Haniyeh: Free Gaza ships a seige breaking success; vessels arrive safely in Gaza

Date: 23/08/2008 Time: 09:53

Palestinians and reporters wait to receive the free Gaza ships [Ma'anImages] Gaza - Ma'an - The Free Gaza ships docked Saturday at aproximately six o'clock local time in the Gaza port.

The two wooden boats were greeted by hundreds of Gazans and journalists who lined the beach and piled into boats to welcome the activists. The group will stay in Gaza for at least ten days, first attending a conference on the situation, then touring the entire Gaza Strip to see first hand what the seige has done to the area. Officials said it was possible that the crew will meet local political leaders, though no decision has been made.

As the crew pulled into the port, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the ships to congratulate them on the voyage, and thank them for their perseverence. Palestinian de facto Prime Minister of the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh gave an interview, and said that the voyage succeeded because of the enduring Palestinian spirit of steadfastness. He called the Free Gaza project a "seige smashing" success, and thanked the crew for their efforts.

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, said that the arrival of the two ships has prepared Gaza for a new phase in the journey of breaking the siege. "The main message," he said "is that the world is intolerant of the continued Israeli siege.

The act has put pressure on the Arab nations and leaders to work harder towards breaking the siege." Commenting on the arrival of the two ships Nimer Hammad, the advisor of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that "this effort that was prepared for two years was able to draw the attention of the public to the unfair siege Israel is imposing on the Gaza Strip and the necessity of ending it."

Israeli cabinet decides to allow ships to dock Earlier Saturday the Israel cabinet meeting decided that the country would allow the Free Gaza ships to dock in the Gaza port despite earlier warnings from the Foreign Ministry that force might be used to prevent docking.

Israeli press reported their Foreign Ministry spokesman Aviv Shiron as issuing the statement, saying he gave no reason for the change in policy. Earlier Saturday 11 boats and 20 journalists launched boats from the Gaza beach to meet the Free Gaza ships for their scheduled noon arrival. The boats returned to shore, however, after warning shots were fired around three o'clock, and the siege-breaking vessels were still not within sight.

Crew says Israel jammed navigation signals Problems with navigation equipment which the crew blames on signal-jamming radio waves broadcast by Israel, delayed the arrival of the ships. Originally expected to dock in the early afternoon, the estimated time of arrival for the wooden boats is between five and seven this evening.

Twenty journalists had launched 11 boats from the Gaza beach in order to receive the Free Gaza ships coming from Cyprus to break the siege, but almost all have returned to shore. Palestinian citizens have been waiting for the ships to arrive since morning, though they are not in sight yet.

At 10am local time the crew of the Free Gaza released the following statement to the project's organizers: "The electronic systems which guarantee our safety aboard the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty have been jammed and scrambled. Both ships are flying Greek flags, and are in international waters. We are the victims of electronic piracy. We are currently in GMS P area A2 and we are relying on our satellite communications equipment to make a distress call, if needed.

We are civilians from 17 nations and are on this project to break the siege of Gaza. We are not experienced sailors. As a result, there is concern about the health and safety of the people on board such an emergency develop. We are currently experiencing rough sea conditions, and we call on the Greek government and the international community to meet their responsibilities and protect the civilians on board our two ships in international waters."

Gazans worried ships would be attacked Jamal Al-Khudari, Chairman of the People's committee against the blockade and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), warned Israel against harming the ships, which are carrying international peace activists and medical supplies for the people of Gaza. He said in a press conference Saturday morning that organizers had lost contact with the ships for several hours during their voyage due to Israeli distortion frequencies that were broadcast.

The ships resumed contact with Gaza later on in the early hours of the morning. Al-Khudari commended the activists for persevering despite the disturbances, and added that the crew had come across water mines as they entered Gaza waters. "We will meet them and honor them as heroes," said Al-Khudari.