Disappeared News: Flotilla season

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Flotilla season

by Larry Geller

I’m not sure I can keep up with the announcements.

Jewish flotilla to break Gaza siege
German Jewish group prepares flotilla to protest Israel's blockade on Gaza. 'Activists frightened, but not by Hamas,' member of organization says [ynet News, Jewish flotilla to break Gaza siege, 6/6/2010]

This from the UK:

Galloway announces new land and sea convoys to break the siege of Gaza

Speaking at a demonstration in London which organisers estimated to be more than 20,000 strong, George Galloway announced new land and sea convoys to break the siege of Gaza.

“After extensive discussion in Istanbul,” said Galloway, “I can announce that a land convoy will leave Britain shortly after the end of Ramadan in September and travel through Europe, down through Turkey and Syria into Jordan. We will ask the Egyptian government then to ensure passage from the port of Aqaba to Rafah and into Gaza.
“At exactly the same time a flotilla of boats will be leaving to tour the countries of the Mediterranean before heading for Gaza [Tower Hamlets Respect,
Galloway announces new land and sea convoys to break the siege of Gaza, 6/6/2010]

Of course Isreal can continue boarding and taking over these convoys. But this next item is a bit more scary:

IRGC ready to escort Gaza aid ships

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has expressed readiness to escort aid convoys seeking to pierce the three-year Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The announcement comes nearly one week after Israeli navy commandoes killed nine activists onboard the Turkish flagship of the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla, a convoy of nine ships carrying aid to the impoverished Palestinians trapped inside the enclave since 2007.
"In the wake of (last week's) unfair attack, it is Iran's duty to defend the innocent people of Gaza," Mehr News Agency, quoted Ali Shirazi, the Leader's representative in the IRGC naval forces, as saying on Sunday. [PressTV, IRGC ready to escort Gaza aid ships, 6/6/2010]

This one is not exact a convoy:

Arab solidarity mission en route to Gaza

An Arab delegation heads for Gaza with a message of solidarity after Israel's carnage of the activists who sought to break Tel Aviv's siege of the coastal strip.

The 47-member group from the Arab Parliament, an organ of the Arab League (AL), left for the Gaza Strip on Sunday, DPA reported. [PressTV, Arab solidarity mission en route to Gaza. 6/6/2010]

There are also splits showing both in the Israeli diaspora and even within Israel.

Israel Navy reserves officers: Allow external Gaza flotilla probe
Officers denounce operation as 'military and diplomatic failure', slam government for placing blame on the activists.
A group of top Israel Navy reserves officers on Sunday publicly called on Israel to allow an external probe into its commando raid of a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla last week, which left nine people dead and several more wounded.
In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, the Navy officers denounced the commando raid as having "ended in tragedy both at the military and diplomatic levels."
…
"First and foremost, we protest the fact that responsibility for the tragic results was immediately thrust onto the organizers of the flotilla," wrote the officers. "This demonstrates contempt for the responsibility that belongs principally to the hierarchy of commanders and those who approved the mission. This shows contempt for the values of professionalism, the purity of weapons and for human lives." [Haaretz, Israel Navy reserves officers: Allow external Gaza flotilla probe, 6/6/2010]