Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Free Gaza Boats Break Israeli Siege, Enter Palestinian National Waters, Besieged Gazans Impatiently Waiting

ccun.org, August 23, 2008, 10:15 am ET


Salute to the freedom fighters who broke the brutal Israeli siege of Gaza Strip.

Arabic TV stations have been broadcasting live the courageous trip from Cyprus to Gaza, which has been organized by the Free Gaza Movement.

This humanitarian mission is the first attempt to break the Israeli occupation government siege of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza Strip, which made them real prisoners for more than two years.

The two boats will arrive in Gaza within an hour or two, carrying badly needed humanitarian supplies for the Palestinian people.

During the Israeli occupation government siege of the Gaza Strip, the 1.5 million Palestinians there suffered from shortages of food, medicine, electricity, and basic humanitarian needs.

Palestinians of Gaza were also prevented from travel whether leaving Gaza Strip or returning to it.

While this siege was happening, world governments and leaders ignored the plight of the Palestinian people, succumbing to the Zionist Israeli hegemony in the world system.

Shame! Shame! Shame!


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Khudari: Break siege ships approaching Palestinian territorial waters

[ 23/08/2008 - 09:03 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the chairman of the popular anti siege committee, told a press conference in Gaza city on Saturday that the two ships carrying foreign sympathizers to the Gaza Strip have approached the Palestinian territorial waters.

Khudari warned the Israeli occupation government of harming the two ships "Liberty" and "Free Gaza" who are on a humanitarian mission refusing the Gaza blockade.

He underlined that the two ships lost all contacts for a few hours due to Israeli jamming on their communication devices but restored them later.

Threats against the two ships and their passengers did not terrorize them, he said, noting that the ships managed to bypass a minefield laid by certain parties that tried to block their voyage.

The lawmaker recalled that the foreign sympathizers and their relatives received threats if they continued their cruise to Gaza but they ignored them.

"We will receive them like heroes and we will honor them," he said, adding that boats would head from Gaza to receive the two ships before noon Saturday carrying tens of reporters.

The European campaign to lift the siege on Gaza asked for international protection to those two ships in face of Israeli threats.

The Brussels-based campaign said that the Israeli threats necessitate an official intervention on the part of Europe and the world at large, and warned of serious consequences if Israel carried out its threats.

The IOA on Friday renewed warning to the ships not to set sail to Gaza, describing the trip as "provocative step that Israel would not tolerate".

A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry said that his government was studying all options to deal with the ships but would not give details.

The two ships had set sail from Cyprus on Friday morning and are expected to arrive in Gaza at noon Saturday.

The Ramattan news agency had rented a chopper to follow up entry of the two ships, which carry 46 foreign activists from 17 countries, into Palestinian waters.

Free Gaza expected before dark; Israeli foreign ministry says ships can dock in Gaza

Date: 23 / 08 / 2008  Time:  09:53
Gaza – Ma'an –

The Israeli occupation government will allow the Free Gaza ships to dock in the Gaza port despite earlier warnings from the Foreign Ministry that force might be used to prevent docking.

Israeli press reported their Foreign Ministry spokesman Aviv Shiron as issuing the statement, saying he gave no reason for the change in policy.

Earlier Saturday 11 boats and 20 journalists launched boats from the Gaza beach to meet the Free Gaza ships for their scheduled noon arrival. The boats returned to shore, however, after warning shots were fired around three o'clock, and the siege-breaking vessels were still not within sight.

Problems with navigation equipment which the crew blames on signal-jamming radio waves broadcast by Israel, delayed the arrival of the ships.

Originally expected to dock in the early afternoon, the estimated time of arrival for the wooden boats is between five and seven this evening.

Twenty journalists had launched 11 boats from the Gaza beach in order to receive the Free Gaza ships coming from Cyprus to break the siege, but almost all have returned to shore.

Palestinian citizens have been waiting for the ships to arrive since morning, though they are not in sight yet.

At 10am local time the crew of the Free Gaza released the following statement to the project's organizers:

"The electronic systems which guarantee our safety aboard the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty have been jammed and scrambled. Both ships are flying Greek flags, and are in international waters. We are the victims of electronic piracy. We are currently in GMS P area A2 and we are relying on our satellite communications equipment to make a distress call, if needed.

We are civilians from 17 nations and are on this project to break the siege of Gaza. We are not experienced sailors. As a result, there is concern about the health and safety of the people on board such an emergency develop.

We are currently experiencing rough sea conditions, and we call on the Greek government and the international community to meet their responsibilities and protect the civilians on board our two ships in international waters."

Jamal Al-Khudari, Chairman of the People's committee against the blockade and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), warned Israel against harming the ships, which are carrying international peace activists and medical supplies for the people of Gaza.

He said in a press conference Saturday morning that organizers had lost contact with the ships for several hours during their voyage due to Israeli distortion frequencies that were broadcast. The ships resumed contact with Gaza later on in the early hours of the morning.

Al-Khudari commended the activists for persevering despite the disturbances, and added that the crew had come across water mines as they entered Gaza waters.

"We will meet them and honor them as heroes," said Al-Khudari.

***Updated 16:55 local Bethlehem time

 

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