The European LEFT expresses its solidarity with the III Freedom Flotilla which started its journey to Gaza, from the Baltic Sea by the end of June.

After passing through Goteborg, OslO, Donostia, Bermeo, Alicante, Barcelona, Corsica, La Spezia and Naples, the sailing ship Estelle is in its last stage of navigation towards the coasts of Gaza with the aim of breaking the illegal blockade marine to the Palestinians by the Israeli authorities. The boat is almost three days to reach the critical point where some boats from other flotillas which tried to do the same where assaulted.

At the Estelle there are citizens and parliamentarians from different European countries, one of them is Ricardo Sixto (IU member of the parliament). Sixto has said “my participation in this mission, like the other activists, is supporting a pacifist civil initiative which is backed up by the international legality. I consider it a good way to denounce in practice the living conditions and the isolation of the Palestinians because of this illegal blockade marine by the Israeli authorities”.

The pressure and threats from the Israeli government towards the Finnish government have been taking place before Estelle set sail, and those threats have continued through a letter that Ron Prosor (Israeli ambassador at the UN) handed to the Secretary-general of this world trade organization, Ban Ki-moon, and also to the President of the Security Council, the Permanent Representative of Guatemala, Gert Rozenthal.

We urge to the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, and also to the different Member State governments to guarantee the security of these activists, who are European citizens

The European LEFT, demands to put an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel and we also urge the international community to recognize the independent State of Palestine together with the State of Israel.

Brussels,
19 October 2012