mjnaushad
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The ships will go the waters of GAZA....Israel have no right to block waters of GAZA....Its illegally blocking sea routes of Gaza.
New boats headed to Gaza to challenge blockade
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mjnaushad
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Israel is illegally controlling waters routes of Gaza....Israel have no rights to enter those waters.TSI voilating the international laws 24/7.
qaisar52
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There was an article 5 years ago. That if Israel go for Full Scale war with Iran, Egypt or Turkey Israel destroy himself in this war. As due that fact Israel is very small ans any country if he entered Israel will attack first his Nuclear arsenal area and if one incident went wrong means one nuke went off in Israeli land Israel and neighbor country automatically will be destroyed.
What is your Opinion on that?
What is your Opinion on that?
they dont need to use Nuke, they use the Americans.
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Irish ship on collision course with Israeli navy near Gaza
The 'Rachel Corrie,' the Irish-owned ship with Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire on board, continued to sail towards Gaza waters despite Israel making it clear they were giving no guarantees about its safety.
Maguire said the deaths of ten flotilla members at the hands of Israeli commandos had not deterred her of her fellow Irish blockade-runners. "We’re not frightened, no," she said in an interview.
Meanwhile, Ireland's leader warned that the Irish government was watching the fate of the 'Rachel Corrie' very closely.
"If any harm comes to any of our citizens, it will have the most serious consequences," Prime Minister Brian Cowen said.
The Rachel Corrie, called after an American activist who died protesting Israeli actions, had been left behind the main flotilla in Cyprus for repairs and is only now approaching Gaza.
On board the boat is an aid cargo of cement, medical equipment (including a CT scanner) printing paper, schoolbooks and toys.
The ship, which was bought by the Irish Free Gaza Movement and refitted after it was abandoned in port at Dundalk, County Louth, is now heading for a showdown with the Israeli navy.
But Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin confirmed to the Irish parliament that he had received no undertaking from Israel that the 'Rachel Corrie' would be given safe passage.
"In terms of the 'Rachel Corrie', we have received no assurances other than that the ambassador has conveyed to us that the Israeli government does not want conflict or confrontation with the 'Rachel Corrie'. So one would hope that a different mindset will prevail," he said.
Martin warned the Israeli government he would take "appropriate diplomatic action" if the ship was not allowed through.
"We will be watching this situation very closely and it is imperative that Israel avoid any action which leads to further bloodshed," he said.
Prime Minister Brian Cowen reinforced the message by saying Israel "did not have a leg to stand on" and warned there would be "serious consequences" if the Irish crewmembers of the 'Rachel Corrie' were harmed.
Irish ship on collision course with Israeli navy near Gaza | Irish News | IrishCentral
The 'Rachel Corrie,' the Irish-owned ship with Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire on board, continued to sail towards Gaza waters despite Israel making it clear they were giving no guarantees about its safety.
Maguire said the deaths of ten flotilla members at the hands of Israeli commandos had not deterred her of her fellow Irish blockade-runners. "We’re not frightened, no," she said in an interview.
Meanwhile, Ireland's leader warned that the Irish government was watching the fate of the 'Rachel Corrie' very closely.
"If any harm comes to any of our citizens, it will have the most serious consequences," Prime Minister Brian Cowen said.
The Rachel Corrie, called after an American activist who died protesting Israeli actions, had been left behind the main flotilla in Cyprus for repairs and is only now approaching Gaza.
On board the boat is an aid cargo of cement, medical equipment (including a CT scanner) printing paper, schoolbooks and toys.
The ship, which was bought by the Irish Free Gaza Movement and refitted after it was abandoned in port at Dundalk, County Louth, is now heading for a showdown with the Israeli navy.
But Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin confirmed to the Irish parliament that he had received no undertaking from Israel that the 'Rachel Corrie' would be given safe passage.
"In terms of the 'Rachel Corrie', we have received no assurances other than that the ambassador has conveyed to us that the Israeli government does not want conflict or confrontation with the 'Rachel Corrie'. So one would hope that a different mindset will prevail," he said.
Martin warned the Israeli government he would take "appropriate diplomatic action" if the ship was not allowed through.
"We will be watching this situation very closely and it is imperative that Israel avoid any action which leads to further bloodshed," he said.
Prime Minister Brian Cowen reinforced the message by saying Israel "did not have a leg to stand on" and warned there would be "serious consequences" if the Irish crewmembers of the 'Rachel Corrie' were harmed.
Irish ship on collision course with Israeli navy near Gaza | Irish News | IrishCentral
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Israel Navy prepares to confront more ships
Tel Aviv, June 3 (ANI): The Israel Navy will likely choose the same unit - Flotilla (Shayetet) 13 - to lead a commandeering operation of the ships expected to try to break the sea blockade of Gaza later this week, the Jerusalem Post quoted defense officials, as saying on Wednesday.
"No other unit has the capabilities that the shayetet has in boarding and commandeering ships in the middle of the ocean.
They are the best unit for the operation," one defense official said.
The navy has been tracking the two new ships - one carrying cargo and the other about three dozen passengers - as they make their approach to Israel from near Libya.
Navy assessments are that the ships will reach Israeli waters toward the end of the week.
One of the ships, a private Irish 1,200-ton freighter, is named for Rachel Corrie, an American college student crushed to death in 2003 by an IDF bulldozer while protesting house demolitions in the Gaza Strip. It is carrying wheelchairs, medical supplies and concrete.
The ship was supposed to join the aid flotilla that the navy stopped early Monday, but it was delayed by mechanical problems. On Wednesday it was still several hundred kilometers west of Gaza along the Libyan coast.
Navy sources said that the commandos would be better prepared to handle potential violent resistance when boarding the two ships.
"If needed, we will be more aggressive when boarding," one source said.(ANI)
Israel Navy prepares to confront more ships
Tel Aviv, June 3 (ANI): The Israel Navy will likely choose the same unit - Flotilla (Shayetet) 13 - to lead a commandeering operation of the ships expected to try to break the sea blockade of Gaza later this week, the Jerusalem Post quoted defense officials, as saying on Wednesday.
"No other unit has the capabilities that the shayetet has in boarding and commandeering ships in the middle of the ocean.
They are the best unit for the operation," one defense official said.
The navy has been tracking the two new ships - one carrying cargo and the other about three dozen passengers - as they make their approach to Israel from near Libya.
Navy assessments are that the ships will reach Israeli waters toward the end of the week.
One of the ships, a private Irish 1,200-ton freighter, is named for Rachel Corrie, an American college student crushed to death in 2003 by an IDF bulldozer while protesting house demolitions in the Gaza Strip. It is carrying wheelchairs, medical supplies and concrete.
The ship was supposed to join the aid flotilla that the navy stopped early Monday, but it was delayed by mechanical problems. On Wednesday it was still several hundred kilometers west of Gaza along the Libyan coast.
Navy sources said that the commandos would be better prepared to handle potential violent resistance when boarding the two ships.
"If needed, we will be more aggressive when boarding," one source said.(ANI)
Israel Navy prepares to confront more ships
vishal_gutsy11
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The Gaza Flotillas Skirmish At Sea Diverted Attention From Hezbollahs Weapons Imports
Dr. Walid Phares
At first glance, the takeover by the Israeli Navy of the humanitarian flotilla heading towards Gaza is just one more of the disputed crises between Israel and its foes. As in all previous incidents, the spiral of accusations will eventually reach bottom. While media attention will highlight the tactical events seizure of the ships, rules of engagement, who fired first, the legal location of the incident and the other dramatic details the rapidly expanding debate will soon reach the strategic intent of the flotilla. After all the governments involved issue their condemnations and warnings in all directions, after the UN conferences and issues a statement and international forums mobilize to indict their predictably targeted foe in this case Israel the question unavoidably will be: why is there a flotilla heading towards a military zone, and what is the ultimate goal of the operation?
According to the organizers of the Free Gaza network which enjoys the support of Hamas and its backers in Damascus and Tehran but also of governments considered in the West as mainstream such as the AKP of Turkey and the oil rich Qatar, this vast coalition of regimes and organizations assert that the aim of the 700 militants and activists was to pierce the encirclement of Gaza and lift the naval blockade of the enclave. Hence the actual goal of the humanitarian effort is to relieve Hamas, not to ensure aid to the civilians trapped in the strip. For if aid and comfort was the sole objective of the operation, the material would have been calmly handed to the United Nations agencies which would have forwarded it to the network of humanitarian associations and NGOs inside the afflicted zone. Either Egypt or Israel would have checked it and would have, under international obligation, sent it across the cease fire lines.
But the organizers of the flotilla, a vast coalition supporting the Jihadist organization based in Gaza, aimed clearly at a geopolitical gain: open a maritime path for Hamas to receive strategic support from the outside and solidify its grip over the enclave. Spokespersons for the flotilla would obviously deny the long term goal and focus on the humanitarian stated agenda. But had the architects of the initiative added a global plan to solve the crisis in Gaza, one would have given credit to the humanitarian version of the story. From Ankara to Doha, from Damascus to Tehran, policy planners are aiming at reaching their piece of Palestine, ironically at the expense of the Palestinian national authority.
Indeed, beyond the evaluation on tactical or legal grounds and who should be blamed, the picture on the strategic level is much more ominous. The launching of the flotilla timed up with two major developments, one by the moderates in the region backed by the United States and the international community and the other by the radicals in the region led by Iran and Syria. After repeated attempts to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the table of negotiations over the past few months, Washington was close to achieving that goal with the help of moderate Arab governments and the European Union. The Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government were on their way to a sit down direct or indirect to proceed at an advanced stage in the process. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other players were blessing the move cautiously. But this process was moving outside the control of Iran and Syria and their protégés in Gaza.
Hence sending activists via high seas to break the encirclement of Hamas was part of collapsing US and international efforts to resume the peace talks. Indeed as we all know, once the radicals trigger (and organize) a wave of Jihadism in the media and streets, no moderate will show up for discussions. And thats what is happening as of today: a spiraling crumbling of the latest chance for peace talks.
This is not new: It is a modified repeat of previous manipulated incidents: The Hezbollah War in 2006, the Hamas coup of 2007, the Gaza war in 2008 and many similar successful maneuvers in the 1990s: obstructing the peace process by using militants wearing peace jackets. But the more ominous development this flotilla is camouflaging is a real land fleet bringing missiles and advanced weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to the Bekaa Valley.
Over the past weeks reports have abounded about Iranian long-range missiles shipped via Syria to Hezbollah and satellite images have shown terror bases in the vicinity of Damascus growing under Baathist protection. As soon as the attention of the international community began to focus on the flow of strategic weapons to Hezbollah, the brotherhood of regimes unleashed the Gaza flotilla across the Mediterranean. Seasoned geopolitical experts would rationally link the move to create an incident off the coasts of Gaza with the move to equipping Hezbollah with lethal missiles.
In the end were looking at two flotillas, the maritime one in the south being only a decoy for the land fleet to achieve its goal of war preparations, in the north.
Dr Walid Phares is a professor of Global Strategies and the author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad. He is a contributor to FamilySecurityMatters.org.
Dr. Walid Phares
At first glance, the takeover by the Israeli Navy of the humanitarian flotilla heading towards Gaza is just one more of the disputed crises between Israel and its foes. As in all previous incidents, the spiral of accusations will eventually reach bottom. While media attention will highlight the tactical events seizure of the ships, rules of engagement, who fired first, the legal location of the incident and the other dramatic details the rapidly expanding debate will soon reach the strategic intent of the flotilla. After all the governments involved issue their condemnations and warnings in all directions, after the UN conferences and issues a statement and international forums mobilize to indict their predictably targeted foe in this case Israel the question unavoidably will be: why is there a flotilla heading towards a military zone, and what is the ultimate goal of the operation?
According to the organizers of the Free Gaza network which enjoys the support of Hamas and its backers in Damascus and Tehran but also of governments considered in the West as mainstream such as the AKP of Turkey and the oil rich Qatar, this vast coalition of regimes and organizations assert that the aim of the 700 militants and activists was to pierce the encirclement of Gaza and lift the naval blockade of the enclave. Hence the actual goal of the humanitarian effort is to relieve Hamas, not to ensure aid to the civilians trapped in the strip. For if aid and comfort was the sole objective of the operation, the material would have been calmly handed to the United Nations agencies which would have forwarded it to the network of humanitarian associations and NGOs inside the afflicted zone. Either Egypt or Israel would have checked it and would have, under international obligation, sent it across the cease fire lines.
But the organizers of the flotilla, a vast coalition supporting the Jihadist organization based in Gaza, aimed clearly at a geopolitical gain: open a maritime path for Hamas to receive strategic support from the outside and solidify its grip over the enclave. Spokespersons for the flotilla would obviously deny the long term goal and focus on the humanitarian stated agenda. But had the architects of the initiative added a global plan to solve the crisis in Gaza, one would have given credit to the humanitarian version of the story. From Ankara to Doha, from Damascus to Tehran, policy planners are aiming at reaching their piece of Palestine, ironically at the expense of the Palestinian national authority.
Indeed, beyond the evaluation on tactical or legal grounds and who should be blamed, the picture on the strategic level is much more ominous. The launching of the flotilla timed up with two major developments, one by the moderates in the region backed by the United States and the international community and the other by the radicals in the region led by Iran and Syria. After repeated attempts to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the table of negotiations over the past few months, Washington was close to achieving that goal with the help of moderate Arab governments and the European Union. The Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government were on their way to a sit down direct or indirect to proceed at an advanced stage in the process. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other players were blessing the move cautiously. But this process was moving outside the control of Iran and Syria and their protégés in Gaza.
Hence sending activists via high seas to break the encirclement of Hamas was part of collapsing US and international efforts to resume the peace talks. Indeed as we all know, once the radicals trigger (and organize) a wave of Jihadism in the media and streets, no moderate will show up for discussions. And thats what is happening as of today: a spiraling crumbling of the latest chance for peace talks.
This is not new: It is a modified repeat of previous manipulated incidents: The Hezbollah War in 2006, the Hamas coup of 2007, the Gaza war in 2008 and many similar successful maneuvers in the 1990s: obstructing the peace process by using militants wearing peace jackets. But the more ominous development this flotilla is camouflaging is a real land fleet bringing missiles and advanced weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to the Bekaa Valley.
Over the past weeks reports have abounded about Iranian long-range missiles shipped via Syria to Hezbollah and satellite images have shown terror bases in the vicinity of Damascus growing under Baathist protection. As soon as the attention of the international community began to focus on the flow of strategic weapons to Hezbollah, the brotherhood of regimes unleashed the Gaza flotilla across the Mediterranean. Seasoned geopolitical experts would rationally link the move to create an incident off the coasts of Gaza with the move to equipping Hezbollah with lethal missiles.
In the end were looking at two flotillas, the maritime one in the south being only a decoy for the land fleet to achieve its goal of war preparations, in the north.
Dr Walid Phares is a professor of Global Strategies and the author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad. He is a contributor to FamilySecurityMatters.org.
Marxist
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Activist: Ship could near Gaza by late Friday
A spokeswoman for a pro-Palestinian group says a cargo ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza could reach Israel's 20-mile (32-kilometer) exclusion zone by late afternoon Friday.
Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza group says the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie is heading directly to Gaza and will not stop in any port on the way. It is trying to deliver hundreds of tons of aid including building materials and medical supplies.
The cargo ship is trying to run the blockade four days after an Israeli commando raid on a larger flotilla of aid ships resulted in the death of nine activists aboard a Turkish ship.
Activist: Ship could near Gaza by late Friday - KansasCity.com
A spokeswoman for a pro-Palestinian group says a cargo ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza could reach Israel's 20-mile (32-kilometer) exclusion zone by late afternoon Friday.
Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza group says the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie is heading directly to Gaza and will not stop in any port on the way. It is trying to deliver hundreds of tons of aid including building materials and medical supplies.
The cargo ship is trying to run the blockade four days after an Israeli commando raid on a larger flotilla of aid ships resulted in the death of nine activists aboard a Turkish ship.
Activist: Ship could near Gaza by late Friday - KansasCity.com
Marxist
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Crew: 'Rachel Corrie' to arrive in Gaza within 24 hours
Despite reports that the aid ship "Rachel Corrie" may turn back due to malfunctions discovered on two accompanying vessels that are carrying reporters, the aid ship's crew said Friday it is due to arrive in Gaza within 24 hours.
Earlier, Audrey Bomse, one of the organizers of the Gaza aid flotilla told Ynet that following Israel's sabotage of press vessels meant to follow the "Rachel Corrie" en route to the Hamas-ruled territory, her group intends on calling the vessel back to Ireland, pending repairs.
Bomse, the Free Gaza movement's legal advisor, noted that her group has not been able to contact the ship since late Thursday night, adding it may indicate that Israel sabotaged the radio system.
However, another activist aboard the "Rachel Corrie" said he was not aware of any change in the original plan and that the vessel is continuing its voyage to Gaza.
Bomse told Ynet that as the ship left Cyprus a malfunction was detected in two of the accompanying vessels, Challenger 1 and Challenger 2. She said Challenger 1, which carried reporters, sustained more severe damage that will take weeks to repair, and the organizers realized the vessel could not join the flotilla. At this point, Bomse said, the organizers instructed the "Rachel Corrie" to turn around. Challenger 2 is currently docked in Cyprus, she told Ynet.
According to Bomse, Israel admitted to resorting to "grey" measures to stop the flotilla.
On Thursday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a special session held by the forum of top seven government ministers that Israel will not allow any ships to reach the Gaza Strip.
"We shall not allow the ships to reach Gaza. Not now and not later on. We intend to direct the Rachel Corrie ship to the Ashdod Port and transfer its civilian goods to Gaza following a security check," he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli security personnel are continuing to unload the humanitarian supplies from the Gaza-bound aid vessels that were seized Monday. The supplies include clothes, blankets, mattresses, and medicines, some of which have expired over a year ago.
Israel said the cargo also contained camouflage fabrics meant for Hamas terrorists in Gaza, adding that the Palestinians are continuing to delay the transfer of the supplies to Gaza.
Crew: 'Rachel Corrie' to arrive in Gaza within 24 hours - Israel News, Ynetnews
Despite reports that the aid ship "Rachel Corrie" may turn back due to malfunctions discovered on two accompanying vessels that are carrying reporters, the aid ship's crew said Friday it is due to arrive in Gaza within 24 hours.
Earlier, Audrey Bomse, one of the organizers of the Gaza aid flotilla told Ynet that following Israel's sabotage of press vessels meant to follow the "Rachel Corrie" en route to the Hamas-ruled territory, her group intends on calling the vessel back to Ireland, pending repairs.
Bomse, the Free Gaza movement's legal advisor, noted that her group has not been able to contact the ship since late Thursday night, adding it may indicate that Israel sabotaged the radio system.
However, another activist aboard the "Rachel Corrie" said he was not aware of any change in the original plan and that the vessel is continuing its voyage to Gaza.
Bomse told Ynet that as the ship left Cyprus a malfunction was detected in two of the accompanying vessels, Challenger 1 and Challenger 2. She said Challenger 1, which carried reporters, sustained more severe damage that will take weeks to repair, and the organizers realized the vessel could not join the flotilla. At this point, Bomse said, the organizers instructed the "Rachel Corrie" to turn around. Challenger 2 is currently docked in Cyprus, she told Ynet.
According to Bomse, Israel admitted to resorting to "grey" measures to stop the flotilla.
On Thursday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a special session held by the forum of top seven government ministers that Israel will not allow any ships to reach the Gaza Strip.
"We shall not allow the ships to reach Gaza. Not now and not later on. We intend to direct the Rachel Corrie ship to the Ashdod Port and transfer its civilian goods to Gaza following a security check," he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli security personnel are continuing to unload the humanitarian supplies from the Gaza-bound aid vessels that were seized Monday. The supplies include clothes, blankets, mattresses, and medicines, some of which have expired over a year ago.
Israel said the cargo also contained camouflage fabrics meant for Hamas terrorists in Gaza, adding that the Palestinians are continuing to delay the transfer of the supplies to Gaza.
Crew: 'Rachel Corrie' to arrive in Gaza within 24 hours - Israel News, Ynetnews
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Contact lost with Gaza aid boat, 'sabotage' blamed
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
JERUSALEM — Organisers of the Gaza flotilla said they lost contact with the Gaza-bound MV Rachel Corrie on Friday just as they are seeking to delay the latest bid to bust the embargo with an aid-laden ship.
"The situation is we lost all contact with the boat. We assume this was sabotage by the Israelis," said Audrey Bomse of the Free Gaza Movement.
The aid-laden cargo ship carrying Irish and Malaysian activists had set course for a Saturday arrival in Gaza despite warnings by Israel which deployed commandos to halt another six boats on Monday in a botched operation that left nine activists dead.
"As a result of these threats, we're going to pull Rachel Corrie into a port, add more high-profile people on board, and insist that journalists from around the world also come with us," Bomse said.
But organisers said they couldn't communicate the decision to those aboard the vessel, who include an Irish Nobel peace laureate.
"We're hoping communications get turned back on so we can inform them of the decision," Bomse told AFP.
On Thursday afternoon, organisers said the Rachel Corrie was about 250 miles (400 kilometres) from the spot in international waters where six boats were boarded in Monday's raid by Israeli commandos.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
JERUSALEM — Organisers of the Gaza flotilla said they lost contact with the Gaza-bound MV Rachel Corrie on Friday just as they are seeking to delay the latest bid to bust the embargo with an aid-laden ship.
"The situation is we lost all contact with the boat. We assume this was sabotage by the Israelis," said Audrey Bomse of the Free Gaza Movement.
The aid-laden cargo ship carrying Irish and Malaysian activists had set course for a Saturday arrival in Gaza despite warnings by Israel which deployed commandos to halt another six boats on Monday in a botched operation that left nine activists dead.
"As a result of these threats, we're going to pull Rachel Corrie into a port, add more high-profile people on board, and insist that journalists from around the world also come with us," Bomse said.
But organisers said they couldn't communicate the decision to those aboard the vessel, who include an Irish Nobel peace laureate.
"We're hoping communications get turned back on so we can inform them of the decision," Bomse told AFP.
On Thursday afternoon, organisers said the Rachel Corrie was about 250 miles (400 kilometres) from the spot in international waters where six boats were boarded in Monday's raid by Israeli commandos.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
My-Analogous
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Why do you need a support every time you try to do something....lol.
Because we donn't have Sunny doel
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Rachel Corrie with M'sians on board nears Israel's exclusion zone
ISTANBUL: A cargo ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza could reach Israel's 20-mile (32-kilometer) exclusion zone by late Friday or early Saturday, an activist said, and Israel's prime minister has vowed the ship will not reach land.
Their dueling comments suggest a potential new clash over Israel's three-year-old blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip - and come only four days after an Israeli commando raid on a larger aid flotilla left nine activists dead.
Greta Berlin, a spokesman for the Free Gaza group, says the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie is heading directly to Gaza and will not stop in any port on the way.
It is trying to deliver hundreds of tons of aid including wheelchairs, medical supplies and concrete.
There are six Malaysians on board the Irish vessel named after an American college student crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer while protesting house demolitions in Gaza.
Israel will not allow the aid ship to reach Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told senior Cabinet ministers late Thursday.
According to a participant in the meeting, he said Israel made several offers to direct the ship to an Israeli port, where the aid supplies would be unloaded, inspected and transferred to Gaza overland, but the offers were rejected.
Netanyahu has ordered his military to prevent the ship from reaching Gaza, but he also instructed them to act with sensitivity and avoid harm to those on board the ship, the participant said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.
In Istanbul, Turkey's deputy prime minister said Friday that economic and defense cooperation with Israel will be reduced amid tensions after the killing of nine Turkish activists by Israeli commandos on an aid ship.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said all deals with Israel are being evaluated.
"We are serious on this issue. New cooperation will not start and relations with Israel will be reduced," he said.
The deaths on the aid ship increased tensions in the Mideast, especially with Turkey, an important ally of Israel. On Thursday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel's actions "a historic mistake."
Israel maintains the commandos opened fire as a last resort after they were attacked, and released a video showing soldiers in riot gear descending from a helicopter into a crowd of men with clubs.
Three or four activists overpowered each soldier as he landed.
Returning activists admitted fighting with the Israelis but insisted their actions were in self-defense because the ships were being boarded in international waters by a military force.
Israel has rejected demands for an international panel to investigate the incident and Netanyahu has hotly rejected calls to lift the blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, insisting it prevents missile attacks on Israel. - AP
Rachel Corrie with M'sians on board nears Israel's exclusion zone
ISTANBUL: A cargo ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza could reach Israel's 20-mile (32-kilometer) exclusion zone by late Friday or early Saturday, an activist said, and Israel's prime minister has vowed the ship will not reach land.
Their dueling comments suggest a potential new clash over Israel's three-year-old blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip - and come only four days after an Israeli commando raid on a larger aid flotilla left nine activists dead.
Greta Berlin, a spokesman for the Free Gaza group, says the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie is heading directly to Gaza and will not stop in any port on the way.
It is trying to deliver hundreds of tons of aid including wheelchairs, medical supplies and concrete.
There are six Malaysians on board the Irish vessel named after an American college student crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer while protesting house demolitions in Gaza.
Israel will not allow the aid ship to reach Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told senior Cabinet ministers late Thursday.
According to a participant in the meeting, he said Israel made several offers to direct the ship to an Israeli port, where the aid supplies would be unloaded, inspected and transferred to Gaza overland, but the offers were rejected.
Netanyahu has ordered his military to prevent the ship from reaching Gaza, but he also instructed them to act with sensitivity and avoid harm to those on board the ship, the participant said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.
In Istanbul, Turkey's deputy prime minister said Friday that economic and defense cooperation with Israel will be reduced amid tensions after the killing of nine Turkish activists by Israeli commandos on an aid ship.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said all deals with Israel are being evaluated.
"We are serious on this issue. New cooperation will not start and relations with Israel will be reduced," he said.
The deaths on the aid ship increased tensions in the Mideast, especially with Turkey, an important ally of Israel. On Thursday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel's actions "a historic mistake."
Israel maintains the commandos opened fire as a last resort after they were attacked, and released a video showing soldiers in riot gear descending from a helicopter into a crowd of men with clubs.
Three or four activists overpowered each soldier as he landed.
Returning activists admitted fighting with the Israelis but insisted their actions were in self-defense because the ships were being boarded in international waters by a military force.
Israel has rejected demands for an international panel to investigate the incident and Netanyahu has hotly rejected calls to lift the blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, insisting it prevents missile attacks on Israel. - AP
Rachel Corrie with M'sians on board nears Israel's exclusion zone
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‘Rachel Corrie’ expected to approach Gaza waters on Saturday
The Irish cargo ship “Rachel Corrie” is still sailing toward Gaza and is expected to arrive off the coast of the occupied territory Saturday morning, organizers said.
The ship is sailing in international waters fewer than 150 miles from Gaza and “on her way,”
The Hindu : News / International : ‘Rachel Corrie’ expected to approach Gaza waters on Saturday
The Irish cargo ship “Rachel Corrie” is still sailing toward Gaza and is expected to arrive off the coast of the occupied territory Saturday morning, organizers said.
The ship is sailing in international waters fewer than 150 miles from Gaza and “on her way,”
The Hindu : News / International : ‘Rachel Corrie’ expected to approach Gaza waters on Saturday
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