Irish Gaza flotilla ship 'sabotaged'

An Irish aid ship has been forced to pull out of a flotilla attempting to break the Gaza blockade after it was damaged while docked in Turkey.

Human rights activists claim the lives of 20 Irish citizens were put at risk by a deliberate sabotage of the MV Saoirse, which they blamed on Israel.

Dr Fintan Lane, co-ordinator of Irish Ship to Gaza, said the damage to the propeller shaft was a potentially murderous act.

If pressure had been put on the shaft, which was weakened by a piece gouged out, it could have snapped, damaged the engine room and flooded the boat at sea, he said.

“This wasn’t designed to stop the ship from leaving its berth. Instead it was intended that the fatal damage to the ship would occur while she was at sea and would have resulted in the deaths of several of those on board,” he said.

“This was a potentially murderous act.”

Six members of the Irish Ship to Gaza, including Dr Lane and former rugby player Trevor Hogan, plan to join an Italian ship, while seven other members will arrive back in Dublin airport tonight. Others hope to travel on other aid ships.

The damage is said to be identical to damage suffered by the Greek/Swedish ship, the Juliano, in recent days.

Dr Lane demanded that the Irish and European governments condemn the attacks despite Taoiseach Enda Kenny warning the Irish human rights activists yesterday against trying to break the blockade.

“Israel has no right to interdict the flotilla and even less right to carry out attacks against vessels in Greek and Turkish ports,” he said.

Earlier this week, activists said Israel damaged the propeller of a Swedish ship in the Greek port of Piraeus.

"This is an unacceptable act of aggression against an Irish vessel (which is sovereign Irish territory), against the Freedom Flotilla, and most importantly against the people of Palestine which this flotilla was intending to reach in an act of humanitarian solidarity," said a statement from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC).

Flotilla organisers have organised a demonstration in Dublin for this evening to protest the alleged demonstration. Protestors said they will assemble on O'Connell St at 6pm and from there march to the Israeli Embassy, where they intend to stage an overnight protest.

"We intend to shut down the Israeli Embassy," the IPSC said.

Socialist MEP Paul Murphy, a participant in the Freedom Flotilla, said that the incident is "extremely serious".

"The evidence pointing towards the Israeli state being guilty is overwhelming," Mr Murphy said.

"It cannot be a coincidence that two of the boats destined to sail to Gaza have now been sabotaged in the same way, with their propeller shafts damaged."

Mr Murphy called for an independent international investigation to be launched to fully investigate the alleged sabotage of the ships.

"I demand a statement of condemnation of these terror attacks from the Israeli state," he added.

"If such a statement is not forthcoming, I call on the Irish government to expel the Israeli ambassador from Ireland."

Israel has not commented on the allegations.

About 10 ships are due to set sail this week from Greece. It’s unclear if the damaged boats will delay things.

Israel imposed a naval blockade after Hamas militants overran the Palestinian territory in 2007.

It said it will not allow the flotilla to reach Gaza.

Last year, an Israeli raid on a similar flotilla killed nine activists on a Turkish vessel. Each side blamed the other for the violence.