Irish activists vow not to give up aid to Israeli army

ANXIOUS peace activists aboard an Irish-owned ship bound for Gaza have vowed not to give up their humanitarian aid cargo to Israel but have said they are prepared to surrender peacefully if Israeli commandos decide to board their boat.

Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin personally spoke to crew by satellite phone yesterday on the MV Rachel Corrie, assuring them efforts were being made for their safe passage to the blockaded Palestinian territory.

Israel has indicated it is prepared to use force to prevent the ship’s arrival, after its commandos stormed a flotilla of aid ships earlier this week and opened fire on activists.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner aboard the Rachel Corrie while sailing north of Libya yesterday, Irishman and former UN Assistant Secretary General Denis Halliday said the vessel was expected to arrive off the coast of Gaza by Friday night at the earliest.

Other reports yesterday suggested the ship could arrive near Gaza as early as later today.

“We do not want to give it [the cargo] to the Israelis. We want to take it in ourselves and we anticipate as the Israelis have said repeatedly that they will intercept us,” Mr Halliday said.

Attempts by the Irish Government and others to get a guarantee from Israel that the Gaza-bound vessel and its crew would be unharmed have been ignored, he said .

“Nobody is getting any joy from Israel. They’re not listening or they don’t care. They’ll do their thing and we can only hope that they’ll do it more humanely than they did on the Turkish boat.”

The Rachel Corrie was delayed leaving Malta on Sunday, which meant it became separated from the main aid flotilla. Mr Halliday said the crew, including a number of Irish citizens, were anxious. But there was no intention of putting up a fight if their ship is stormed by Israeli forces.

“If the boat is taken by commandos, we have our instructions. We will gather in mid-ship here. We will show them we are unarmed. We will place our open palms on top of our heads to demonstrate we are not violent.”

Also aboard the vessel are Nobel Peace prize winner Mairéad Maguire from Belfast, filmmaker Fiona Thompson from Dundalk, former Defence Force reserve member Derek Graham from Mayo, and his wife and activist Jenny Graham.