The saga of the Malaysian ship that styles itself as an "aid" ship continues....
First Israel stopped it and it was going to go to Egypt to get its cargo delivered to Gaza.
Then Egypt refused to let it dock.
Then it tried to go to Gaza again, and got stuck with engine trouble.
Now, the activists are refusing to allow Egypt to deliver the plastic sewer pipes the only way it can - via Kerem Shalom!
From AFP:
Malaysia activists refuse Gaza aid delivery via IsraelIn the past, Hamas refused to accept much of the symbolic "aid" that was delivered by various supposedly pro-Palestinian activists. Now the Malaysians are trying to say that Israel stole the piles of garbage that "activists" threw into their political flotillas.
Activists on a Malaysian aid ship that had been bound for Gaza refused to hand their cargo to Egypt on Thursday, they said, fearing that it would end up in Israel.
They had tried to land in Gaza last week but changed course when the Israeli navy fired warning shots.
Matthias Chang, who is heading the mission for the Perdana Global Peace Foundation, told AFP the group was not consulted when the Malaysian and Egyptian governments worked out a deal to end the impasse.
"The Egyptian government has imposed on the Malaysian government as a condition (that)... the cargo be discharged... (and) transported via Karem Shalom, at the Israeli border in Gaza," Chang said.
"We are not assured that this cargo would in fact be delivered to Gaza, as in the past... most of the humanitarian aid was laid to waste in Israel," he added.
Chang also questioned Cairo's refusal to allow the cargo, consisting of 7.5 kilometres (4.6 miles) of sewage pipes, to be transferred via the Rafah crossing -- Gaza's only crossing that bypasses Israel -- given that it would be open this weekend.
"This turn of events demonstrates the insincerity of the Egyptian government and their implicit endorsement of the illegal siege when they explicitly stated they would permanently open the Rafah crossing," Chang said.
Of course, the Malaysian anti-Israel activists are not interested in delivering aid to Gaza, but in embarrassing Israel. As always, the joke is on them.
As a reminder, here is the alleged "60 tons of aid" that was on board the Free Gaza ship that was intercepted in February 2009:
(h/t Mike)