Lynn Ruane (Independent)

I want to again draw attention to the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is entering its most critical 24 hours on its journey to break the illegal siege of Gaza. Over the past 24 hours, I have been thinking about some of the commentary that has come from some of the countries who have shown support but called it an exclusion zone, saying that the global sumud is entering an exclusion zone, and giving some sort of credence or formal recognition that Israel has some unknown right to create an exclusion zone. There is no exclusion zone. It does not exist. We now have other European countries calling a particular parameter in international waters an exclusion zone. The fact is that it is not illegal to carry aid to any coastal port. The only time it becomes illegal to come close to a country’s waters if it is within 12 nautical miles, which is 22 km from a country’s shore. The global sumud has never gone near 22 km of Israel's shores. It aims specifically for the Palestinian shores and continues to be intercepted within 100 nautical miles, which is international waters. Not only are we allowing Israel to completely control the lives of Gazan people, where they move, who they are, how they live, what they eat and what they do, but we are now as a society, country and globe allowing Israel to decide what waters people can travel into. What I want to know is, if and, hopefully, when we break the siege which is illegal, is Ireland ready to acknowledge that there is a legal humanitarian corridor through the waters into Palestine instead of continuing to wait for land borders to be opened? Land borders are completely controlled by Israel. The seas exist as a legal humanitarian corridor, and when the siege is broken by the humanitarian activists who have attempted to break it several times up until now, Ireland needs to be ready to acknowledge that Israel does not control the seas and we can bring aid through the sea to Gaza. We need to stop acknowledging that there is an exclusion zone that does not actually exist.