Gaza-bound aid ship heading to Egypt
Source: Agencies |
July 15, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A LIBYAN-CHARTERED ship carrying aid for Palestinians set a new course for Egypt yesterday after Israel's navy warned it away from the blockaded Gaza Strip, an Israeli official said.
The Moldovan-flagged Amalthea was heading to Egypt's El Arish port, trailed by warships, the official said. In Tripoli, the charity behind the mission had no comment. But al-Jazeera satellite channel said the ship had not ruled out reaching Gaza.
A satellite-guided map on MarineTraffic.com showed the Amalthea on a southeasterly approach to El Arish, 52 kilometers away, at speeds from 1.5 to 7.5 knots. Its course also brought it indirectly closer to Gaza, 32 km further east. The ship had earlier been absent from the map, suggesting that its GPS tracker was temporarily obstructed or turned off.
Israel vowed to turn away or seize the Amalthea - renamed "Hope" by activists - rather than let it access Gaza, whose Islamist Hamas rulers the Jewish state wants isolated.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged the activists not to let their cargo ship be diverted from Gaza's shore and called in a speech for more pro-Palestinian "freedom flotillas."
"The sea and land convoys must continue," he said. "We hope we can depend on Islamic nations to help us lift the blockade."
The Israelis are mindful of international censure simmering since their commandos killed nine Turks while boarding another Gaza-bound aid ship in Mediterranean high seas on May 31. Outcry at the bloodshed aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara prompted Israel to ease overland trade with Gaza. But it kept the sea blockade, citing a risk of arms shipments to Hamas.
Egypt said late on Tuesday that the Amalthea had requested and been granted permission to dock in El Arish, and that authorities planned to transfer its declared haul of 2,000 tonnes of food and medicine overland to neighboring Gaza.
The Moldovan-flagged Amalthea was heading to Egypt's El Arish port, trailed by warships, the official said. In Tripoli, the charity behind the mission had no comment. But al-Jazeera satellite channel said the ship had not ruled out reaching Gaza.
A satellite-guided map on MarineTraffic.com showed the Amalthea on a southeasterly approach to El Arish, 52 kilometers away, at speeds from 1.5 to 7.5 knots. Its course also brought it indirectly closer to Gaza, 32 km further east. The ship had earlier been absent from the map, suggesting that its GPS tracker was temporarily obstructed or turned off.
Israel vowed to turn away or seize the Amalthea - renamed "Hope" by activists - rather than let it access Gaza, whose Islamist Hamas rulers the Jewish state wants isolated.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged the activists not to let their cargo ship be diverted from Gaza's shore and called in a speech for more pro-Palestinian "freedom flotillas."
"The sea and land convoys must continue," he said. "We hope we can depend on Islamic nations to help us lift the blockade."
The Israelis are mindful of international censure simmering since their commandos killed nine Turks while boarding another Gaza-bound aid ship in Mediterranean high seas on May 31. Outcry at the bloodshed aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara prompted Israel to ease overland trade with Gaza. But it kept the sea blockade, citing a risk of arms shipments to Hamas.
Egypt said late on Tuesday that the Amalthea had requested and been granted permission to dock in El Arish, and that authorities planned to transfer its declared haul of 2,000 tonnes of food and medicine overland to neighboring Gaza.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
