Rory McCarthy
The Guardian, Saturday August 23 2008
"Israel last night warned an attempt by peace activists to sail two wooden boats to the Gaza Strip was a "provocation" and said it would prevent them reaching their destination.
A group of 46 activists set sail yesterday morning from Cyprus and were hoping to reach Gaza later today to challenge the economic blockade Israel has imposed on the strip and to deliver a cargo of 200 hearing aids for a deaf school and 5,000 balloons. Among those on board is a Catholic nun, aged 81, the British journalist Yvonne Ridley and Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of Tony Blair......
Another passenger, Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian with Israeli and US citizenship, said: "The siege that the Israelis have imposed on Gaza is not only illegal in terms of international law, it is also immoral. Global institutions and the governments of the world know what is happening and are not doing anything about it.".....
In a statement issued as they departed yesterday, the activists said they would lodge a legal protest against any attempt by the Israelis to arrest them.
"If Israel chooses to forcibly stop and search our ships, we will not forcibly resist," they said. "If we are arrested and brought to Israel, we will protest and prosecute our kidnapping in the appropriate forums ... It is our purpose to show the power that ordinary citizens have when they organise to stand against injustice.""
The Guardian, Saturday August 23 2008
"Israel last night warned an attempt by peace activists to sail two wooden boats to the Gaza Strip was a "provocation" and said it would prevent them reaching their destination.
A group of 46 activists set sail yesterday morning from Cyprus and were hoping to reach Gaza later today to challenge the economic blockade Israel has imposed on the strip and to deliver a cargo of 200 hearing aids for a deaf school and 5,000 balloons. Among those on board is a Catholic nun, aged 81, the British journalist Yvonne Ridley and Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of Tony Blair......
Another passenger, Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian with Israeli and US citizenship, said: "The siege that the Israelis have imposed on Gaza is not only illegal in terms of international law, it is also immoral. Global institutions and the governments of the world know what is happening and are not doing anything about it.".....
In a statement issued as they departed yesterday, the activists said they would lodge a legal protest against any attempt by the Israelis to arrest them.
"If Israel chooses to forcibly stop and search our ships, we will not forcibly resist," they said. "If we are arrested and brought to Israel, we will protest and prosecute our kidnapping in the appropriate forums ... It is our purpose to show the power that ordinary citizens have when they organise to stand against injustice.""
No comments:
Post a Comment