GAZA (PIC)– The Palestinian MP and head of the popular committee to break the siege on Gaza Jamal al-Khudari called for an international protection for the women’s boat to Gaza in light of the Israeli threats against the flotilla.
Two boats Amal and Zaytouna with 30 women have left last week for the Gaza Strip from the Spanish city of Barcelona hoping to break a nearly decade-long Israeli blockade.
The flotilla was organized by the International Committee for breaking the Siege on Gaza.
According to the committee the Zaytouna-Oliva reached international waters safely after midnight on Saturday on their way to the next European port of call in the French city of Ajaccio.
However its sister ship Amal-Hope returned to Barcelona due to technical problems.
Once the Amal-Hope’s technical repairs are complete organizers of the journey will assess the possibility of sailing directly to the final port of call in Messina Italy the committee added.
Such events do not seem by chance. There are real risks and threats to the boat he said.
He called for a diplomatic intervention from the countries participating in the flotilla in order to provide the boats with international protection.
The Women’s Boat to Gaza is an initiative of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition composed of civil society organizations and campaigns from more than a dozen countries.
The list of passengers include Tunisian MP Latifa Habashi; al-Jazeera’s renowned Algerian journalist Khadija Benguenna; Malin Björk a Member of European Parliament from Sweden; Ann Wright a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the invasion of Iraq; and Dr. Fauziah Modh Hasan a Malaysian physician who has participated in many humanitarian missions with the Malaysian Medical Relief Society.
