On board a 60ft UK-flagged yacht bound for Gaza, Greta Thunberg and her fellow crew members are preparing for the moment — perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow — when Israel confronts them in full view of the world.
“I would say it’s fairly calm, but high spirits. We are very happy to be actually going, to be sailing,” Thunberg, 22, told me in a voice message sent from the vessel.
The climate activist is one of 12 crew aboard the Madleen, which left Catania, Sicily, last week. They have set course for Gaza with supplies including baby formula, rice and nappies, and an aim of breaking the naval blockade imposed by Israel on the coastal strip and raising awareness of the plight of Palestinians.
