Meet Gabriel Schivone.

Back in June, Schivone's opinion peace appeared in Haaretz, where Gabriel Schivone described how his Jewishness led him to join the Flotilla:


You might wonder what would motivate a Jewish American college student to participate in what may be the most celebrated - and controversial - sea voyage of the 21st century, one that aims to nonviolently challenge U.S.-supported Israeli military power in the occupied territories. I simply cannot sit idle while my country aids and abets Israel's siege, occupation and repression of the Palestinians. I would rather use my personal influence and power, in concert with other members of American civil society, to actively and nonviolently resist policies that I consider abominable. So, next week, I and more than 30 other American civilians will be sailing on the U.S. ship the Audacity of Hope, to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

I am one of a growing number of young American Jews who are determined to shake off an assumed - and largely imposed - association with Israel. Prominent advocacy organizations, such as the American Jewish Committee, which proudly proclaim their unconditional support of Israel, for several years have been declaring their "serious concern" over the increasing "distancing" of young American Jews from the state.
The problem is that Schivone's arbitrary and self-serving understanding of international law is matched by his equally arbitrary and self-serving definition of the term Jew.

Now Haaretz has printed a letter to the editor from Valerie Saturen, who knew Schivone 7 years ago, shares his politics--and knows that Schivone is not a Jew at all. The letter describes how Schivone created his false identity as a Jew in order to exploit the sympathy it would draw:

In his editorial about joining the flotilla to Gaza, Gabriel Schivone represented himself as a Jewish college student. I feel I must point out that this not his true identity, but one he has created in order to generate insider credibility, shield himself from accusations of anti-Semitism, and resonate with a target audience.

...Gabriel is not Jewish, whether in terms of ethnic ancestry, religious belief, or cultural identity. He has never identified as a Jew until it became useful in advancing his political agenda. During the High Holiday season of 2007, Gabriel told me that he discussed Israel with campus representatives of Chabad, identifying himself as a Jew. When asked why he did this, he explained that he has a distant Jewish relative and that "you use what you have."
And use it he did, having no apparent problem with the deception.

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Gabriel Schivone wasnt the first to pretend to be Jewish to give added power to his anti-Israel activism. And he wont be the last. Egyptian anti-Israel activist Hassam Fouda has also been caught posing "ASAJEW"