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Palestinians await ship attempting to break Gaza siege
Published Wednesday 17/10/2012 (updated) 19/10/2012 12:55
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Civil society leaders and NGO representatives gathered at Gaza City's port on Wednesday to show solidarity with the Estelle ship as it heads toward Gaza.

Amjad al-Shawwa, director of the Gaza network of NGOs, said the boat was facing incitement campaigns and that Israel was pressuring governments of the activists' countries to stop them reaching Gaza.

The group gathered near a memorial for the Mavi Marmara, a 2010 flotilla that was raided by Israeli forces who killed nine passengers. Several small boats sailed off the coast as a symbolic reception for the Estelle, which is due to arrive Saturday.

An Israeli military source told The Jerusalem Post that the navy was preparing to intercept the boat. A foreign ministry spokeswoman told the newspaper Israel would not allow the vessel to reach Gaza.

Al-Shawwa said solidarity activists on board the Estelle, a Swedish boat flying a Finnish flag, would ignore Israeli threats and sail to Gaza to break the blockade.

The activists are demonstrating that "the Palestinian people are not facing this Israeli blockade alone as there are free people in the world who stand by their side and support them as they demand freedom, justice and human rights," he said.

He urged UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to protect the ship and help it reach Gaza safely.

Muhsin Abu Ramadan, chairman of the board of Gaza NGOs, said the activists were risking their lives by confronting Israel's naval blockade of Gaza because they opposed tyranny and oppression.

"The Gaza Strip has the right to a safe water passage and to be freed from this blockade. Those activists are the ones who expose the Israeli violations," Abu Ramadan said.

Cement, footballs

The Estelle set sail in June around Europe, and left Naples on Oct. 6 heading for Gaza. European MPs and international activists, including Israeli nationals, are on board.

The boat's cargo, listed on the flotilla's website, includes cement, wheel chairs, crutches, toys, musical instruments and 300 footballs.

Responding to Israel's UN ambassador Ron Prosor's letter to the UN urging the world body to stop the flotilla, the activists said they welcomed further inspections of their cargo by the UN.

"What we refuse to accept is something which also the UN and the majority of the international community oppose: the illegal and in a humanitarian perspective devastating siege of the Gaza Strip," they said in a statement.

The passengers have undergone non-violent training in case Israel's military boards the vessel. They have signed a pledge to act peacefully even if their lives are threatened, a statement on the group's website says.

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, said Wednesday that he was in touch with activists on board.

He said he was concerned they would be attacked by Israeli authorities, but expressed pride in their resistance to Israel's blockade.
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1 ) Filipe / Portugal
17/10/2012 19:18
"The passengers have undergone non-violent training" Interesting---- non- violence was something deemed necessary to be taught to these people? Tells quite a lot about the nature and character of these people.
2 ) Bemused / New Zealand
17/10/2012 19:44
Yes, that they are non-violent - unlike the Israeli state and its illegal settlers....
3 ) Big Mike / usa
17/10/2012 19:58
the warden of any prison wants to control visitation rights to its captives.
4 ) Colin Wright / USA
17/10/2012 20:06
To Felipe #1 '"The passengers have undergone non-violent training" Interesting---- non- violence was something deemed necessary to be taught to these people? Tells quite a lot about the nature and character of these people.' That's a pretty desperate argument -- but then, if you're trying to defend Israel, there isn't much to work with, is there?
5 ) Brian Cohen / Israel
17/10/2012 21:29
And you all forgot, of course (as did the writer of the article) that it's a joint Egyptian-Israeli blockade. So you all better post some nasty comments about the Egyptians. Or would that pop your balloon and spoil the fun by showing the truth? Then we could also talk about Palestinian war crimes for the indiscriminate firing of anti-personnel artillery at Israeli civilians. But no, we all know you're not interested in that either and can blame it on Israel.
6 ) matt / usa
17/10/2012 22:10
This is all nice and dandy. however if they really have peacefull intentions. then land in tel aviv. but they dont. they arent going to just deliver this stuff they are going to force a showdown. simple. why not deliver the stuff and then with an empty ship challenge the blockade
7 ) ABE / USA
17/10/2012 22:29
No matter what they have undergone they are not reaching Gaza!!
8 ) Julie / USA
18/10/2012 01:23
#5 - zip it. the entire world knows STATISTICS have clearly documented a kill ratio of 100:1 with izrael being the most murderous (not to mention izrael's THE ONLY nation in the history of the planet to have violated more UN resolutions/treaties/peace agreements than any other nation). so just shut up. and about egypt...stop deferring away from izrael. didn't you know that common, overly-used tactic is laughed at by the international community? man, you seriously need to catch up on reality!
9 ) Ben Alofs / UK/Netherlands
18/10/2012 01:26
To Brian Cohen @5: read Colin Wright's post at 4. It applies to you. What do you define as "anti-personel artillery" anyway. The Qassam missiles?? To matt @6 You should know by now, that the aim of the flotilla is to demonstrate, that Gaza is far from free, but that Israel continues to occupy it by other means and inflicts collective punishment on the Palestinian civilians. Check out the calory scandal. Israel is carrying out sadistic experiments in human despair in Gaza concentration camp.
10 ) abu / india
18/10/2012 01:55
Crazy israelis trying to put different arguments to defend themselves. For hell once atleast accept the fact about the bravery these people onboard on flotilla are showing. Not like you izrahelli cowards who block Gaza by land, air and sea. @Matt, what's the point in delivering the goods in tel aviv when the whole aim of this campaign is to show the injustice done by israel on gaza. Its not tel aviv which is under blockade but its Gaza. @Brian, if its joint blockade by israel & egypt both then w
11 ) matt / not usa
18/10/2012 02:06
@1 hahaha @5 not for much longer as status quos continue changing - Does Isreal still get gas at the price mubarak was selling to you? Change is slow but once the egyptians have found out how much they can own their revolution I don't see much cooperation with Isreal. Palestinian war crimes? Joker! @6 Because Isreal controls what goes in = doesn't allow cement for example = UN report saying Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020 as sufficient infrastucture can't be maintained or built.
12 ) matt / not usa
18/10/2012 02:10
a ship with people but otherwise empty wouldn't be allowed in either. The desire to support Palestinian sovereignty and break the blockade is something Isreal wants to crush so won't allow. @ MAAN why do you allow such blatant and sickening zionist trolling? It undermines your comments feature to the point where it would be better if it was disabled.
13 ) The UN's / Law of The Sea
18/10/2012 03:51
Attempting to break the Gaza Naval Blockade is AGAINST INTERNATIONAL LAW - PERIOD.
14 ) ian / australia
18/10/2012 06:00
#5 "...it's a joint Egyptian-Israeli blockade. So you all better post some nasty comments about the Egyptians." Way to muddy the issue with irrelevancies Brian. Egypt controls Rafah like Israel controls Erez because it involves their sovereign soil. But the flotillas are about the coastline and Israel's illegal control of Gaza's sea border. Nothing to do with Egyptians. "Then we could also talk about Palestinian war crimes for the indiscriminate firing of anti-personnel artillery
15 ) ian / australia
18/10/2012 06:02
(contd.) at Israeli civilians." Also largely irrelevant to the flotillas. Yes, the rockets are a problem, like settler violence is a problem: neither carried out directly by governments, just vigilante acts condoned. Settler violence, however, is fueled by greed, ideology and sadism verging on mental illness. The rockets, futile and counter-productive as they are, are in response to the blockade, land, air AND sea, and would end if control of their coastline was returned to the people who own it
16 ) gabi / australia
18/10/2012 08:38
matt/usa - what's the big deal? Why can't Israel behave like a half-way decent country and allow the ship in? What possible harm can there be in doing that? They could gain a lot of good publicity instead of behaving like a pack of thugs with their -"do as I say or face the consequences" Land at Tel Aviv? Why? Israel keeps harping on the fact that they "withdrew" from Gaza and Gaza now runs itself, so why land anywhere but Gaza? #5 - Israel knows all about war crimes!
17 ) Bob / Canada
18/10/2012 12:51
Send the ship to Syria, they need the food much more. Or divert the ship to the Sudan, or Somalia they need the food twenty times more.
18 ) Robby / USA
18/10/2012 14:10
8 ) Julie / USA - What is the missile ratio?
19 ) mat / usa
18/10/2012 21:31
@ gabi- big deal? i thought the people of gaza need this stuff. if so, deliver it to them in the best way and most assured we you can. why does this showdown need to jeoperdize the cargo?
and gaza does run itself. but this ship is going to go inside israeli territory to get to gaza, this israel doesnt have to allow. why not go through egypt
20 ) Sander / The Netherlands
18/10/2012 21:40
I wish Estelle and her brave crew success and strength with this solidarity trip with the caged people of Gaza.
21 ) ian / australia
18/10/2012 22:38
#6 But matt, they want to deliver the terror footballs in person. That's the point. And to "force a showdown"...and get filmed being boarded by soldiers with uzis and towed to Ashdod, you know, for the News. The concrete and crutches and other terror stuff is symbolic. I suppose they could unload first in Tel Aviv, then go and "challenge the blockade" in "an empty ship" but they probably wouldn't be allowed to leave and besides, it's more terror fun this way.
22 ) ian / australia
19/10/2012 02:41
#19 "why does this showdown need to jeoperdize the cargo?" Why does being towed to Ashdod jeopardise the cargo? Are you implying Israel will incinerate it? Or confiscate it? All those footballs and concrete? And NOT deliver it to Gaza? "...but this ship is going to go inside israeli territory to get to gaza" How can the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Gaza conceivably be "israeli territory"? "...why not go through egypt" Coz Egypt isn't the problem. There's no blockade to protest with Egypt.
23 ) ian / australia
19/10/2012 02:43
(contd.) And Egypt is a reasonable neighbour prepared to sit down and discuss things reasonably...unlike the "s***** little country in the Middle East" you tirelessly support matt. No offence.
24 ) Cacho / Uruguay
19/10/2012 03:15
So much hypocresy. When is it going to be load another flotilla to syria and iran? But remember the jews are the real choseen people so becarefull for your next life about what you say on them
25 ) Cacho / Uruguay
19/10/2012 03:25
And the flotilla to syria and iran? When are they going to be loaded?
26 ) Robert / US
19/10/2012 04:20
@bob # 17.wtf are you talking about ?.
27 ) Robby / USA
19/10/2012 16:08
26 ) Robert / US - he probably means the needs are far greater in Syria, but of course if a "free Syria" boat were to attempt to bring supplies there is a good chance it would be sunk immediately. And of course everyone here would ignore it.
28 ) WAITING / FOREVER
19/10/2012 20:08
1- Waiting for the Estelle to break Gaza siege will be WAITING FOREVER, unless Gaza ends it's attacks, and accepts peace with Israel, just like
2- Waiting for a state on the West Bank, without Negotiating, Compromising, and largely Surrendering to Israeli Security Demands,
will be WAITING FOREVER.
29 ) HydroFoiler / NORTHERN GERMANY
19/10/2012 23:12
as a german born engineer with jewish roots, living in the submarine city of kiel, and working for a market leading navy shipbuilding supplier : i am more than satisfied outfitting the worlds most advanced conventional submarines with xxx-technology. and as a german taxpayer, i am more than willing to contribute my taxes for building DOLPHINs for the naval defence forces of the State Of Israel. "shabat shalom" from germany to our israeli partners and the naval world. HydroFoiler
30 ) Business / Israel
20/10/2012 04:46
@26: I think his English was clear. They have less calories per day in Somalia. Is that hard to understand? No one is starving in Gaza. Israel allows in 1000 times more than this every month. This is a propaganda stunt. If you want to help the hungry, send food to Somalia. Greece has a higher unemployment rate than Gaza, maybe help them.
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