Gaza Flotilla Ship Hit By Explosion; Gaza’s Ark Part Of Third Flotilla Attempt

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Leftwing media is reporting that a ship intended to take part in another attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip was hit by an unidentified explosion in the Gaza port last month. According to the Common Dreams report:

May 15, 2014 A freedom flotilla aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade of besieged Gaza Strip was rocked by an unidentified explosion last month before it ever left the Gaza Port.

Yet organizers announced Monday they intend to overcome severe damage sustained to the boat’s hull, and a history of sabotage against similar flotillas, to sail the ship this Autumn.

‘The future plan is to continue our efforts and prepare Gaza’s Ark to be ready for sailing at maximum by late September,’ said Zaher Birawi, member of the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza—a founding organization of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in an interview with Common Dreams. ‘We will not stop trying our best to break the siege of Gaza using all peaceful means.’

The decision emerged from a two-day meeting of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, held in London, during which organizers committed to do the estimated two months of repair—at the cost of $30,000—needed to get the ship into the necessary condition to sail.

While the cause of the late April explosion is still unknown, Gaza’s Ark released a statement on Monday declaring, ‘[I]t is well known who enforces the blockade on Gaza and who doesn’t want it challenged.

Read the rest here.

Zaher Birawi, identified above as a spokesperson for the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza is also a long time media and public relations spokesperson for the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB)  is part of the UK Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas support infrastructure. He is also a director of the Palestine Return Centere (PRC) which has strong ties to Hamas and to the Global Muslim Brotherhood. In July 2012, we reported on a meeting with Hamas leaders that included Mr. Birawi. The GMBDW reported in July 2010 that the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza was a Hamas front organization led by former Hamas commander and UK Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammad Sawalha.

In 2011, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) published a report authored by the GMBDW editor that detailed the role of the Global Muslim Brotherhood in the June 2010 Gaza Flotilla that was involved in a violent altercation with Israeli naval forces. Birawi and Sawalha are discussed further in that report.

The GMBDW reported in May 2011 on the Freedom Flotilla 2 and its extensive ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and or Hamas. The 2nd flotilla was widely reported to be a complete failure and its not clear if any ships took part at all.

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