Handala crew were ‘prepared’, ‘determined’
Adam Shapiro, husband of activist Huwaida Arraf, who is on board the Gaza-bound Handala, spoke to Al Jazeera following Israel’s seizure of the vessel.
Shapiro said he spoke with his wife hours earlier, as Israeli naval ships approached from a distance. “She had to get off the line very quickly to start making the preparations,” he said.
Shapiro then said he watched a live feed from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition showing Arraf using a radio to inform Israeli forces that the ship was unarmed and carrying humanitarian aid. “The last I saw, as the rest of you, was the soldiers come on board”, he said.
Shapiro said that the Handala crew had anticipated the possibility and were “prepared” and “determined”.
“These are people who are undertaking this action not just to send a message… but to try to use public outrage to force our governments to act,” he said.
‘Our vessel does not constitute any threat to you,’ flotilla activist tells Israeli Navy
We have obtained a video clip of Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian American activist and lawyer who was on board the Handala, shortly before the boat was intercepted by Israeli forces.
Here is what she told the Israeli Navy:
“Israeli Navy, this is a civilian vessel, Handala. Let me give you a lesson in international law.
“Any blockade that deliberately starves a civilian population is a violation of international law. It is not only that – it is a war crime. You have no legal authority to enforce an unlawful blockade. And as such, you have no authority to use force to enforce an unlawful blockade.
“Therefore, we demand that you stand down. You are responsible for the wellbeing of every civilian on board this vessel. As an occupying power in Gaza, you are responsible for the health and wellbeing of the civilian population there.
“Not only have you disregarded that obligation, but you are actively exterminating the people. You have engineered a famine. You are deliberately starving civilians and children before the eyes of the world.
“Our vessel does not constitute any threat to you. We carry only humanitarian aid, and therefore, you have no authority to intercept or otherwise attack our vessel. We demand again that you stand down.
