----- Original Message ----- From: Miri Weingarten To: i-opt at googlegroups. com Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 9:46 AM Subject: URGENT: Contact lost - 'Rachel Corrie' en route to Gaza
Dear all,
Organisers of the flotilla have informed me that all communication has been lost with the boat 'Rachel Corrie', en route to Gaza with 15(?) passengers including Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire, and medical supplies. Spotting mechanism, Sat. phones and radio all out of order/jammed since last night, apparently.
It is unclear where the boat is (probably about 200 miles from Gaza) and in what direction she is heading. Israeli headlines (Haaretz, YNet) aired identical items saying that 'the organisers' had decided to turn back to Ireland but the organisers (from here) say they never decided this or said this. There is a chance that Israeli forces could take over the boat in complete media/radio silence under the cover of this misinformation.
May I suggest that you forward this to others, and see if you can get people to contact parliamentarians, government representatives, voice concern about the passengers' safety, and ask them to contact their representatives in Israel. Who knows, perhaps this might avert another catastrophe.
Best Miri Miri Weingarten miri at jnews.org.uk