The Freedom Flotilla II coalition has called on UN bodies to send officials to search the flotilla’s multinational ships, which are gearing to defy the Israeli siege and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip next week.
The coalition challenged that the searches could be before the ship’s departure or while at sea or when they arrive to the Gaza Strip, saying the calls are aimed at assuring that the movement is a peaceful one.
Israel has threatened to use physical force to thwart the aid flotilla, claiming it a security threat to the country. Israeli naval forces intercepted the first freedom flotilla in May 2010 killing nine peaceful activists and injuring many more.
“We are determined to sail to Gaza. Our cause is just and is characterized with transparency, and our means are peaceful,” said the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, quoting Ander Dimitras, a committee member of the ship from Switzerland.
The source said the coalition would continue sailing to the Gaza Strip “until the illegal siege has ended”, emphasizing that the Palestinians besieged in the Strip have the same human and national rights as anyone else in the free world.
The ECESG, a key member of the coalition, has announced the ships will depart for Gaza the middle of next week, denying any schedule changes as rumored by some news outlets.
The flotilla includes hundreds of activists from some forty nations worldwide. Among the passengers are members of the European Parliament as well as other European lawmakers and forty media sources set to provide direct blanket coverage.
The ECESG called on states whose legislators and citizens have joined the flotilla to provide protection against a likely Israeli attack.
