Israeli Navy Threatens "Spirit Of Humanity" In International Waters
Israeli Navy Threatens "Spirit Of Humanity" In International Waters
"All We Want Is To Reach Gaza. We Do Not Seek A Confrontation."
Activists aboard Gaza justice boat demand they be allowed to
visit their friends & family in besieged Gaza, and deliver their cargo of
medical supplies, children's toys, and reconstruction kits. They invite the
world to join them.
(At Sea, 60km off the coast of the Gaza Strip) -
Human Rights activists aboard the Free Gaza ship, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, today
demanded that the Israeli Navy immediately stop threatening
them.
“This aid is desperately needed by the people of Gaza,” said
Mairead Maguire, winner of the Noble Peace Prize and Pacem in Terris Award for
her work in Northern Ireland. “President Obama has called upon the Palestinians
to abandon violence but Israel is denying them the right to non-violently resist
the siege of Gaza.”
The unarmed justice ship departed Larnaca Port in
Cyprus at 7:30am Monday with its crew of 21 human rights activists, humanitarian
workers and journalists from 11 different countries, including Nobel laureate
Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The boat, a
converted ferry, hopes to arrive in Gaza Tuesday afternoon, following a grueling
30 hour sea voyage.
At 1:30am, Israeli warships surrounded the small
civilian boat and threatened to open fire if they did not turn around. When the
activists refused to be intimidated, Israeli Occupation Forces began jamming
their instrumentation, blocking their GPS, radar, and navigation systems. This
jamming was in direct violation of international maritime law, threatening the
welfare and safety of the civilian ship.
Responding to this intimidation,
Congresswoman McKinney declared, "I am extremely angry. We demand that the
Israeli government call off their attack dogs. We are unarmed civilians aboard
an unarmed boat delivering medical and reconstruction aid to other human beings
in Gaza. Why in God's name would Israel want to attack us?"
Huwaida
Arraf, Chairperson of the Free Gaza movement and delegation co-coordinator for
this voyage, said, "All we want is to reach Gaza. We want to visit our friends
and deliver our cargo of medical supplies, children's toys, and reconstruction
materials. Our ship was searched and received security clearance from the Port
Authorities in Cyprus before we departed."
Arraf continued, "We do not
seek a confrontation. We have traveled from Cypriot waters to international
waters and will enter Gazan waters. We've never gone anywhere near Israel.
Israel’s closure of Gaza is an act of collective punishment and a blatant
violation of international law. We call upon our governments to take action to
uphold their obligations under the Fourth Geneva Conventions. If they won’t or
until they do, we will act. We will come to Gaza again and again until this
brutal siege is broken. We invite the good people of the world to join
us."
Free Gaza boats are the first international ships in 41 years to
sail to the Gaza Strip. Since August 2008, the Free Gaza Movement has organized
8 sea missions, successfully arriving to Gaza on 5 separate occasions. One two
earlier occasions, Israeli Occupation Forces used violence to stop the ships,
physically ramming and almost sinking the DIGNITY boat in December 2008, and
threatening to fire on and kill unarmed passengers in January 2008. The fate of
this, the eighth mission to Gaza, is still uncertain.
###
For
more information, please contact:
Greta Berlin (English/French) or
Caoimhe Butterly (English/Arabic/Spanish) at 00357 99 081 767 /
target=_blank>www.FreeGaza.org
--
Niamh Moloughney
Irish Free
Gaza Coordinator
target=_blank>niamh@freegaza.org
091 472279/085 7747257
Breaking News: Israeli Navi seize Free Gaza boat 'Spirit of Humanity' in international waters, all aboard kidnapped--Emergency protest 5pm Wednesday GPO Dublin
Read also previous report on this site: Free Gaza Boat "Spirit of Humanity" Departs Cyprus, Two Irish on Board (Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire & Derek Graham, first mate)
