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Tuesday, 9th February 2010

Riddle over Portsmouth sailor held by Israelis

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Published Date:
03 July 2009
A Portsmouth sailor is being held in an Israeli prison after his boat was seized while carrying aid to Gaza.
Denis Healey is being held along with 20 campaigners at Givon jail in Ramla, Israel, according to the Free Gaza Movement and his partner Ruth Baker.

Eight British and Irish activists were among those detained by the Israeli authorities on board the boat Spirit of Humanity as they tried to transport humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

Mr Healey, 54, the boat's captain, was born in Portsmouth and lived in Wymering for 20 years, but now lives outside Limassol in Cyprus.

Ms Baker, 61, said: 'I spoke to Denis last night after they managed to get a phone in the prison.

'He went before a judge yesterday and he has recommended deportation but nothing has been signed or sealed.

'That's all we have heard. Denis is still in prison over there and he doesn't know what's going on.'

Ms Baker said the boat was taking medical supplies, olive trees and children's toys to Gaza.

It was searched and received security clearance from the Cypriot Port Authorities before departing and never approached Israeli waters, she said.

The activists were 18 miles off the coast of Gaza when they were detained by Israeli special forces supported by six navy gunships.

Ms Baker said: 'They were turning into Gazan waters and these gun boats suddenly crowded round them.

'This was his fifth trip there and I wasn't keen on him going this time, I had a feeling about it.

'When I spoke to him he seemed to be doing better. He said they had changed the bedsheets and the food was good. We don't know when we will see him.'

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said the navy took control of the cargo boat after its crew ignored warnings it could not enter Gazan coastal waters.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: 'We have confirmed that six British nationals were detained by the authorities. Consular staff have visited them and are providing consular assistance.

'We are seeking further clarity on the incident from the Israeli authorities.'


MORE TROUBLE

This is not the first time Denis Healey has found himself in trouble while trying to deliver aid to Gaza.

In January The News reported how his boat was rammed by an Israeli gunboat while trying to get aid through. He was carrying 3.5 tons of medical supplies to help people trapped in the conflict.

There were also doctors, television reporters and peace activists on board his yacht, Dignity.

He told The News how two Israeli gunships had shone searchlights at the yacht, before ramming it and taking away some of the upper deck.

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  • Last Updated: 03 July 2009 8:35 AM
  • Source: The News
  • Location: Portsmouth
 
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MonkeyBreath,

03/07/2009 12:12:11
Dennis Healey could be considered a fool after all what does he expect trying to run through a military blockade set up to stop missiles and guns being smuggled into the terrorists who then use them to attack Israel.

HOwever his associations with "Free Gaza" indicate that these actions in confronting the Israeli navy is a diliberate confrontation which is specificlly designed to provoke his arrest, maybe they are dissapointed he was not murdered, after all that is what they would like the world to see Israel as being.

If Dennis was so concerned about sending aid to Gaza, then he should have approached the official organizations who are allowed in to distribute aid and supplies, but no, he is just a sad individual who is out to create anti-semetic propaganda new stories based on his illegal activity.
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1986nufc,

03/07/2009 12:35:30
This doesn't bode well for my camping holiday in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Who would have thought this could happen in a war zone?

Seriously, what did this bloke expect to happen? It may have been for a noble cause but he could and should have gone down the official routes.
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boggy,

03/07/2009 16:20:31
Brilliant. Anyone who wants to help Gazans and Palestians is anti semetic or wants to create anti-semetic propaganda. What a superb argument. How can anyone win. You help Palestine you are antisemetic. Seems the only way to not get this lable is to ONLY support the actions of Israel. No win situation then.
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MonkeyBreath,

03/07/2009 16:51:15
You are not reading what I wrote correctly. I did not say anyone who helps Palestinians is ant-semtic, that is ridiculous. I thought I made it perfectly clear , but I will obviously repeat it for those who can not or do not really want to understand.

For quite a long time Israel has blockaded Gaza to prevent missiles and other weapons from entering Gaza. Anyone approaching Gaza from sea will be turned away. If the vessel does not turn away they can face arrest , which is what happened to Dennis Healy.

Looking at this situation, and the past exploits of Healey which involved a large press contingent, resulting in confrontations with Israeli forces, it is as clear as daylight that there is an alteria motive, an anti-semetic one which runs of the lines of "oh look at the horrible evil Jewish regime, they are stopping me from giving toys and medicine to the poor children of Gaza, they have arrested me and treating me like a criminal, help us stop this evil and oppression"

Again I say that if Denis wanted to help with providing aid, then he can do so through the official aid organization that are allowed to deliver and do so. I am sure they would appreciate a cheque from Mr Healey instead of this ridiculous nonsense at running a military blockade to prevent terrorism.
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boggy,

03/07/2009 17:29:43
I understood exactly what you said "he is just a sad individual who is out to create anti-semetic propaganda new stories based on his illegal activity." You have made a sweeping generalisation of his motives. As i understand it, the boat was not in Israeli waters at the time of arrests. The boat had people on it like Mairead Maguire and former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The boat was searched and received security clearance from the Cypriot Port.

We all know how desperate the situation is in Gaza and how, where or who sends this aid is irrelevant in this circumstance, as aid thru official channels continues to trickle its way in.

I dont see the need for aid by any means to be different to any other part of the world where offical and unofficial means are found of getting aid to people. Yet I also agree they did themselves no favours by trying to deliver aid this way as they will be branded as martyrs. But if aid is not getting to people quickly and in quantity, I see no other way other than to use this method, so long as the boats had been cleared before going. Also I have no problem in the Israeli army checking the boat before letting them thru.
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boggy,

03/07/2009 17:33:04
No doubt I will be branded as some sort of "anti semitic do gooder" (remember arabs are semites as well) for my comments above, but this will always be par for the course.
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MonkeyBreath,

03/07/2009 18:18:27
Why would someone who just wanted to deliver aid take along the press and now politicians if it wasnt for other reasons other than delivering aid? Why make several attempts when previous attempts failed? Why continually aggravate the Israeli government? Was it an Israeli official who cleared the boat? There is more to this than meets the eye, but many will simply not see it for what it is though.
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boggy,

03/07/2009 21:29:36
Why let innocent Palestinians suffer? The questions can be posed from all sides. I dont care about politicians, dont care for press etc etc this is a non argument. I want all aid to get in i want all routes to be open (and if necc policed). They may have been expecting trouble, with the press also there it may allow for more accurate repoting of how these boats are actually stopped. Remember the vessel that was barged? If there was only very little or token aid on board i may agree that it may have been a publcity stunt but there was apparently medical supplies, children’s toys and reconstruction kits and still no sign of weapons. Why not let it thru and open all lines of aid thru? There is no argument here. Open the routes and police them instead of cutting access and routes and letting people suffer and their children and after their children. The Israeli army is one of the best equipped army in the world. Surely they have the technology and resource to check boats for weapons even if its means using satellite? Even if it is time consuming to check boats, so what?
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Gnorty,

Portsmouth 04/07/2009 00:02:52
Miaread Maguire - hit by a rubber bullet while protesting against the erection of an Israeli security fence in 2007.

Cynthia McKinney - long term anti-war activist

I don't mean to imply that there is any suggestion that these facts make either of these women "bad" people. Very noble it is to stand by your beliefs and put yourself on the line, maybe if more people did it we wouldn't be shafted by our own politicians so often.

However, presenting their names as you did, to suggest that they legitimise the "mercy" run in this story is ridiculous. It just points even more strongly to this whole escapade being more about political milage than aid to the victims. This was no innocent trip.
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MonkeyBreath,

04/07/2009 00:53:14
"Why let innocent Palestinians suffer?"

They perfectly well know the terms and conditions to end the blockade, which is basically stop firing rockets into Israel.

The population in Gaza voted in Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization which gets its funding from countries like Iran, branches of Hamas are responsible for a number of deaths of British soldiers in Iraq.





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