'Spirit of Humanity' Mercy Boat Sets Sail for Gaza
January 12, 2009 at 10:18 am
Cyprus, 11 January 2009 - The Free Gaza Movement ship, SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, left Larnaca Port at 3:00 pm, Monday, 12 January, on an emergency mission to besieged Gaza. It is expected to arrive in Gaza at approximately 11am (UST) Tuesday morning. Aboard the ship are 36 passengers and crew, representing 17 different nations. They are doctors, journalists, human rights workers, and five European parliamentarians representing Belgium, Greece, Italy, and Spain (see below for a complete passenger list). The mercy ship also carries desperately needed medical supplies meant for hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
Shortly before the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY left Cyprus yesterday, the Cypriot authorities informed the Free Gaza Movement that the Israeli government had officially contacted their embassy in Tel Aviv, and warned them that they felt "justified" in using "any means available" to forcibly prevent the mercy ship from arriving in Gaza. At the request of the ship's organizers, the Cypriot authorities searched the ship prior to its departure to certify that it only carried medical supplies.
Huwaida Arraf, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that, "We cannot just sit by and wait for Israel to decide to stop the killing and open the borders for relief workers to pick up the pieces. We are coming in. There is an urgent need for this mission as Palestinian civilians in Gaza are being terrorized and slaughtered by Israel, and access to humanitarian relief denied to them. When states and the international bodies responsible for taking action to stop such atrocities chose to be impotent, then we--the citizens of the world--must act. Our common humanity demands nothing less."
Re: 'Spirit of Humanity' Mercy Boat Sets Sail for Gaza
If Israel is not allowing any help into Gaza then where are our donations going ?
Islamic Relief ? Human Appeal ?
Rather than endanger the lives of its passengers, the SPIRIT is now returning to Cyprus.
Israel's reckless and shocking threats against an unarmed ship on a mission of mercy are a violation of both international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which states that "the high seas should be reserved for peaceful purposes."
CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the civilian population of Gaza and STOP using violence to prevent human rights and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.
Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
[email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence:
+972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
[email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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