream of mine to connect the kanaka maoli with the Palestinian people.

And of course I hope this message reaches the surfing community and I really hope that this community responds. Put down most of what you have been told about Gaza, I am telling you most of it is absolute bullshit.

The truth is that there are over 800,000 innocent children here and if you give to this cause you will bring joy to some of them. Thank you all in advance.

TJP *(Truth Justice Peace)

Ken O'Keefe - Gaza

If you want to support this cause please email me, ken.okeefe@alohapalestine.com and cc samouniproject@hotmail.com.

Here is a link to the page giving information about our convoy;
http://www.indiegogo.com/Samouni-Family-Convoy-to-Gaza

Ken O'Keefe is a former U.S. Marine who served in the 1991 Gulf War and subsequently spoke out about the use of depleted uranium as a "crime against humanity" and the US military using soldiers as "human guinea pigs" with experimental drugs that were directly linked to Gulf War syndrome. He is also a social entrepreneur utilizing direct action marine conservation, he is more widely known for leading the human shield action to Iraq and as a survivor of the Israeli attack on the MV Mavi Marmara in which he participated in "defending the ship" and "disarming two Israeli Commandos". On January 7, 2004, O'Keefe burned his US passport in protest of "American Imperialism" and called for US troops to immediately withdrawal from Iraq. He replaced his US passport with a "World Passport", subsequently proclaiming himself a "Citizen of the World" with “ultimate allegiance to my entire human family and to planet Earth." Ken is also legal citizen of Ireland and Palestine citizenship. Read Ken O'Keefe's Biography, you can also visit Ken's Ken's Website alohapalestine.com

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 65 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com