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Jewish boat seeks to break Israel siege of Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Sep 27, IRNA -- A boat carrying aid for Gaza and organized by Jewish groups worldwide is calling on all governments and people to speak and act against the illegal occupation and siege by Israel.

Heading the latest initiative, the London-based Jews for Justice for Palestinians (JfJfP) said the Jewish boat, Irene, which set sail from Cyprus on Sunday, is “a message of solidarity to Palestinians and Israelis who seek peace and justice.”

“It is a symbolic act of protest against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the siege of Gaza,” JfJfP spokesman Richard Kuper said in a statement obtained by IRNA. “Israeli government policies are not supported by all Jews,” he said.

The boat is sailing under a British flag and is also flying multicolored peace flags carrying the names of dozens of Jews who have expressed their support for the action, as a symbol of the widespread support for the boat by Jews worldwide.

The passengers and crew, include Jews from the US, the UK, Germany and Israel as well as an Israeli journalist. It cargo contains children’s toys and musical instruments, textbooks, fishing nets and prosthetic limbs for orthopaedic medical care in Gaza’s hospitals.

Kuper said the boat will attempt to reach the coast of Gaza and unload its aid cargo in a nonviolent, symbolic act of solidarity and protest – and call for the siege to be lifted to enable free passage of goods and people to and from the Gaza Strip.

“This is a nonviolent action. We aim to reach Gaza, but our activists will not engage in any physical confrontation and will therefore not present the Israelis with any reason or excuse to use physical force or assault them,” he said.

In May, masked Israeli commandoes stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in defiance of international law in international waters, killing nine activists, most from close range.

JfJfP said one of the passengers is 82 year old Reuven Moskovitz, who said that his life’s mission has been to turn foes into friends. “We are two peoples, but we have one future”, he said.