Vessel - the Rachel Corrie
Carrying humanitarian cargo for Gaza




Saturday, 5 June 2010


The Irish-Malaysian Rachel Corrie vessel is believed to be proceeding unimpeded towards Gaza, despite being shadowed by two Israeli navy ships.


Earlier, there were conflicting reports that the vessel carrying humanitarian aid was boarded by the Israeli military - a claim denied by members of the Free Gaza Movement.


The Israeli army says that the crew of the Rachel Corrie has ignored an order to stop and divert to Israel and that troops on board several Israeli boats are now getting ready to board her.



Earlier, a member of the Rachel Corrie crew claimed that the Israel Defense Forces had jammed its radar system but that the vessel was still continuing towards Gaza.


Israel is insisting it will not allow this to happen.


Last night it offered to take the Rachel Corrie to the Israeli port of Ashdod, unload the cargo and truck it to Gaza.


This offer was rejected by the Free Gaza Movement, which opposes the Israeli blockade.


A counter-offer to have the cargo checked at sea under UN supervision was turned down by the Israelis.


The Rachel Corrie is now only a few dozen miles from Gaza but it is apparently only a matter of time before the IDF moves in to stop it.


Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin yesterday said the Irish Government believes the Rachel Corrie should be allowed to reach Gaza and unload its humanitarian cargo.


Blockade

Israel this week said it was absolutely determined to maintain its blockade of the Palestinian territory of 1.5m people, citing fears that arms supplies could reach Hamas by sea.


On Monday, Israeli navy commandos stormed a Turkish ship, part of the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, killing at least nine people and triggering international condemnation.


In Washington, the White House has said Israel's blockade of Gaza was unsustainable but urged the Gaza aid vessel to divert to an Israeli port to reduce the risk of violence.


'We are working urgently with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other international partners to develop new procedures for delivering more goods and assistance to Gaza,' Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said yesterday.


'The current arrangements are unsustainable and must be changed. For now, we call on all parties to join us in encouraging responsible decisions by all sides to avoid any unnecessary confrontations,' he said in a statement.


Meanwhile, autopsy results on the nine dead Turkish activists from Monday's raid showed they had been shot a total of 30 times, many at close range, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported today.


Five were killed by gunshots to the head, it said.


In addition to those killed, 48 others received gunshot wounds and six activists are still missing.


Turkey, Israel's only Muslim ally, has threatened to rethink its entire relationship.


Thousands of protestors sang Turkey's praises at demonstrations in Egypt and Lebanon yesterday.