LONDON, (PIC)-- An informed source reported Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah asked a number of Arab and regional countries to prevent the arrival of the Freedom Flotilla humanitarian convoy to the besieged Gaza Strip, slated to get there later this month.
The source told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the PA sent several letters to countries in the region including Turkey demanding it not to allow the ships of this convoy to sail for Gaza.
The European campaign to end the siege, a Freedom Flotilla coalition partner, confirmed this news and called on the PA to state clearly its position in this regard.
Member of the European campaign Anwar Gharbi told the PIC that the campaign does not want to anticipate things, but the PA has to clarify its positions towards the aid convoys sent to Gaza without ambiguity.
For its part, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper quoted an official at the Israeli foreign ministry as saying that Egypt also sent a similar letter to Turkey urging it to prevent the convoy from sailing for Gaza and told it to deliver aid to Gaza in legal ways.
The official added that the PA in its letter to the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs said that helping Gaza must take place through official channels in Ramallah.
Earlier, Mahmoud Abbas had described the anti-siege aid convoys as ridiculous and false propaganda.
In the same context, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the Israeli declared intent to attack the Freedom Flotilla convoy as “thuggery.”
Spokesman Abu Zuhri urged in a press release on Tuesday the organizers of the convoy to necessarily sail for Gaza at the scheduled time regardless of what could happen.
The spokesman said that this convoy is considered a historic step that will expose Israel’s crimes against the Gaza people, adding that this step reflects a state of public and international awareness all over the world about the viciousness of the Israeli blockade.
It also reflects that Gaza became a mecca for different peoples as it represents a symbol of steadfastness and fortitude, he concluded.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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