MV Rachel Corrie prisoners to arrive home tomorrow

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Sunday June 06, 2010 14:53 by Freda H - IPSC

The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign has just recieved word that the five Irish prisoners from the MV Rachel Corrie, which was hijacked yesterday by Israeli forces, are due to arrive in Dublin airport at 11.20am tomorrow morning. There will be a welcoming committee to meet them and press conference to follow at 3pm in The Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, Dulin 2.

MV Rachel Corrie being boarded by Israeli Navy

Freda Hughes of the IPSC said, " We are relieved that the prisoners from the MV Rachel Corrie, but we must remember that they were illegally kidnapped and taken against their will to Israel."

The boat was the last remaining vessel of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, a 40-nation effort to break through Israel's illegal blockade. The Corrie's 11 passengers, mostly Irish and Malaysian include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, former UN Assistant Secretary General, Denis Halliday, Member of the Malaysian Parliament Mohd Nizar Zakaria. The other Irish on board are Fiona Thompson from Dundalk, and Derek and Jenny Graham from Mayo.

The boarding by Israeli forces is in defiance of a direct call from the Irish Government, which had formally requested Israel allow the ship to reach Gaza. On 1 June, the Irish parliament also passed an all-party motion condemning Israel's use of military force against civilian aid ships, and demanding "an end to the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza."

Freda Hughes, spokesperson for the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: "The significance of this flotilla of aid was two-fold; its intended purpose was to deliver much needed supplies to the people of Gaza and to break the ongoing illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip. This blockade, which has gone on for over three years amounts to collective punishment of 1.5 million people - condemned to face enforced and avoidable poverty, human rights abuses and appalling hardships - often just because of where they were born. It is the duty of every right thinking individual of conscience to ensure that such inhuman treatment is no longer allowed and ignored by the world."

Ms Hughes continued: "The Rachel Corrie remained committed to this purpose and rightly rejected the Israeli offer to reroute to Ashdod . To accept this offer would have been to legitimise the siege of Gaza. The IPSC calls for the immediate lifting of the illegal blockade, and the granting of an autonomous sea-port in Gaza that would allow the people of Gaza open and unfettered communication and access to the international community."

Ms Hughes concluded by urging the Irish government to sanction Israel. "Earlier this week the Irish Parliament passed a unanimous motion stating that if the Rachel Corrie was not allow safe passage to Gaza, then the Irish Governmnent would take "further diplomatic measures" against Israel. Th Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign hope that the Irish government is as good as its word on this issue and immediately takes diplomatic action against the rogue state of Israel."

The 1200-ton cargo ship was purchased through a special fund set up by former Malaysian Prime Minister and Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO) chairman Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Its cargo included hundreds of tons of medical equipment and cement, as well as paper from the people of Norway, donated to UN-run schools in Gaza.

Notes for Editors:

Passengers aboard the Rachel Corrie include:

Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ireland

Denis Halliday, former UN Assistant Secretary General, Ireland

Derek Graham, Free Gaza Ireland

Jenny Graham, Free Gaza Ireland

Fiona Thompson, film-maker, Ireland

Mohd Jufri Bin Mohd Judin, journalist, Malaysia

Ahmed Faizal bin Azumu, human rights worker, Malaysia

Matthias Chang, attorney, author & human rights worker, Malaysia

Shamsul Akmar Musa Kamal, PGPO representative, Malaysia

Abdul Halim Bin Mohamed, journalist, Malaysia

The Hon. Mohd Nizar Zakaria, Parit Member of Parliament, Malaysia

The Rachel Corrie seen from Ashdod yesterday

Mairead Maguire before embarking on her journey with the MV Rachel Corrie