Activists sail to Gaza with medical aid from Cyprus

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Aid workers, doctors and a former U.S. Congresswoman sailed for battered Gaza with medical aid from Cyprus on Monday, defying Israeli air attacks on the Palestinian territory for the third successive day.

The organisers of the shipment, the U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement, said they would ferry three tonnes of urgently needed medical supplies, donated by Cyprus, to the Gaza Palestinians.

"This is an active protest and a direct response to the killing going on at the moment," Renee Boyer, a spokeswoman for the organisers, told Reuters.

A small cabin cruiser, heavily laden with boxes of medical supplies and 16 people, left the Cyprus port of Larnaca on Monday evening on the 12 to 15 hour voyage.

One passenger, American Cynthia McKinney, said she wanted to highlight what she said was a trail of devastation left by U.S. weapons sold to Israel.

"There is a need for the people of the United States to understand that every piece of rubble that is on that strip of land is caused by U.S. weapons," said McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate for the Green Party in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Three doctors among the passengers planned to remain in Gaza."

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[bemildred]

1. Kerem Shalom Crossing opened for transfer of supplies

Israel opened the Kerem Shalom Crossing into the Gaza Strip on Monday to facilitate the transfer of supplies to the Palestinians as defense officials warned that Hamas was possibly digging tunnels under the crossings, to be used to destroy them.

On Monday the Defense Ministry permitted the transfer of 57 trucks carrying supplies - such as basic foods and medicine - into Gaza. Five ambulances were also allowed in. The Karni Crossing was supposed to open but was closed due to security threats.

---

CLA commander Col. Moshe Levy said that the IDF was in daily contact with a number of international organizations to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in Gaza.

"The CLA is in constant touch with international authorities that operate in Gaza as well as with various Palestinians in order to follow the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and prevent a crisis," Levy said. "For that reason, we are allowing the daily transfer of supplies - including medical equipment, medicine and basic foods - into the Gaza Strip."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456521644&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Hamas has attacked the checkpoints in the past

That Hamas is taking other actions against them does not surprise me. They sort be behaving like they are in their death throes over the last few days.

[bemildred]

4. Very true.

On a couple of occasions with considerable effect.

[bemildred]

3. Israel to allow Qatar to bring in aid to Gaza

Israel will allow Qatar to airlift humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in the coming days, after Prime Minster Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni agreed yesterday to a formal request from the Qatari government. Several aircraft from the Persian Gulf nation will land in Israel, and from there food and medicine will be transferred by truck to Gaza.

Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, who serves as Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, contacted Livni on Saturday and asked for permission to carry out the airlift. Livni said she would discuss the matter with Olmert and Barak. The request arrived after Qatar sent three planes to the Egyptian city of El-Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula, and Egypt refused to allow the aid to pass through Rafah crossing into Gaza.

"Israel will act with an iron fist against Hamas, but with silk gloves against its civilian population," Olmert said yesterday. Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said Israel would assist in any humanitarian effort as long as it was coordinated with Israeli authorities ahead of time.

Several weeks ago Jerusalem rejected a Qatari request to dock a ship carrying aid at Ashdod's port and from there to transfer supplies to Gaza.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051015.html

[bemildred]

5. Spain sends two trucks of humanitarian aid to Gaza

MADRID, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government offered the International Committee of the Red Cross its first batch of urgent aid for the Palestinians in Gaza, said the Spanish authorities Monday.

Spain has offered two trucks with medical materials aboard, said the Foreign Ministry, noting that the trucks are in the Palestinian city of Ramallah to wait for Israel's permission to get into the conflict-hit zone through the Eretz Pass.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos phoned his Israeli counterpart Tzpi Livni in an effort to accelerate the access of the humanitarian aid, said the ministry.

About 360 people have been killed and 1,600 others injured by Israel's air strikes on the Gaza Strip since Saturday.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10579733.htm

[Scurrilous]

6. Israeli navy attacks humanitarian aid boat en route to Gaza

<snip>

"An international humanitarian aid boat filled with medical supplies and doctors has been attacked by the Israeli navy. According to the Free Gaza movement, the boat called The Dignity has been rammed by an Israeli gunship, and live rounds were fired around the boat, as of 6:45 am Tuesday morning.

The group`s media spokesperson said that she had been in contact with the passengers on the boat, which include a former US Congressmember and a Cyprian Member of Parliament, but just before cell phone contact was cut off, heavy gunfire was heard in the background. No one had been injured at the time, but since contact was cut off with the boat, it`s unknown whether anyone has been injured.

In a press release, the Free Gaza movement stated, “Contrary to international maritime law, the Israelis are actively preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the Dignity return to Cyprus - despite the fact that the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so.”

The Free Gaza movement issued an emergency action alert for their supporters to call the Israeli government to tell them to stop attacking the humanitarian aid mission."

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[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Israel declared a maritime exclusion zone and is enforcing it

The boat from Cyprus has been reported to have docked in Lebanon.

[Scurrilous]

8. Yeah...

...but four ships from Cyprus had been allowed through previously.

All in all, with bombs falling and whatnot, I think they're better off (safer) docking in Lebanon.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. Historically sea access was denied. Those 4 ships were exceptions

and I was wondering how long that would go on. They had minimal impact and were clearly for show

Most people are unaware that Israeli patrol boats regularly search Gaza fishing vessels and turn away everyone else from the area.

There have been reports that weapons were being floated in to Gaza from passing ships, and indeed some cases were found.

Maintaining a naval blockage is a real PITA, but Israel has been fairly effective at it.