AP is now reporting the Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza will be stopped using Israeli gunships.

'Israeli gunships head to sea to block flotilla.'  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jFki4MerB8GrGJS2hOVmY5...  

'...Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said the country was prepared to stop the flotilla "at any cost"...'

Israel has said the humanitarian aid will be unloaded in Israel, checked for banned items, and then sent on to the Gaza via the UN.

The following article provides some information as to permitted v. banned items re the Gaza (http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=1154&CategoryId=3.)

'...The few items merchants are allowed to trade in are divided into three categories: food, medicine and detergent. Everything else is forbidden - including building materials (which are necessary to rehabilitate Gaza's ruins and rebuild its infrastructure), electric appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, spare machine and car parts, fabrics, threads, needles, light bulbs, candles, matches, books, musical instruments, crayons, clothing, shoes, mattresses, sheets, blankets, cutlery, crockery, cups, glasses and animals. Many of the banned products are imported through the tunnels and can be found in Gaza's markets.

Pasta, which had been forbidden in the past, is now allowed, after U.S. Senator John Kerry expressed his astonishment at the ban during a visit to Gaza in February. But tea, coffee, sausages, semolina, milk products in large packages and most baking products are forbidden. So are industrial commodities for manufacturing food products, chocolate, sesame seeds and nuts. Israel does allow importing fruit, milk products in small packages and frozen food products as well as limited amounts of industrial fuel...'

To some the ban of musical instruments may appear insignificant, but what of Israel's ban on hearing aids..

And it was only this past Monday that Israel lifted its ban on shoes and clothes. Lentils, tomato paste, cilantro, margarine, fresh meat, vinegar, jam, honey etc., are still on the banned list. The list goes on and on

The UN reports over 75% of the buildings damaged and/or destroyed during the Gaza offensive, remain as such due to a lack of building materials. The buildings include 11,000 homes, 36 schools and hospitals, 119 government buildings, and 126 industrial buildings. Israel has placed a total embargo on the entry of any and all construction materials into the Gaza.

As such, the majority of the humanitarian aid aboard the Freedom Flotilla would not reach the people of Gaza.

Armed, masked naval commandos.  Bomb sniffing dogs.  Gunships.  What next?  Maybe some of those unnamed, undeclared, unknown number but thought to be the third largest stockpile in the world, IAEA uninspected, NTP 'who gives a twaddle' ambiguous nuclear warheads.

This is an unarmed humanitarian peace mission whose cargo includes wheelchairs, walkers, crayons and toys. (http://warincontext.org/2010/05/25/freedom-flotilla-carrying-10000-tonne....)  And Israel's response is gunships.

Israel acknowledges a 40% unemployment rate (low by other agencies standards) within the Gaza.  The UN states 80% of Gazans rely on humanitarian aid for their existence.  With a population of 1.5 million people, this works out to 600,000 persons unemployed, and 1,200,000 million people needing assistance.  If these facts existed anywhere else in the world, the US would consider this a crisis, and would try to alleviate this suffering.  This small step is an international response to this crisis. It is essential for the Freedom Flotilla to discharge its cargo, at is original point of call, in the Gaza.

Give peace a chance.

As I write this, the Freedom Flotilla and the Israeli gunships are on collision course.  Who will blink first?  The next 48 hours are critical.  Please show your support by following this humanitarian mission at http://witnessgaza.com