American activists aboard ‘The Audacity of Hope’ leave Perama port in Greece, authorities stop ship shortly after departure.
American activists set sail from Greece on Friday aboard a boat set to take part in the pro-Palestinian flotilla to Gaza, defying calls from Israel to cancel and a ban by Athens.
The boat, dubbed “The Audacity of Hope”, left Perama port for the open seas, a Reuters witness said. Greek authorities said earlier on Friday that ships destined to Gaza were prohibited from leaving Greek ports.
Shortly after leaving the port, Greek authorities stopped the boat, and negotiations are currently underway to determine whether the vessel can continue on its way despite the ban.
The Audacity of Hope is one of many boats that is planning to take part in a flotilla aimed at challenging Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. A spokeswoman announced Friday that it will set sail next week, in spite of repeated delays that activists blame on Israeli sabotage.
“Israel is doing its very, very best to make sure we don’t get out of port,” spokeswoman Greta Berlin said, speaking by telephone from Greece where some of the ships are moored.
“We want to move the boats by July 5 to get to our rendezvous point no later than July 6 or 7 … We will go with what we have,” she added.
The original plan was to have 15 ships set sail, however the current count stands at nine boats hoping to take part in the mission, Berlin said in her statement.
The flotilla is set to head toward Gaza a little over a year after Israeli marines stormed another pro-Palestinian flotilla that had approached the strip. Nine activists died in the on-board clashes, provoking an international outcry.
