- Palestine
- May 26, 2010
- 2 minutes read
Turkey asks Israel not to intercept the Freedom Flotilla
ISTANBUL, — Turkey officially asked Israel on Tuesday to allow the freedom Flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip to continue with its trip to the besieged enclave with its humanitarian aid cargo.
Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that his government was in contact with Israel over the aid convoy.
He said that the siege on Gaza should be lifted, adding that Ankara believes that Tel Aviv would be wise in dealing with such a civilian initiative.
Meanwhile, the coalition of the Freedom Flotilla warned Israel against carrying out its threat of intercepting the fleet carrying humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.
A responsible source in the coalition told Quds Press on Tuesday that Gaza is our sole destination, adding, “We will resist any Israeli attempt to halt the fleet”.
He pointed to reports mentioning Israel’s intention to arrest the solidarity activists and other reports indicating that Israel was planning to jam the activists’ communications and to isolate the news of the Flotilla from the world.
For her part, Huwaida Aref, a member of Free Gaza movement a partner in the coalition, said that the participants are adamant to resist “peacefully” any Israeli attempt to control the Flotilla.
She said, “We will reach Gaza, we will remain in our ships”, and added that the Flotilla’s voyage to Gaza was not a parade but rather aimed at breaking the siege and reaching Gaza with the shipment of reconstruction material and other assistance.