Scottish journalist arrested by Israeli navy on board Gaza activist boat

By Gordon Darroch

04 November 2011 18:06 GMT

Blockade: The Tahrir and Saorise set sail from a Turkish port on Thursday. Pic: © Israel Defense Forces

A Scottish journalist is among 27 people arrested by Israeli authorities on board a flotilla that was intercepted off the Gaza coast.

Hassan Ghani, who works for Press TV, was travelling with a group of activists on two ships who were attempting to break the blockade of Gaza.

His family in Glasgow said they were concerned for his safety because he was arrested last year during a similar operation in which 19 protesters were killed.

The Canadian and Irish boats with 27 people from the US and eight other countries on board set sail from Turkey on Wednesday carrying medical supplies for the coastal enclave.

All those on board, who had signed an agreement not to put up any resistance if the vessels were boarded, were taken ashore to Ashod at about 1pm

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the activists would be questioned by police and immigration officials before being returned to their home countries.

Haq Ghani said he had not heard from his son since he posted messages on social media sites saying the Israeli navy were boarding his ship.

"I have been in touch with the Foreign Office and I hope they will be making representations on behalf of myself and Hassan, but unfortunately if previous experience is anything to go by the Israelis are a law unto themselves and the British government is just a poodle.

"The fact he was arrested last year makes it much, much worse. There is a much greater chance of him being tortured than perhaps other people on that flotilla.

"The Israelis take everything off people, they have no food, no clothes, no means of communication. His camera and his professional equipment were destroyed and everything he had recorded was purged.

"I just want to be sure that he's safe and that they aren't subjected to the Israelis' usual behaviour."

Asked if his son should have stayed away from Israel in the light of his previous experiences, Mr Ghani replied: "If he was like most people and valued his own skin over others, then maybe that's what he should have done. But Hassan has a good heart and although he's gone in a professional capacity, he is trying to
highlight the cause of an oppressed people."

Israel tightened its blockade on Gaza in 2006 in an attempt to stop the supply of military equipment and to put pressure on the Hamas administration in the strip.

The Irish Saoirse (meaning "freedom") and the Canadian Tahrir (Arabic for "liberation") were about 50 nautical miles from the Gaza shoreline when the Israeli navy contacted them and ordered them to turn back.

"The Israel Navy soldiers operated as planned, and took every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of the activists onboard the vessels as well as themselves," said a spokesman.

Naval officers "advised the vessels that they may turn back at any point, thereby not breaking the maritime security blockade". The spokesman said: "The activists refused to co-operate."

SNP Glasgow MSP Humza Yousaf said he would be appealing to the Israeli consulate in Edinburgh to ensure Mr Ghani received consular assistance.

He said: "I will be speaking to the consular general to make sure that Scottish people on the flotilla have British consular access and can contact their families, and to ensure their safety is guaranteed."

Scottish journalist arrested by Israeli navy on board Gaza activist boat