A year after an aid flotilla was disastrously boarded by Israeli commandos, resulting in nine deaths and dozens injured, a second flotilla has been assembled to run the Israeli blockade to deliver aid supplies to Gaza.

On Friday, the Greek government put an end to the flotilla’s plans to sail from a Greek port. They also arrested the captain of one of the boats. John Klusmire, 60, captain of the “Audicity of Hope” was being held at Piraeus police headquarters and will be there until a court hearing. He has been charged with attempting to leave port without clearance and endangering the lives of the 36 passengers, four crew and ten members of the media aboard the ship. The endangerment charge is a felony. The charge is usually leveled against captains knowingly setting sail in an unsafe vessel. In this case, the charge stems from the Israeli government’s insistence that it will stop the flotilla at sea, just as they did last year.

One flotilla organizer complained to the media about the conditions in Piraeus police headquarters. Jane Hirschmann said “The conditions of his detention are terrible. There is no bed. He is sitting on a bench.” The police did not respond to press requests for comment.

Hirschmann also complained about the lack of response to call for assistance. “Where is the American embassy in all this?” she demanded. The British embassy had arranged for the two British crew members to leave the ship while it is in port, but they declined.

Flotilla organizer Dimitris Plionis said on Sunday that “some action” will take place early next week, but did not specify what that action might be. The group has accused the Israeli government of sabotaging two ships docked in Greece and Turkey. The Israeli government has denied the charge, and Selcuk Unal, speaking for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that his government has found no evidence of sabotage on an Irish vessel in the flotilla that was docked at Gocek.

Israel imposed the blockade in 2007 to prevent weapons reaching Gaza. The blockade, the closing of border crossings into Gaza, nothing has succeeded in keeping weapons out of Gaza.

The Middle East Quartet of Mideast mediators, The United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia have expressed their concern about the conditions in Gaza, but also acknowledged that more goods are getting to Gaza in the past year. Recently, Egypt expanded access through its border crossings into Gaza, allowing far more goods and people to cross. […]

Source

Categories: Greece, Imperialism, International, Israel, Palestine, Racist Oppression, Statements, Zionism