KUWAIT CITY, June 5, (Agencies): MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei revealed the ruthless manner and cruelty by which the Israeli soldiers dealt with the Freedom Flotilla crew through physical and mental torture they were subjected to, indicating they were deprived of food, water and using the bathroom, and assaulted, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
Dr Al-Tabtabaei made this statement during Al-Watan’s satellite TV program “Taw Lael” (Early Night), where he thanked the leadership, beginning with His Highness the Amir, the Prime Minister, and the National Assembly Speaker for closely following up the situation, until they have safely arrived from detention in Gaza.
He noted the government saw them through their exit from Jordan to the chattered flight, besides the rousing welcome they received in Kuwait. He extended greetings to other members of the National Assembly who demanded a pull out of the Arab negotiations, and Kuwaiti citizens who expressed solidarity with their brothers they considered as ambassadors.
He narrated the Kuwaiti volunteers contributed huge amount of money with which they bought a ship named “Bader” and donated to the convoy, explaining their donations were spent on the major materials aboard the freedom ships.
Earlier, the participants had agreed on two representatives from each country, but huge contributions by Kuwait made it possible for Kuwaitis to get 16 seats, and Algerians also donated another ship, gaining quite a number of seats, he noted.
Meanwhile, Al-Tabtabaei stressed he was ready for the trip two months ahead of take off, since the participants called for participation of the National Assembly. He went on to recount his encounter with Israeli detectives, who wanted him to sign a paper under duress and he vehemently declined, before they were moved to detention.
He reiterated the Zionists detained all of them - including those who signed and those who declined to sign the paper, indicating four persons were confined to a cell, saying four Turks were detained along with him. He said Dutch, Danish, Norwegian and British ambassadors arrived Tuesday evening and briefed them about the entire world being displeased with Israel’s action, assuring them of freedom.
“I commend the brave actions of the Turks, who were the last set of detainees to gain freedom, after they refused to leave until the Zionists released all Arabs and other foreigners”, he hinted.
Meanwhile, an Arab League official urged in Cairo Saturday that Israel has to pay the full price for its lethal attack on Gaza-bound ‘Freedom Flotilla’ aid ships.
Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League for Palestine Affairs Ambassador Mohammad Subeeh said in news remarks that the way to punish Israel should go through the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In this context, he said Turkey was going through this way, given that the fatal Israeli attack targeted Turkish-flagged aid ships in a show of Israel’s disrespect of its relations with Turkey.
He hailed a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution to set up an independent fact-finding committee over the Israeli crime as a “good step”.
He added that Arab countries, in collaboration with several other countries, including Turkey, were also pressing for a UN general assembly meeting on “the Israeli crime against humanity.” However, he rapped the US for failing to condemn the Israeli attack on the aid ships on international waters off Gaza, calling on Washington to stop such Israeli crimes.
Defending Arab support for Gaza, Subeeh said Arab countries have sent official and unofficial humanitarian aid worth USD 2.2 billion to the Gazans since Israel imposed its blockade on the salient.
He called for all crossing points, not only Egypt’s Rafah crossing, to be reopened for humanitarian supplies to Palestinians in Gaza.
The recent Israeli raid on the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ sparked vehement world outcry, which has still not abated.
Israel has been imposing a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip since the radical Islamist movement Hamas took de facto control of the enclave in 2007.