Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

I am extremely disappointed with the Minister's response. The people involved in the flotilla and their supporters will be very disappointed with that response, as they are angry at the collusion with the Greek authorities and, they believe, the collusion of all European political leaders with Israel, in preventing this peace flotilla reaching the beleaguered people of Gaza with aid and solidarity.

Why did the Minister ask the Israeli authorities merely not to injure people during an interception of the flotilla rather than ask them not to intercept the flotilla but to allow it free and safe passage to breach an immoral and illegal siege that has been causing immense suffering for the people of Gaza for several years? That is what many people and I believe the Minister should have asked them. Why did the Minister not ask them simply not to intercept the flotilla?

I am extremely disappointed by the Minister's response to the sabotage allegations. It is not true, as the Minister said, that the Turkish authorities have stated they do not believe the damage was caused by sabotage. This is based on a report from a newspaper that was put out a few hours after the official investigation by the Turkish authorities in Turkey began. The report has since been recycled in the press across the world. An official investigation is going on, with which the flotilla participants are co-operating, and which has not concluded. How can the Minister state that the Turkish authorities have concluded there was not sabotage when the official investigation has not concluded?

Has the Minister not seen the evidence of sabotage? I have, and the media in Ireland have seen it. Two boats in different ports were damaged in exactly the same way and in a way that, had the damage not been detected, would almost certainly have resulted in the loss of life of Irish citizens and others. The boats were damaged in exactly the same way in two different ports, one in Turkey and one in Greece. This is cast iron evidence of sabotage. I ask the Minister to look at the evidence.

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