2nd UPDATE: Israelis shadowing aid ship Rachel Corrie but not boarding
Update 10:13 Friday, June 4
UPDATE 10:05:
Greta Berlin, of the Free Gaza movement says the MV Rachel Corrie, is being tailed by the Israeli navy, and at one point came along side, according to reports. But, at this point, no one has tried to come on board.
Berlin says the ship is now about 35 miles from Gaza’s shores.
“There were two warships in the back of them … and a smaller boat was approaching,” Berlin told the Belfast Telegraph from the movement’s headquarters in Cyprus, citing a passenger on board.
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/rachel-corrie-aid-ship-tailed-by-israeli-warships-14831352.html#ixzz0px4xhgPn
Update 9:25 p.m. Friday, June 4:
The Free Gaza movement, one of the organizations behind the flotilla of ships that has been trying to take aid to Gaza, just reported that the MV Rachel Corrie is being boarded by Israelis.
According to one of the passengers on the ship, Jenny Graham, Israeli ships had been following them for about 2 hours, and that in the last few minutes 2 ships were approaching from the port side. Graham also said that equipment on board had been jammed by the Israeli navy, and that they expected their satellite phone to be jammed soon as well.
EARLIER REPORT:
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Andy David told ABC News today that the MV Rachel Corrie, which may be off the coast of Gaza as early as Friday, will be prevented from entering the blockade area.
“The Rachel Corrie will not be allowed into Gaza,” David said. “We are watching it and waiting to see what will happen. Hopefully, the people on board will direct to the port in Ashdod. “The naval blockade is still in effect and the ship will not be allowed to enter into the naval blockade area.”
On Monday elite Israeli military commandos stormed six humanitarian aid ships taking part in the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ to Gaza, killing at least 9 civilian passengers and injuring dozens more while the ships were in international waters. The Rachel Corrie had been part of the flotilla but had to stay behind in Malta for repairs.
According to organizers of the aid effort, the Freedom Flotilla was an effort by a coalition of human rights and humanitarian organizations to nonviolently break through Israel’s illegal blockade, and deliver much needed humanitarian and developmental aid to the Palestinians of Gaza.
The United Nations and activists who have recently visited Gaza, say the Israeli blockade, in place since 2007, denies residents of Gaza the basic needs of life: a variety of foods, building materials, electricity, fuel, medicines and school supplies.
Former U.N. assistant secretary-general Denis Halliday, who is on board the Rachel Corrie, told ABC News that they do not intend to stop their mission or head to the Israeli port of Ashdod instead.
“It’s a totally unacceptable embargo. There’s no justification for it, there’s no legality for it, it’s not endorsed by the U.N., it’s not endorsed by anybody else. It’s an Israeli military zone which is without legal status,” he said from the ship today in a phone interview with ABC.
“When they tell they are about to board we will cooperate because it’s too dangerous not to do so, particularly as you say it may be at night which is the usual tactic. We’re not fools, we’re not about to throw away our lives,” Halliday said, according to ABC.
He said the Rachel Corrie expects to be boarded by the Israelis Friday when they are approximately 80 miles off coast. Some organizers of the aid ships are still saying that the Rachel Corrie may wait until Monday or Tuesday to try to run the blockade. There have been reports that Turkey may send a warship to accompany the aid ships.
The Rachel Corrie is a converted merchant ship bought by pro-Palestinian activists and named after the 23-year-old American peace activist from Olympia, Washington, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003, set off Monday from Malta. The ship carrying medical equipment, wheelchairs, school supplies and cement, a material Israel has banned in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Passengers on the Rachel Corrie, which embarked from Ireland, include Northern Irish Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire and several other Irish citizens. Corrigan-Maguire, is a Northern Irish peace activist who co-founded, with Betty Williams, the Community of Peace People, an organization that worked for a peaceful resolution to the fighting in Northern Ireland. The two women received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | admin June 3, 2010
1 Comment to “2nd UPDATE: Israelis shadowing aid ship Rachel Corrie but not boarding”
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By Ginny NiCarthy, June 4, 2010 @ 7:40 pm
A few days ago I had just begun to comment on the PSR tour and Gerri Haynes’ excellent reporting on the medical mission there. It was — and is — heartening to see the people and to hear messages of peace, courage and endurance from Gazans and appreciation and connections from the PSR folks. I was going to write that almost nothing has been seen on MSM for months and it’s too bad most media don’t see fit to discuss the situation in Palestine and Israel unless there is some form of violence to report. So here we are, there has been violence and the area is on the tube every hour. A few reporters seem dedicated to get the “other” side of the story, but have not done well. The reporting of Jamal at Al Jazeera is remarkably helpful in trying to sort out what really happened. The contrast between that story and the events the PSR group participated in is…. Well I don’t have the words for what it is. Please keep up this site.