Organisers want to encourage local production to bring goods from coastal Palestine to Europe. It would be the first 'flotilla' to sail from the port of Gaza to export in the Mediterranean. If Israel stops the ship, "it will find it very difficult to explain to the world why it's stopping a Gaza cargo ship carrying civilian products meant for Europe," activist said.

Gaza City (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A group of European, Canadian and Palestinians activists are planning to launch a 'flotilla' to export goods from Gaza. The aim is to counter the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip whilst encouraging local production.

Gaza's Ark, the trawler (pictured) converted into a cargo ship to carry of Palestinian goods, is in dry docks for refurbishing, but activists plan to sail a first shipment in September.

One of the organisers of the initiative, Charlie Anderson, from Sweden, does not seem worried by the possibility that Israel might stop the boat.

"If it does," Anderson told Ynet, "it will find it very difficult to explain to the world why it's stopping a Gaza cargo ship carrying civilian products meant for Europe."

"Israel always claimed that the blockade was meant to prevent the smuggling of illegal weapons into Gaza. In that case, it should have no problem with a boat leaving the Gaza Strip," said Mahfouz Kabariti, head of Gaza's Fishing and Marine Sport Association.

This is not the first time that activist groups have tried to force the embargo Israel imposed on Gaza in 2006.

On 31 May 2010, a freedom flotilla, consisting of six vessels flying Turkish, American, Greek and Swedish flags sailed from Cyprus for the Palestinian coast.

After stopping five of the six boats, Israeli naval troops boarded the sixth, which resulted in the death of nine Turkish citizens.

While all previous 'flotillas' sought to bring aid to the Gaza Strip, Gaza's Ark is the first attempt to ship 'Made in Gaza' products to another Mediterranean port.

The organisers explain that this is not a humanitarian aid to the Strip, but an encouragement to local production.

Palestinian activists also stressed that they had nothing to do with Gaza's Hamas government.

"This is a civilian, independent project," said one, "whose aim is to raise public awareness to the issue of Gaza's maritime blockade and the activists have no intention of confronting with the Navy in case it tries to stop the shift."

• palestine
• israel
• gaza
• gaza’s
• ark
• exports
• boat
• blockade