Reckless attack on Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, is well hounding the Zionist regime of Israel. International pressure to lift inhuman and grossly illegal blockade is increasing day by day. A Palestinian leader rightly observed: “Non-violent Turkish Flotilla is proving more effective than 1000 missiles.”
In the latest development European Union (EU) and ASEAN have demanded Israel to lift the siege of Gaza. AP has reported from Gaza City, Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, has said, ‘the international community must pressure Israel to go beyond easing its Gaza blockade and throw open the territory’s long-blockaded borders,’ Her observation came after a tour of the Hamas-run coastal strip on Sunday, 18 July.
She is the most senior diplomat to visit Gaza since Israel announced earlier this month that it would relax its 3-year blockade to allow most consumer goods into the coastal strip inhabited by 1.5 million Palestinians.
In a related development Foreign Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have also joined mounting calls for Israel to end its siege of Gaza. ASEAN’s annual meeting began Thursday in Vietnam, and foreign ministers from the 10 countries in the association will convene Monday, 19 July. Agence France-Presse reported that a document released ahead of the meeting called for “unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people in Gaza in order to help alleviate their plight,” Foreign ministers “strongly condemned” the 31 May commando raid on a Turkish flotilla bringing aid to Gaza, in which Israeli soldiers killed nine passengers, and urged for a resumption of peace talks.
Israel tightened its blockade in 2007 after the Islamist Hamas movement assumed control of Gaza in democratic elections. During her visit to Gaza, Lady Ashton did not have any official meetings with Hamas Administration officials as its authority is not recognised by the EU, Israel or the US, who describe Hamas as a ‘terrorist’ organisation. However the EU official visited UN facilities and spoke to local businessmen in Gaza.
“The position of the European Union is very clear: that we want the opportunity for people to be able to move around freely or to see goods, not only coming into Gaza but exports coming out of Gaza,” Baroness Ashton said on her second visit to Gaza in last six months.
“And that is the position that we will be discussing with the Israeli government, as well as of course making sure that we’re putting the right kind of pressure out to the international community.” Ashton said the EU is willing to send monitors to help operate the border crossings.
The BBC’s Jon Donnison in Gaza says the territory’s economy has been devastated by the blockade; exports are still banned and there is 40% unemployment. Since Israel announced it was easing the blockade, more Israeli food products have been available in Gaza’s shops. However, the UN says it is only getting a fraction of the construction materials it needs. Aid agencies say building materials are badly needed as the blockade has prevented much reconstruction taking place since the Israeli military offensive which ended in January 2009. However Israeli Public Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein said he hoped that after her visit, Lady Ashton would understand “that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
“(Israel) did everything it could as far as the humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza is concerned. At the same time, it’s in the best interest of everyone who doesn’t want to see a new round of violence in the area, to make sure that no weapons and no ammunition get to the Hamas government”.
Ashton is the most senior Western diplomat to visit Gaza since Israel eased its three-year-old land blockade on the Palestinian enclave. Israel has said the blockade is necessary to prevent the Islamist Hamas movement, which rules Gaza, from shipping in weapons.
Israel has taken steps to ease the blockade under tremendous International pressure on it following a May 31 raid on Turkish ships loaded with aid for Gaza. Israeli commandos killed un-armed nine, eight Turkish and one Turkish-American, pro-Palestinian activists after boarding one of the convoy’s vessels. It is reported that they were shot at head.
AID FLOW STARTS INTO GAZA VIA EGYPT PORT
Ma’an News reported from Cairo: Eight activists from a Libyan aid ship which docked in Egypt’s Al-Arish port arrived in Gaza on Sunday,18 July, via southern Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border.
Palestinian crossings officials expect 30 trucks to deliver the ship’s cargo of humanitarian aid later via the southern Kerem Shalom crossing. Five trucks loaded with aid brought in on the Turkish Freedom Flotilla are expected via the same terminal.
Al-Arish port director Jamal Abdul-Maqsoud said Gaza-bound aid ships are a priority at the facility, and noted that a commercial cargo ship was evacuated to make way for the Libyan vessel. The Egyptian Red Crescent is transferring the aid by land, he said.
Organizers from the Tripoli-based Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation initially hoped to dock in Gaza, breaking Israel’s four-year siege of the coastal enclave, but diverted to Egypt port of Al-Areesh on Wednesday to avoid confrontation with Israeli naval forces. The foundation’s executive director, Youssef Sawani, said the Israeli navy threatened to take over the ship if it persisted in its attempts to break through the naval blockade.
MORE FLOTILLAS ON THE WAY
Haaretz News Service quoted Channel 2 report on Sunday that the Turkish activist organization IHH that organized the flotilla of aid ships may announce its intention to continue efforts to bring supplies to Gaza, not only by sea, but “land convoys will head for Gaza” as well, reported.
IHH leader Bulent Yildirim, speaking at an Istanbul conference attended by Muslim activists and litigators, said that “more flotillas will head to Gaza in the coming months, and additional convoys by land. This, together with many more surprises that we will reveal soon,” Channel 2 reported.”Zionist public relations are very powerful, and we must act accordingly,” he added. Last month, the IHH leader told an Arabic-language newspaper that “all the families of the martyrs from the first flotilla wish to take part in the next voyage.”
In the meanwhile a group of New Zealander activists is also preparing an aid convoy to Gaza. Nzherald reported on Sunday,18 July, the group ‘Kia Ora Gaza’ will be sending a Kiwi team to join international sea and land convoys which will leave for Gaza on September 18 hoping to break an Israeli blockade.
Co-organiser Grant Morgan said the group had so far received 18 volunteers who had been told they would be putting themselves at risk if they are chosen to go. The dangers the volunteers will face was shown when nine aid workers were shot dead by Israeli forces when a Turkish aid flotilla attempting to break the blockade was intercepted off the shores of Gaza in May.
The fact the volunteers still wanted to take part in the convoys showed they had a lot of courage, he said.
“I can only take my hat off to these courageous Kiwis who are prepared to put themselves in harm’s way… to go to the other side of the world to help people they have never met before,” Mr. Morgan said.
New Zealand support for the people of Gaza stemmed from a desire for social justice which could be seen in the past with our anti-apartheid and anti-nuclear movements, Mr. Morgan said.
The numbers of New Zealand volunteers to join the convoy will depend on how much money is raised over the next 10 weeks in a $100,000 fund-raising drive, he said. So far they had collected about a quarter of their target, Mr. Morgan said.
Three land convoys will leave from London, North Africa and Doha and are coordinated by English aid organisation Viva Palestina. The sea convoy departing from London will be co-ordinated by Turkish humanitarian relief foundation IHH.