DIPLOMACY 1 July 2009, 6:52PM
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The Green Party have called for the Israeli government to immediately release humanitarians from several countries detained, reportedly in international waters, while bringing an aid shipment to the Gaza strip.
The crew of the relief boat Spirit of Humanity say they were in international waters when taken prisoner by the Israeli navy on Monday.
Aboard the Spirit of Humanity were several prominent people, including Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire and the Green candidate in last year's US presidential election, Cynthia Mckinney - a former Congresswoman.
The Spirit of Humanity was carrying medical supplies, olive trees and children’s toys for distribution in Gaza in an effort to assist those whose homes and lives had been torn apart by the Israeli bombing campaign and invasion in December and January.
Green Foreign Affairs spokesperson MP Keith Locke has written to the Israeli government in protest.
"It is unacceptable to stop an aid boat, especially if it was in international waters, and it is callous to deny the people of Gaza the humanitarian aid the ship was bringing.
"Yesterday the Red Cross said, in a hard-hitting report, that the two-year blockade of Gaza has left people struggling to survive and that the citizens of Gaza are sliding into despair.
"Thousands of Gazans remain homeless after Israel's 22-day January offensive because Israel won't allow in the materials to rebuild their destroyed homes,” said Mr Locke.
"New Zealand should support the call this month by key United Nations agencies and NGOs for an end to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is bringing such suffering to nearly 1.5 million people."
Link to UN call for end to blockade of Gaza:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31174&Cr=gaza&Cr1
Link to the Red Cross report on Gaza
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/palestine-report-260609
COMMENTS
The Free Gaza Movement
June 30, 2009
Today Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate. “President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
According to an International Committee of the Red Cross report released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. The report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.
“The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught of “Cast Lead”. Our mission is a gesture to the people of Gaza that we stand by them and that they are not alone” said fellow passenger Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland.
Just before being kidnapped by Israel, Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator on this voyage, stated that: “No one could possibly believe that our small boat constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and reconstruction supplies, and children’s toys. Our passengers include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S. congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach Israeli waters.”
Arraf continued, “Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand our immediate and unconditional release.”
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