10th May Press Statement
Freedom Flotilla II
 
Paris. France
 
The international steering committee of Freedom
Flotilla II just concluded its planning meeting in
Paris, a few weeks before the
scheduled departure of the flotilla to Gaza.
 
Freedom Flotilla II will leave during the third
week of June, with ships departing from various
European ports including Marseilles. We"re very
pleased to announce the recent addition of a Swiss-German
boat to the flotilla. In July 2010 Germany"s Bundestag passed a
resolution calling for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. 

A number of our respective governments have said the same. The UN Human
Rights Committee Fact Finding Mission into the 2010 flotilla attack
found Israeli"s blockade on Gaza to be unlawful. The International
Committee of the Red Cross has said that Israel must end its illegal
closure of Gaza. 

Yet Israel continues to disregard international law
and ignore the will of the international community. Without any strong
diplomatic action being taken to enforce international law and defend
the human rights of the Palestinian people, the flotilla must sail and
other international initiatives to end Israel"s impunity are called
for.
 
We are encouraged by the reported decision of  the new Egyptian
government to open the Rafah crossing. But just as Egyptians stayed in
Tahrir Square, accepting nothing less than the departure of the former
regime, so too we must accept nothing less than a full end of the
illegal blockade of Gaza and all forms of the Israeli occupation of
Palestine.
 
In one week, Palestinians will mark 63 years since the Nakba and the
beginning of the dispossession of the Palestinian people from their
homes. Next month will mark 44 years since the onset of the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. And July will mark 44
years since the near hermetic closure of Gaza. The question is no
longer why we are sailing to break the blockade, but why is it taking
the international community so long to act. We call on the community
of states and people around the world to uphold international law in
Palestine, and support the Freedom Flotilla.
 
Tomorrow, members of the Steering Committee will head to Strasbourg
for meetings with European Parliament members to discuss details of
the flotilla and their active support. From now until we sail members
of the flotilla will be meeting their government officials, the UN and
other international organisations to gain support for this global
civil society action to end Israel"s criminal blockade of Gaza.
 
Freedom Flotilla II