Gaza Latest (25 June): Iranian Flotilla "Cancelled"; US Says Aid Ships "Irresponsible"; Europe Calls for End to Blockade

One of the organizers of an Iranian aid flotilla said Thursday that the event has been cancelled due to "Israeli threats". Nevertheless, Israel's Army Radio reported that a separate Iranian ship, carrying 60 Iranian activists, was being prepared to sail to Gaza via the Caspian Sea, which seems a rather unusual route.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement calling the aid flotillas to Gaza irresponsible:

Mechanisms exist for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza by member states and groups that want to do so. Direct delivery by sea is neither appropriate nor responsible, and certainly not effective, under the circumstances.

The Council of Europe's parliamentarians have called on Israel to end its siege of the Gaza Strip, describing Israel's recent ease of blockade as a "first step". A large majority in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said that goods must be delivered to Gaza both by sea and land, "without prejudice to [Israel's] security", so that Palestinians can enjoy "normal living conditions".

The parliamentarians also criticized the Israeli raid of Freedom Flotilla last month as a breach of international law, calling it "manifestly disproportionate".

The proceedings of the Terkel committee examining the IDF’s raid on the Gaza flotilla will be made open to the public, The Jerusalem Post announced.