Come and Join us at the Gloucester Park this
Saturday 31st July from 11:00 to 17:00
for a fun fill afternoon and help raise money for your brothers & sisters in Palestine.
Lots of food for sale
Why not bring some to sell or just come and buy.
We hope to see you there.
Dear all,
They expect to start moving the cargo from the Rachel Corrie at the end of this week, will keep you informed,
all the best,
Niamh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Six weeks after the Freedom Flotilla ships were forcibly boarded in international
waters, their passengers illegally jailed and the cargo impounded by the Israeli
authorities, the office of the United Nations Special Co-
“The cargo finally being processed for delivery this week consists of supplies prevented by Israel from entering Gaza for the last three years. On the MV Rachel Corrie, the cargo ship of the Free Gaza Movement, we were carrying 20 tons of paper, plus pens & books for schools & universities, over 50 tons of medical supplies & 550 tons of cement for Al Shifa Hospital. Instead of docking in Gaza & distributing the supplies to the intended recipients, Israel impounded cargo, searched, then handed over to a reluctant UN , who can give no guarantees that it will get to the intended schools or NGO's." said Niamh Moloughney, coordinator of the Free Gaza Movement – Ireland.
The Rebuilding Alliance, one of the U.S. organizations to place humanitarian cargo
on the Rachel Corrie is none-
“When we first learned of the Freedom Flotilla, we asked our partner NGO’s in Gaza
what we could send that would matter most to them, given the 3 year-
Added Ms. Moloughney, “Israel has insisted that cargo be brought into Ashdod for delivery, but this ignores the overall illegitimacy of Israel's closure policy. It also means that once more Israel profits from its illegal acts. The 'easing' of the blockade means nothing to families whose homes and businesses are still in ruins and allows them only to be consumers of Israeli goods."
The Free Gaza Movement repeats that only a complete end to Israel's punitive closure policy will suffice in starting to repair the economy of this decimated slice of the Mediterranean, the only territory in the world that does not have access to its own sea.
“We ask people throughout the world to press their governments to open Gaza, not just for aid but for movement and trade as well, to truly end the collective punishment of Gaza’s civilian population,” said Huwaida Arraf, chair of the Free Gaza Movement. “That’s why we will continue to send ships to Gaza loaded with civilian supplies Israel refuses to allow into Gaza – and on return, fill our ships with goods from Gaza for export. We look forward to international cooperation in developing a sea route certification system to assure aid, fair trade and the safety of all.”
Israel continues to hold all of the vessels that it illegally commandeered, including the seven ships of the Freedom Flotilla, as well as the Spirit of Humanity, which Israel hijacked in June 2009.
Contact: Niamh Moloughney, +353 857 747 257
Donna Baranski-
Huwaida Arraf, +972-
Niamh Moloughney
Irish Free Gaza Movement Coordinator
085-
www.freegaza.org
www.witnessgaza.com
-
Addition information
Recent UN quotes on the blockade
"The UN position is clear. We expect the blockade to be lifted for a restoration of basic rights for the Gaza population,” John Ging, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, “This political will to end the blockade must be mobilized and turned into action, exploring every option for practical solutions, including opening the Gaza seaport.”
Additionally, items which could be used for industry and manufacturing and which present no security threat are still being restricted. "Permitting mayonnaise and potato chips into Gaza is really irrelevant in dealing with the underlying issues," says Maxwell Gaylard, UN Deputy Special and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East. "What we need to see is an improvement in Gaza's water, sanitation, power grid, educational and health sectors. Gaza's economy is shot to pieces and its infrastructure is extremely fragile,"
Israel has not made clear how items previously banned will get into Gaza.
Gaza: Blockade 'Easing' not enough, say leading NGOs
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18895