Activists in Lebanon raise funds for new Gaza-bound boat

Jun 6, 2010, 17:10 GMT

Beirut - Two Lebanese non-governmental, pro-Palestinian groups are laying the groundwork for a ship to sail from Lebanon to Gaza next week, organizers told the German Press Agency dpa on Sunday.

The two groups, the Free Palestine Movement and Reporters without Limits, are currently raising funds for the boat, which will have educational and medical supplies on board, Thaer Ghandour of Reporter without Limits said.

The ship will also carry some 50 Arab and foreign journalists, along with 25 European activists - including some members of parliament - Ghandour said.

'We started gathering funds through financial contributions to buy the needed boat and the supplies, and then we are ready to sail hopefully by the end of next week,' Ghandour said.

The announcement by the Lebanese organizers came two days after a Beirut rally in solidarity with Gaza, during which Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah called for a 'Freedom Flotilla II' to break the Israeli-imposed blockade on Gaza.

Israeli forces on Saturday stopped the Rachel Corrie, an aid ship headed for Gaza from Ireland.

Five days earlier, an Israeli raid on one one of five ships bound for Gaza with 700 activists and supplies on board had left nine activists dead, mainly Turkish nationals.

The incident has strained the once-close relationship between Turkey and Israel, with Turkish officials threatening to review or even cut diplomatic ties.

The stance has gathered wide support for Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been branded as a hero in some Arab countries.

One Palestinian family went as far as naming their newborn baby after the Turkish leader, in a show of gratitude for the Turkish support of Gaza, Palestinian media reported Sunday.

The boy, who lives in Khan Yunis in the southern part of the coastal enclave, is to be called Radjub Erdogan.

Salah Abu Jamalah, the father of the baby boy, said he is proud to name his son after the Turkish leader because 'he is a good man, who does his best to end the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.'

The Israeli raid has also prompted protests across the Arab world, several in front of US embassies. The United States is Israel's main backer in the western world.

On Sunday, some 150 Lebanese demonstrators burned Israeli flags near the US embassy complex in Awkar, northeast of Beirut.

The demonstrators chanted 'Free Palestine' and 'No to an American embassy in Lebanon' as they protested about two kilometres away from the US embassy in Awkar.

The demonstrators, mainly supporters of the Communist Party, carried Lebanese, Palestinian and Turkish flags, along with placards denouncing the Jewish state.

Some of the demonstrators tried to remove a line of barbed wire separating them from the Lebanese armed forces, who are in charge of security around the US embassy. The protestors backed off only after they were warned by Lebanese soldiers to step away.