AN IRISH-OWNED boat laden with humanitarian supplies is continuing its journey towards Gaza despite Israel’s insistence it will not allow any vessel break its blockade on the territory.
The Government yesterday repeated calls for Israel to exercise restraint in dealing with the MV Rachel Corrie, whose crew includes five Irish citizens. The activists on board, including Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, and former UN official Denis Halliday, expect to reach waters off Gaza by late tomorrow. Irish officials have been maintaining close contact with the 1,200-ton boat which was supposed to join the aid flotilla raided by Israeli commandos on Monday but was delayed due to mechanical problems.
“We have continued to make it clear to the Israeli government . . . that we want maximum restraint and we do not want any interception in international waters,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said. “It has been a terrible week in terms of the loss of life and there is now an obligation on all involved to reduce tension . . . It is extremely important that we do not have a repeat of what happened earlier this week.”
Israel’s ambassador to Ireland, Zion Evrony, has said Israel does not expect any confrontation or violence when the MV Rachel Corrie approaches the exclusion zone.
The storming of the six-ship flotilla by Israeli commandos on Monday resulted in the deaths of nine activists and prompted renewed international criticism of Israel’s blockade.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday rejected widespread condemnation of the attack and argued that the blockade of Gaza was needed to prevent arms smuggling.
Irish activists caught up in the raid have begun to make their way home, after Israel decided to release more than 600 people seized from the boats.
Al Mahdi Alharati, a naturalised Irish citizen born in Libya, flew with released activists of other nationalities to Ankara last night. He is understood to be ill but this is believed to be unrelated to the Israeli attack. Four other Irish citizens flew to Istanbul. Meanwhile, the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council has voted to set up an international inquiry.