ISTANBUL?? An international group of pro-Palestinian activists has set sail from Turkey aboard two boats aiming to run an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, organizers said on Wednesday.
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The 27 activists on board the vessels are drawn from Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United States, and include Palestinians. The hope to reach Gaza "in a matter of days," one activist said.
"The Canadian ship Tahrir and Irish ship Saoirse have successfully reached international waters, initiating "Freedom Wave to Gaza". The boats have embarked from Turkey and are on the Mediterranean Sea," the organizers from UStoGaza group said in an e-mailed statement.
An Israeli official warned that "they will not be allowed to breach the blockade.
"The blockade is on, and no exceptions will be made," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that Israel "will take whatever measures will be necessary."
The latest challenge to Israel's blockade of the Palestinian enclave comes during a period of heightened tension in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey was angered by Israel's refusal to apologize for the killing of nine Turks when Israeli commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara aid vessel in 2010.
It was also disappointed by the conclusions released in August of a U.N. enquiry into the incident, and has increased its naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.
A Turkish foreign ministry official confirmed that two boats had set sail from Turkey's southern coast, having asked for permission to go to the Greek island of Rhodes.
The official said the vessels were not Turkish-flagged, had no Turkish passengers and the captains were not Turkish.
Activists tried to send another flotilla to Gaza in June, but all nine vessels were stopped.
They were intercepted or stopped from leaving port, suffered suspicious damage before sailing, or pulled out amid speculation that their organizers had succumbed to political pressure.
The Irish ship Saoirse, a converted yacht, was one of the vessels that was damaged before it could set sail then. Paul Murphy, a socialist member of the European Parliament, was among the activists on board the Saoirse this time too.
"This ship to Gaza is another response to the call from people within Gaza to try to break the siege they suffer under," Murphy wrote in a blog post.
The UStoGaza statement quoted several Americans on board the Tahrir, a ship that's about the size of a small ferry.
"We carry inspiration from the Arab Spring and the worldwide 'Occupy' movements that are demanding freedom and justice," said Ann Wright, described in the statement as a former U.S. Army officer and diplomat. "Where governments fail, civil society must act."
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45136068/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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