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Press TV News: activists onboard US aid boat Audacity of Hope return from Gaza


Months of preparation, weeks in limbo and as charged as ever, the passengers of the US boat to Gaza have returned from the flotilla in high spirits.

Passengers aboard the Audacity of Hope, a name shared with President Barack Obama's memoir, recounted their experience aboard the ship as they were held in Greek ports for days on end without the support of the U.S. embassy.

The U.S. boat carried prominent figures like author and poet Alice Walker, peace activist Kathy Kelly and 86-year-old holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein.

The Audacity of Hope did not carry any humanitarian aid or basic necessities which the United States government could have considered material aid to terrorism, and possibly jailed the passengers for delivering them. Rather, they had letters of hope and solidarity to share with the people of Gaza.

Retired CIA officer and boat passenger Ray McGovern discussed information he received from a White House source regarding the U.S. government's stance on its citizens participating in the flotilla.

McGovern also emphasized U.S. monetary pressure on Greece to prohibit the flotilla from leaving Greek waters.

Yet passengers state they will continue to organize flotillas and bring international attention to the siege of Gaza.

Press TV

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