Sunday 18 July 2010

German-Jewish group to send aid ship to besieged Gaza soon

[ 18/07/2010 - 09:23 AM ]

BERLIN, (PIC)-- A group of Jewish activists in Germany will send an aid ship to the besieged Gaza Strip at the end of July to break the blockade and to express their rejection of Israel's inhuman acts against the Palestinians.

The ship will sail from the Lebanese shores carrying Jews from European countries and the US in addition to German lawmakers and Palestinian activists. Holocaust survivors are reported to be among the participants.

Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, a member of the executive committee of the European Jews for a Just peace, said the ship will be carrying school supplies, musical instruments, children's clothing and stuff for children that Israel has forbidden as well as fishing boat motors and fishing nets.

Katzenstein-Leiterer pointed out that the aim of this trip is to draw the attention of German politicians to the tragedy created by the Israeli occupation in Gaza and to convey the world Jewry's rejection of Israel's crimes and inhuman policy against the Palestinians.

She added that the ship is also aimed to tell the Palestinians in Gaza that there are Jews who want to bring them something other than bombs and destruction.

The Jewish activist also criticized the deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy, describing it as an extension of the crimes Israel has been committing since its inception.

In a related context, MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against the siege, said in a letter he sent to the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that Israel did not take any serious action to alleviate Gaza siege.

In a press release on Saturday, Khudari noted that Israel deceived the world when it said it eased the blockade on Gaza, affirming that the commercial crossings are entirely closed, and raw materials and spare parts needed to operate factories are banned entry.

The lawmaker expressed his fear that some European officials started to get convinced by Israel's lies about the blockade and made welcoming remarks hailing Israel's alleged steps towards the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"How could it be possible to talk about easing the siege while there are widespread unemployment, closed factories, 140,000 unemployed workers, high rates of poverty and water pollution, and untreated sewage flowing into the sea," he underlined.

The lawmaker added that it would be also reprehensible to talk about a loosened blockade while the infrastructure is still destroyed and the building materials are not allowed in.

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