Address to Meeting about Gaza in the Mansion House June 5th 2010
Posted on June 21, 2010 at 01:19 PM
The blockade of Gaza which was put in place by the Israeli authorities in 2007 when Hamas came to power there, is the reason for the present fatal attack on the convoy of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel has justified its actions on the grounds that the Israeli Defence Forces were acting in self defence and that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Both those justifications are patently false.
Israel must now face the facts and deal with the reality on the ground- not the virtual reality of their own propaganda.
The remaining ship in the flotilla, the Rachael Corrie should be allowed to proceed to its destination in Gaza unimpeded. It only contains a cargo of humanitarian aid on board and its small crew and passenger list of 11 pose no threat to anyone.
Recent rumours that the blockade might be lifted are welcome. The proposal by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that international inspectors could examine vessels destined for Gaza to ensure that there were no weapons on board appears to be a simple step in the right direction.
Ideally the inspectors should be appointed by and operate under the auspices of the United Nations. Indeed a spokesperson for the people on the Irish owned Rachael Corrie has indicated their acceptance of International inspectors under the auspices of the United Nations.
This appears to be the first time that Israel has recognised that the blockade of Gaza is wrong. Over €4 billion has already been donated by the international community for the reconstruction of Gaza after the devastation caused by the Israeli army in December 2008/January 2009. Because of the Israeli blockade no reconstruction has been possible. Schools, houses, hospitals and factories remain in ruins.
The removal of the blockade by Israel would transform the lives of the Palestinian population in Gaza. If this is the outcome of the present tragedy then the sacrifice of the aid activists will not have been in vain.
