European Union parliamentarians hosted a news conference in Strasbourg Tuesday to announce the timetable for a new attempt to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza. Greek organizer Vangelis Pissias said the flotilla is expected to reach Israeli waters in the third week of June.

A number of unnamed EU lawmakers have pledged to join the operation, according to the DPA news agency. Organizers said the presence of EU lawmakers would help protect the others on board.

Some 20 Norwegian activists also plan to join the convoy, including lawmakers. The activists have rejected warnings by Israel and others that their supplies will end up in the hands of Hamas terrorists.

Activist Gerd von der Lippe told the Aftenposten in an interview last month the participation of politicians would "make the Israeli soldiers become less crazy" and "give the flotilla a large degree of legitimacy."

The ships will reportedly carry school materials, medical equipment and possibly construction supplies, Spanish organizer Manuel Tapial told reporters in Strasbourg. All of the material already is allowed to enter Gaza by supervised land crossings.

"This will go beyond tangible humanitarian assistance," added French organizer Claude Leostic, who claimed Israel's blockade is illegal.

However, Ran Curiel, Israel's ambassador to the European Union, responded in a separate news conference in Strasbourg that Israel is well within its international rights.

"In our view, the flotilla is clearly a political provocation... since there's no need for a flotilla to aid Gaza," he said. "You can pass whatever you want to Gaza through normal channels."

International aid organizations and Western governments have repeatedly told activists to bring their aid supplies to the region through approved land-based crossings.

Curiel also pointed out that Israeli troops intercepted a German-owned ship in March that headed for Gaza carrying a cargo of weapons for Hamas terrorists.

He warned activists that Israel would not allow the flotilla to threaten the Jewish State. "I cannot refer hypothetically to what the response of Israel will be," Curiel said. "What I can say is that Israel will do everything in order to protect its own citizens and it will do it within international law."

One year ago, six flotilla ships attempted to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza. The activists aboard one of the ships, a Turkish-owned vessel manned primarily by terrorist-linked IHH personnel, attacked IDF naval commandos boarding to redirect the ship to Ashdod port. Nine of the attackers died in the clash aboard the Mavi Marmara and a number of other people were injured, including several IDF commandos.

via israelnn.com