For More Information, please contact:
Free Gaza Cyprus: Greta Berlin or Mary Hughes
tel: +357 99 187275 or +357 96 383 809,

Free Gaza Ireland: Niamh Moloughney
tel: +353 (0)85 7747257 or +353 (0)91 472279,

Perdana Global Peace Organisation, Malaysia: Ram Karthigasu
tel: +60 1222 70159,

(Off the Gaza coast, 5 JUNE) – Just before 9am this morning, the Israeli
military forcibly siezed the Irish-owned humanitarian relief ship, the MV
Rachel Corrie, from delivering over 1000 tons of medical and construction
supplies to besieged Gaza. For the second time in less then a week,
Israeli naval commandos stormed an unarmed aid ship, brutally taking its
passengers hostage and towing the ship toward Ashdod port in Southern
Israel. It is not yet known whether any of the Rachel Corrie’s passengers
were killed or injured during the attack, but they are believed to be
unharmed.

The Corrie carried 11 passengers and 9 crew from 5 different countires,
mostly Ireland and Malaysia. The passengers included Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Mairead Maguire, Parit Member of the Malaysian Parliament Mohd Nizar Zakaria, and former UN Assistant Secretary General, Denis Halliday.

Nine international human rights workers were killed on Monday when Israeli commandos violently stormed the Turkish aid ship, Mavi Marmara and five other unarmed boats taking supplies to Gaza. Prior to being taken hostage by Israeli forces, Derek Graham, an Irish coordinator with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that: “Despite what happened on the Mavi Marmara earlier this week, we are not afraid.

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. The ship was named after an
American human rights worker, killed in 2003 when she was crushed by an
Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. 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.

According to Denis Halliday: “We are the only Gaza-bound aid ship left out
here. We’re determined to deliver our cargo.” The Rachel Corrie had been
part of the Freedom Flotilla, a 40-nation effort to break through Israel’s
illegal blockade, before being forced to drop off late last week due to
suspicious mechanical problems.

The attack on the Rachel Corrie may spell trouble for Israel’s
relationship with Ireland. The Irish government 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.”

Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire summed up the hopes of this joint
Irish-Malaysian effort to overcome Israel’s cruel blockade by saying: “We
are inspired by the people of Gaza whose courage, love and joy in
welcoming us, even in the midst of such suffering gives us all hope. They
represent the very best of humanity, and we are all privileged to be given
the opportunity to support them in their nonviolent struggle for human
dignity, and freedom. This trip will again highlight Israel’s criminal
blockade and illegal occupation. In a demonstration of the power of global
citizen action, we hope to awaken the conscience of all.”
—

Passengers aboard the Rachel Corrie include:
Ahmed Faizal bin Azumu, human rights worker, Malaysia
Matthias Chang, attorney, author & human rights worker, Malaysia
Derek Graham, Free Gaza Ireland
Jenny Graham, Free Gaza Ireland
Denis Halliday, former UN Assistant Secretary General, Ireland
Mohd Jufri Bin Mohd Judin, journalist, Malaysia
Shamsul Akmar Musa Kamal, PGPO representative, Malaysia
Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ireland
Abdul Halim Bin Mohamed, journalist, Malaysia
Fiona Thompson, film-maker, Ireland
The Hon. Mohd Nizar Zakaria, Parit Member of Parliament, Malaysia
###

________________________________________________________
The BBC calls these good people, world citizens with humanity and warmth in their hearts, ‘Pro-Palestinian activists’, ie a suggestion that they are – troublemakers, left wing, communist – or whatever other connotations to the word ‘activist’ that their listeners receive by its use in this context.

Having filled nine coffins already this week, I think that this latest action by Israel, coupled with our knowledge of their falsification of video onboard and video and audio between them and the passengers on the Mavi Marmara, is just another nail in their own coffin.

OK, that sounds pretty conclusive and I think they’ll be OK. Other people are reporting israeli media now saying the ship has been captured without incident, as well. Time to hit the sack.

About 12 min after the post saying the ship was captured.

The Rachel Corrie has been forcibly seized by the Israeli navy and is being towed to Ashdod. All on board are reported safe. From Perdana
less than a minute ago via web

http://twitter.com/freegazaorg

RIP dear Rachel Corrie. At least the people will be reminded of your name and the way in which you were killed and who killed you. Even the BBC have been giving out this information.

http://twitter.com/freegazaorg

Updates on the MV Rachel Corrie

by Adam Horowitz on June 4, 2010

The news on the MV Rachel Corrie’s attempt to break the siege has been difficult to follow, but it seems that twitter is the most accessible and reliable news source right now. I’ve embedded the Mondoweiss (@mondoweiss) twitter feed below where we’re posting information as it becomes available.

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/updates-on-the-mv-rachel-corrie.html