A vessel from Sweden that will form part of a Pro-Palestinian flotilla aiming to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip is on its way to its final destination.
The Marianne of Gothenburg is the first boat of the so-called Freedom Flotilla III to set sail and will aim to deliver medical equipment and solar cell panels for use in Gaza, according to a statement by the Ship to Gaza campaign.
The boat traveled from Sweden through the waters of Norway, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal before reaching Messina, Italy, last week.
"The short stop in Messina was an intensive one with meetings with peace activists and a press conference at the city hall," the group noted on their website.
The boat was expected to arrive in Greece this week, before attempting to breach the blockade and reach Gaza.
In May 2010 nine Turkish citizens were killed after Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, part of a flotilla that was attempting to reach Gaza. An Israeli inquiry found that the soldiers opened fire after the activists aboard the ship attempted to attack them with knives and metal rods.
Comment: What else would you expect from an Israeli inquiry? The other side of the story:
- Aid to Gaza, Lies & Videotape: Zionist Propaganda Falls Apart with the Slightest Inquiry
- A People That Shall Dwell Alone - Israel's Attack On The Gaza Flotilla
- Israel faces multi-million dollar lawsuit over flotilla raid deaths
- Surprise Surprise! Israel's killing of 9 Gaza flotilla protesters 'not of sufficient gravity' for war crimes investigation, ICC says
Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2006 after militants there seized an Israeli soldier, who was eventually freed in 2011 in a trade for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Cairo has also maintained a blockade on the Strip.
The blockade was strengthened in 2007, when the Islamist Hamas movement took control of Gaza, then eased somewhat following an international outcry over the killing of the Turkish activists.
A Turkish court in May ordered the arrest of four former Israeli military chiefs over the raid as part of an ongoing trial in absentia brought by aid group IHH and the victims' families in 2012.
The assault sparked widespread condemnation and provoked a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Ankara expelled the Israeli ambassador, demanded a formal apology and compensation and an end to the blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas.
An Israeli probe found that the raid did not violate international law, in a conclusion which Turkey said lacked credibility.
In 2010 Israel's relationship with the rest of the world was that of a rogue nation, since then things have gone seriously down hill.
So if Israel is willing to attack a ship on a humanitarian mission in 2010, just what will they be willing to do know... Torpedo them !!! That flotilla is sailing into waters controlled by a nation that doesn't care in the slightest what the world thinks of it, and is willing to do anything to achieve it's own ends.