Irish citizens face arrest as Gaza aid ship towed to Israeli port
An aid ship with two Irish citizens are onboard has today been boarded and towed to an Israeli port.
'An Israeli navy force intercepted, boarded and took control of the cargo boat 'Arion' ... as it was illegally attempting to enter the Gaza Strip,' an Israeli Navy spokesman said.
Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire and Derek Graham are on board the vessel, which is said to be carrying medical aid and building supplies for the people of Gaza.
The Navy spokesman said that people on board are set to be handed over to the authorities when it reaches the Israeli port of Ashdod.
He claimed that the Navy had been in communication the boat since yesterday evening and warned that it against entering Gaza waters because of “security risks and an existing naval blockade”.
“This aid is desperately needed by the people of Gaza,” said Mairead Maguire, winner of the Noble Peace Prize and Pacem in Terris Award for her work in Northern Ireland.
“President Obama has called upon the Palestinians to abandon violence but Israel is denying them the right to non-violently resist the siege of Gaza.”
The Free Gaza movement claim that Israeli warships surrounded the small boat and threatened to open fire if they did not turn around.
The group go on to claim that when the activists refused, Israeli Navy ships began jamming their instrumentation, blocking their GPS, radar and navigation systems, threatening the welfare and safety of the civilian ship.
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