Israel to divert aid ships off Gaza coast

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/israel-to-divert-aid-ships-off-gaza-coast-2197729.html

Israeli forces will divert a flotilla of ships planning to bring construction materials and humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip, while deporting the pro-Palestinian activists aboard, a government official said.

The Israeli government is preparing a special detention area at its Ashdod port, 25 kilometers north of Gaza, capable of holding the 550 or more passengers and processing their deportation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.

“They will be treated as trespassers,” Palmor said today in a telephone interview from Jerusalem. “If they try to enter Gaza by force, they will be towed to Ashdod.”


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Can't wait to see how this denial of humanitarian aid to the caged & sieged women and children of gaza will be excused by our liberal friends.

That's according to the OP.

"This mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies"

That's according to Greta Berlin, one of the organizers of the flotilla.

Incidentally, are there no adult men living in Gaza? You only ever seem to make mention of women and children.

and is not from the OP either

"We are taking 10,000 tons of material that Israel refuses to allow into Gaza," Berlin said, adding the cargo includes water filtration units, pre-fabricated homes and crayons for children.

"This mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it's about breaking Israel's siege on 1.5 million Palestinians," she said.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/05/27/109779.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Hearklin, Crete, Tuesday, May 25, 2010) As Israel continues to insist it will stop the seven-ship international Freedom Flotilla, two more ships departed from Greece to Gaza today.

A 2000 ton cargo ship and fifty-person passenger ship owned by the European Campaign Against the Siege of Gaza, and Swedish/Greek Ship to Gaza campaigns left Athens to meet the Freedom Flotilla in international waters.

They follow hot on the trail of the cargo ships of Insani Yardim Vakafi (IHH’s) and Free Gaza’s MV Rachel Corrie. IHH’s remaining 1100 capacity passenger ship and cargo ship are to sail shortly from Turkey.

In Crete, the Free Gaza Movement is readying its two passenger boats for their imminent departure. ‘Al Samoud’ (The Steadfast’) and ‘Al Haya’ (The Ship of Life) were named by children from schools in occupied Gaza and Jerusalem.

Reports coming from the Israeli Navy say they will jam the flotilla’s signals and communications, isolating those on board the ships, and barring the world from witnessing what could become a confrontation or prolonged naval stand-off.

The strategy of the Freedom Flotilla, however, is to resist any attempts by the Israeli Navy to hijack its ships or to divide cargo ships from passenger vessels.

“The message from Israel is clear: ‘We will stop you. And no-one can prevent us from stopping you.’ said Free Gaza chair, Huwaida Arraf.

“However, we will non-violently resist Israeli attempts to seize our boats. Thousands of people have contributed to making this flotilla a reality, and the people of Gaza are expecting us.

“We will not allow our flotilla to be divided. We will stay with our cargo ships – they are the core of the flotilla carrying essential construction materials denied entry into Gaza – cement, steel, and houses. This action is not a symbolic gesture but a concrete intervention to allow the people of Gaza to rebuild their lives with dignity’, emphasized passenger, Aengus O’Snodaigh, TD Sinn Féin party, Ireland

Ewa Jasiewicz added, "We are not breaking the law, we are upholding it. We are acting out of necessity to prevent a greater crime from taking place – the collective punishment of 1.5 million people imprisoned in Gaza. The international community is complicit in this collective punishment and must break its silence. Respect for international law is not optional, it is obligatory.’

Contacts

Crete Free Gaza Movement 0030 698 377 6683

Cyprus Free Gaza Movement 00 357 99 18 72 78 or 00 357 96 48 98 05

http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/press-releases/1173-we-will-resist-israels-attempts-to-stop-us

snip* "This mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it's about breaking Israel's siege on 1.5 million Palestinians," she said.

Irishman Fintan Lane echoed the sentiments.

"We are determined to break Israel's blockade and will not be intimidated," said Lane, one of 750 activists from around the world, including dozens of public officials from European and Arab countries, that organisers say are heading towards Gaza.

"The people of Gaza have a right to access to the outside world and the right to determine their own future," said Lane.

Israel and Egypt have sealed Gaza off to all but basic humanitarian aid since Hamas -- which is blacklisted as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States -- seized power in June 2007.

http://www.africasia.com/services/news_mideast/article.php?ID=CNG.403646e7724f6f51401e19f4a356bd41.451

they did but not until after the boats departed and there is this from your link

However, the prohibition's only effect will likely be to delay the ships' arrival. Officials in Jerusalem say Israel held talks recently with Greece, Turkey, Ireland and other states in a bid to prevent the "Free Gaza" sail, expected to reach the Strip's shores Saturday.

Israel claims the flotilla offers endorsement for terrorists. So far, however, Cyprus is the only state that has agree

via MichaelMoore.com:



May 27th, 2010 9:07 AM
Israeli officials say navy will stop flotilla of blockade-busting ships before it reaches Gaza

By Mark Lavie


JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's navy will stop a flotilla heading for Gaza with 10,000 tons of supplies and pro-Palestinian activists intent on breaking a three-year blockade of Gaza, officials said Wednesday, in the first definitive Israeli pledge to stop the boats.

The officials said if the flotilla of eight ships does not turn back, the boats will be hauled to an Israeli port, the activists sent back to their countries and the supplies transferred to Gaza by land.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity according to military rules.

The flotilla is expected to approach Gaza over the weekend. Organizers say they are hauling supplies including building materials that are not allowed into the territory because of the blockade. Greta Berlin, one of the organizers, said the cargo ships are carrying cement, prefab homes, lumber, window frames, paper for printing school books, children's toys, a full dentist's office, electric wheelchairs and high-end medical equipment.

Among the passengers are lawmakers from a dozen European countries, a Holocaust survivor in her 80s, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a retired U.S. army colonel, Berlin said. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/israeli-officials-say-navy-will-stop-flotilla-blockade-busting-ships-it-reaches-gaza

Convoy discipline will not be all that tight. If it was, they might be able to overwhelm the INF. Its really not all that large.

After all AFAIK Israel doesn't make any territorial claim to Gaza. Any more that is. Presumably.

I know theres no direct links allowed but anyone interested can watch by searching 'The mate on board of Challenger 1, 27th May 2010' on youtube.

This guy really illustrates the interest the Irish have in the I/P conflict. The similarities of the struggle, and the message that peace can be achievable. Hopefully having George Mitchell on the case won't just be a happy coincidence.

I'm not ashamed to admit it, I had a lump in my throat watching this down to earth Dublin guy (like myself) travelling to let the people of Gaza know they don't stand alone and have people on the outside who genuinely care about their suffering and are trying to improve their lot.

Really proud. And thank you Shane for showing that despite the difficulties our nation faces right now, we have not lost our treasured capacity for charity, compassion and selflessness.

Source: J Post

Navy commandos will board the nine international aid ships sailing toward Gaza City if they don’t turn back, and the commandos will be armed in case terrorists are hiding aboard, defense officials said on Thursday.

The ships are scheduled to try to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip on Saturday. They are carrying around 750 activists, including diplomats and journalists, as well as about 10,000 tons of supplies.

Top IDF officers said on Thursday that the navy will not “take any chances” if and when it boards the ships, and will immediately inspect them for explosives, including using bomb-sniffing dogs from the IDF’s Oketz K9 Unit.

The navy plans to board the ships if they refuse to turn around. The ships will receive a number of warnings from the navy as they begin to make their approach to the Gaza Strip, starting from a distance of about 65 kilometers. If the ships are commandeered, they will be sailed to the Ashdod Port, where the government has set up tents to hold the activists

snip>

Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=176668

only our friends can get away with attacking a us navy ship and killing some of it`s crew.

quite a few times the Americans accidentally bombed British tank columns in the first and second Iraq wars. British tank crews would fly Union Jacks on their vehicles, and when that didnt work, some of them spray painted giant Union Jack murals on the turrets.

Most reasonable analyses of the Liberty incident conclude likewise that it occurred due to miscommunication, mistake and the normal types of incompetence one finds in the military.

believing that the US would stop them in what they considered to a fight for national survival.

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/114694.pdf

Statement by the spokesperson of High Representative Catherine Ashton on the flotilla sailing to Gaza

The spokesperson of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice
President of the Commission Catherine Ashton issued a following statement today:
"We strongly urge that all involved act with a sense of restraint and responsibility and work for a
constructive resolution. The EU remains gravely concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive.