B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m Assalaamu`Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu
May Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala support them with the truth, protect and reward them with all good on behalf of the Muslims. May they persevere in patience and constancy, and vie in such perseverance. May Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala protect the 30 passengers and crew on board, members of various European Parliaments and physicians and grant them success in reaching our Muslim brothers, sisters and their children with urgently needed medical supplies, for the promise of Allaah is true and Allaah will help those who help His Cause. May Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala enable the Muslims to stand firm until Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala grants them victory over this conflict, for He is the best of supporters. Aameen. Fee Amaanillaah, Your sister K a r i m a DDN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/666-free-gaza-to-israel-qwe-are-coming-in-on-tuesdayq FREE GAZA TO ISRAEL: "WE ARE COMING IN ON TUESDAY" Sunday, 11 January 2009 14:15 Written by Free Gaza Movement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For More Information, Please Contact: (Cyprus) Huwaida Arraf, or huwaida.ar...@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, freela...@mailworks.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (Egypt) Caoimhe Butterly, sahar...@hotmail.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (U.S.) Ramzi Kysia, rrky...@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (Cyprus, 11 January 2009) - The Free Gaza Movement ship, "SPIRIT OF HUMANITY," will leave Larnaca Port at 12:00 noon, Monday, 12 January, on an emergency mission to besieged Gaza. The ship will carry desperately needed doctors, journalists, human rights workers, and members of several European parliaments as well as medical supplies. This voyage marks Free Gaza's second attempt to break through the blockade since Israel began attacking the Gaza Strip on 27 December. Between August and December 2008, the Free Gaza Movement successfully challenged the Israeli blockade five times, landing the first international ships in the port of Gaza since 1967. The Israeli military violently attacked an earlier attempt by the Free Gaza Movement to send an emergency boat filled with doctors and medical supplies to Gaza. In the early hours of Tuesday, 30 December, the Israeli navy deliberately, repeatedly, and without warning rammed the unarmed ship, the DIGNITY, causing significant structural damage and endangering the lives of its passengers and crew. The ship found safe harbor in Lebanon, and is currently awaiting repairs. Fouad Ahidar, a member of the Belgian Parliament sailing to Gaza aboard the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, responded to concerns that Israel may attack the unarmed mercy ship by saying, "I have five children that are very worried about me, but I told them, you can sit on your couch and watch these atrocities on the television, or you can choose to take action to make them stop." Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have injured thousands of civilians and killed over 800 people, including scores of women and children. This ongoing Israeli massacre severely and massively violates international humanitarian law defined by the Geneva Conventions, especially the obligations of an Occupying Power and the requirements of the laws of war. The United Nations has failed to protect the Palestinian civilian population from Israel's massive violations of international humanitarian law. Israel has closed off Gaza from the international community and demanded that all foreigners leave. But Huwaida Arraf, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movements, stated that, "We cannot just sit by and wait for Israel to decide to stop the killing and open the borders for relief workers to pick up the pieces. We are coming in. There is an urgent need for this mission as Palestinian civilians in Gaza are being terrorized and slaughtered by Israel, and access to humanitarian relief denied to them. When states and the international bodies responsible for taking action to stop such atrocities chose to be impotent, then we--the citizens of the world--must act. Our common humanity demands nothing less." Israel has been notified that we are coming. A copy of the notification to the Israeli Authorities is attached. The media is invited to the Larnaca Port at 10:00 am to for final preparations and a press conference before departure. ### WHAT YOU CAN DO Take Action! CALL the Israeli Government and let them know that the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY is coming to Gaza. DEMAND that Israel immediately STOP slaughtering civilians in Gaza and STOP using violence to prevent human rights and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office: mark.re...@it.pmo.gov.il This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence: media...@mod.gov.il This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy: ________________________________ Official Notification of Intent to Enter January 11, 2009 To: The Israeli Ministry of Defense, Fax: 972-3-697-6717 To: The Israeli Navy To: The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax 972-2-5303367 From: The Free Gaza Movement This letter serves as a formal notification to you as the Occupying Power and belligerent force in the Gaza Strip that on Monday, January 12 we are navigating the motor vessel, Spirit of Humanity, from the Port of Larnaca to the port of Gaza City. Our vessel will be flying the Greek flag, and, as such, falls under the jurisdiction Greece. We will be sailing from Cypriot waters into international waters, then directly into the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip without entering or nearing Israeli territorial waters. We expect to arrive at the Gaza Port on Tuesday, January 13, 2009. We will be carrying urgently needed medical supplies in sealed boxes, cleared by customs at the Larnaca International Airport and the Port of Larnaca. There will be a total of 30 passengers and crew on board, among them members of various European Parliaments and several physicians. Our boat and cargo will also have received security clearance from the Port Authorities in Cyprus before we depart. As it will be confirmed that neither we, the cargo, any of the boat's contents, nor the boat itself constitute any threat to the security of Israel or its armed forces, we do not expect any interference with our voyage by Israel's authorities. On Tuesday, December 30, an Israeli Navy vessel violently, and without warning, attacked our motor vessel Dignity, disabling the vessel and endangering the lives of the 16 civilians on board. This notice serves as clear notification to you of our approach. Any attack on the motor vessel, Spirit of Humanity, will be premeditated and any harm inflicted on the 30 civilians on board will be considered the result of a deliberate attack on unarmed civilians. The Steering Committee of the Free Gaza Movement Contact: Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement, 357 96 723 999 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
