By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

Despite spending two nights in an Israeli prison cell last week, South Portland resident Scott Hamann said he has no regrets.

“I look forward to doing it again. After I catch my breath from this whole thing, if it’s still necessary to pilot the issue of the illegal blockade of Gaza I’ll go back if I get the opportunity,” Hamann said. “We’re just saying, ‘allow the humanitarian supplies in and you can deal with the politics in a different way.’”

Hamann, the executive producer of Harbor Light Films in South Portland, was aboard an American-flagged yacht trying to break through Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip when the boat was stopped and seized by Israeli forces.

Hamann’s boat, Challenger 1, was one of six boats in a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, according to the 29-year-old filmmaker.

Nine people on the Mavi Marmara, one of the flotilla’s boats, were killed by Israelis. No deaths were reported on any of the other boats and Hamann was not injured in the confrontation.

Hamann said the Israelis were targeting journalists on the Mavi Marmara and killed some of them.

“I never thought in a million years a country that’s supported with $3 to $5 billion in military aid from America would target journalists and kill them,” Hamann said.

The attack on the Mavi Marmara started before dawn and continued after sunrise, Hamann said.

The Challenger 1 was approximately 75 to 100 meters from the Mavi Marmara on the port side, close enough for Hamann to hear and see the attack in progress.

“They (Israelis) were shooting stun grenades and high-powered paint balls up into the boat. The passengers used water hoses to defend themselves,” Hamann said. “We could hear a difference between the paint balls and the live ammunition.”

Hamann said he took photos the entire time the attack was under way.

A self-described peace activist, Hamann was hired to document the attempt to run the blockade and send pictures to the website, witnessgaza.com. He has supported the cause called Free Gaza since 2007 when he heard a speech by Desmond Tutu in Boston. Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner from South Africa, was talking about apartheid in South Africa and Israel, Hamann said.

Hamann said he opposes the blockade of  Gaza because he thinks it is illegal, immoral and  hurts the people of Gaza.

Hamann is passionate about what he called, “the cause of ending the blockade on Gaza and ending the oppression of the Palestinian people.”

The Gaza Strip has been blockaded by Israel since 2007 when the Hamas party took control of the territory.

Israel allows only limited humanitarian supplies from aid organizations into the area.

The Israeli navy maintains the sea blockade from three nautical miles offshore to prevent Hamas from getting weapons that might be used against Israel.

The blockade has been criticized by the United Nations Human Rights Council and is officially supported by the United States. 

“It was a job for me to go there and film it. I was lucky that I was getting to film something that I supported and would want to do anyway,” Hamann said.

Hamann said he has never been in such a dangerous situation before, although a white man tried to hit him with a car while he was walking with some black friends in South Africa in 2005 while filming a documentary.

Before being arrested by the Israelis, Hamann took several photos of flotilla vessels being stopped and boarded by Israelis. Hamann concealed a digital camera memory card in the waistband of his underwear and sneaked it out of Israel when he was released June 2.

“I was able to successfully hide that (memory card) with the photos on it that showed the entire attack,” Hamann said. “My life was in danger but I didn’t realize that at the time. I thought they would just come aboard and beat me up, which would have been fine as long as I didn’t drop the photo card.”

Hamann plans to release those photos sometime this week. He estimates he has approximately 400 images.

“I have quite a few photos that just document what Israel did to an American- flagged ship in international waters that wasn’t breaking the law,” Hamann said.

Israeli security did not detect the memory card despite a thorough search of Hamann and his belongings. However, authorities did confiscate all his possessions, including his clothes, camera and computer.

Hamann said he was among the first members of the flotilla to be incarcerated by the Israelis and one of the last to be set free.

Moe Hamann, Scott’s father, said he and his wife did not know Scott was alive until they saw a video of him on YouTube being escorted by Israeli officials.

“We were relieved that we could see him and he appeared well,” Moe Hamann said.

“I was treated like a common criminal even though I was never charged with anything and I never broke any law,” Hamann said. “I was brought into the port of Ashdod and paraded in front of cameras which is a violation of the Geneva Convention. They never gave us access to a lawyer, our embassy, a phone call or anything,” Hamann said.

His processing by the Israelis included filming his passport and medical records. He also was asked to sign a document written in Hebrew.

Hamann said he refused to sign the document because he wanted to see a version written in English.

Hamann said he found out later the document asked him to admit he entered Israel illegally.

“I never illegally entered Israel. I was illegally forced into Israel. I never broke a law,” Hamann said.

While he was in custody, Hamann said he was not physically abused by the Israelis but he did see others who were beaten by Israeli soldiers.

While imprisoned, Hamann was given bread, water and raw vegetables. Water was given out in limited amounts, Hamann said.

“Having water restricted was used to punish us,” Hamann said.

The passengers aboard the flotilla’s boats were comprised of men and women from many different countries, including the United States, Turkey and Ireland.

After spending 48 hours in jail in Ashdod, Hamann and four others in his cell were taken to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and put on board a Turkish airliner late at night.

The following morning, Hamann and other members of the flotilla flew into Istanbul and received a hero’s welcome from a large crowd.

“They were cheering and there were cameras everywhere. It was really overwhelming to see the reception we got,” Hamann said.

The Turkish government put him up in a first-class hotel for one night before paying his fare for the flight back to the United States.

Hamann flew from Istanbul to Chicago on a Turkish plane last Friday and then made a connecting flight to Boston on an American airliner.

As he came off the plane around 9 p.m. in Boston, he was welcomed home by his girlfriend, parents, relatives and media representatives from Boston and New Hampshire.

“It was an incredible feeling of joy,” said Moe Hamann, when he saw his son. “He hugged us all so tight. We were so pleased that he was safe and he was home.”