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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Turkish aid ship departs for | |
| 2016-07-02 | |
| A Turkish aid ship carrying 11,000 tons of supplies for the Gaza Strip left the southern port of Mersin Friday afternoon, Anadolu reported. The Lady Leyla sailed south for the Israeli port of Ashdod carrying 2,000 tons of rice, 5,000 tons of flour, 3,000 tons of sugar, 500 tons of cooking oil, and 10,000 food packages in addition to 100,000 pieces of clothing, 20,000 shoes, and 10,000 toys from the Turkish Grain Board and the Turkish Red The humanitarian mission departed Turkey following this week’s reconciliation deal between Ankara and Tel Aviv to end a six-year freeze in relations. “The supplies aboard this ship are a sort of present from the Turkish people to their brothers and sisters in Gaza ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr,” Development Minister Lutfi Elvan said at a ceremony in Mersin to mark the ship’s departure. “They are a present from our children to Gazan children.” Elvan thanked Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan for leading the process which led to the restoration of ties between Turkey and Israel, and subsequently the aid being sent today. He also extended his thanks to the Turkish aid agency AFAD, the Turkish Red Crescent, and the Foreign Ministry for their help and coordination. Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said that Turkey would continue to help the Palestinian people in the areas of education, health, development, and information technology. "God willing, all these projects will be completed at the earliest thanks to the [reconciliation] deal,” Kaynak said, adding that Palestine’s largest hospital – which is being built by The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) – would be opening soon. "The end goal is to ensure that the Palestinians live happily and freely in their own country, and enjoy the same rights as everyone else,” he said. Mersin Governor Ozdemir Cakacak said that the aid being sent to the Palestinians was not only a show of support, but an indication that “we are always with them”. “We hope that the pain and tears in Palestine will end soon,” he said. Palestinian Ambassador Faed Mustafa praised Turkey’s continued help and support to the Palestinian cause since the beginning. "Turkey has given us much support during the establishment of the State of Palestine. And later on the Gaza issue. Turkey continues to be our number one supporter,” he said.
Turkish presidential front man Ibrahim Kalin said Tuesday that the ship’s departure would be "the first test to see if Israel will play a controller role," in easing the situation in Gazoo. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 I'd run those through scanners before delivery |
| Posted by: Frank G 2016-07-02 13:20 |