Freedom Flotilla deaths will not be in vain

The Free Gaza Movement will keep up its campaign until the siege that is violating human rights is fully lifted, writes Fintan Lane

THE Israeli massacre of nine activists on the Freedom Flotilla could in time to be a game-changer with regard to the siege of Gaza. International attention has focused on the humanitarian crisis there and on the sheer brutality of Israel’s enforcement of the blockade.

There was widespread dismay at Israel’s response to the global outcry that followed the killings on the MV Mavi Marmara. Instead of lifting the illegal siege, the Israeli authorities engaged in a PR exercise that will do little to resolve the humanitarian crisis they have created. The so-called “easing” of the land blockade in reality leaves the siege fully in place with both the port and airport still closed and the local economy in tatters. Exports and raw materials remain banned or restricted as 80% of Gazans live below the poverty line.