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Wed, Sept 29, 2010 | The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

The Viva Palestina aid convoy to the Gaza Strip, headed by George Galloway, reaches Salonika, Greece (Viva Palestina website, September 27, 2010)

Viva Palestina Convoy Arrived in Greece

Viva Palestina convoy: This past week the convoy organized by Viva Palestina and headed by George Galloway continued on its way to the Gaza Strip. It passed through France and Italy and is currently in Greece.

Freedom Fleet 2: The community of expatriate Palestinians in Italy said in an announcement that they were launching an aid ship to the Gaza Strip called the Stefano Chiarini (named for a pro-Palestinian activist who died in 2007), which would set sail in the middle of November 2010 in the upgraded flotilla currently being organized by the anti-Israeli coalition Freedom Fleet 2. The flotilla is expected to comprise 20 ships; its sailing date has not yet been set (AKI, September 21, 2010).

The Lebanese flotilla: Yasser Qashlaq, head of the Free Palestine Movement, claimed that he sought to send “weapons ships” to “Palestine,” just as the United States helps Israel. He called Israel “dangerous garbage” which had to be disposed of “to the countries supporting it,” and claimed that the Europeans needed a blow which would rouse them from the “influence of the drug of globalization and peace” (Al-Watan, September 21, 2010).

An Indonesian flotilla: Anis Matta, deputy chairman of the Indonesian parliament, said that preparations were being made for an Indonesian flotilla to the Gaza Strip. It was being organized by various Indonesian organizations and political parties with the support of “the upper political echelons” (Hamas’ Palestine-info website, September 22, 2010).

The One-Sided, Biased, Anti-Israeli Report of the UN Human Rights Council

The fact-finding mission sent by the UN to investigate the events aboard the Mavi Marmara issued its report on September 22.

As expected,^[1] the report was one-sided and biased against Israel and completely adopted the IHH narrative of the events. It determined that Israel had used excessive force, that the weapons in the possession of the passengers aboard the movement were intended for self defense and that IDF soldiers abused detainees after they took control of the ship. The mission reached its conclusions based on statements made by anti-Israel operatives, which are in direct contradiction to Israeli information and evidence.

Note:

[1] For further information see the September 6, 2010 article, “The UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission examining the events of the flotilla has sent teams to Jordan and Turkey.”