Yildirim said “We are going to set sail towards Gaza in due course of time. There is no need to rush, we are waiting for the right time. Perhaps, in the meantime, Israel gets to think reasonably.”
Also commenting on Israel’s statements threatening to attack the ships, Yildirim went on to say “The youngest passenger onboard these ships is only one year old. There are people in their 80s onboard as well. If Israel wants to run the risk of attacking these ships, they may do so. In case of an attack, we are going to carry out nonviolent resistance. We do not even have a jackknife here, but we will not let the Israeli soldiers onboard this ship.”
Stating that the Israeli government could not manage this crisis properly, Yildirim went on to say “If Israel was a democratic state, it would allow this flotilla and let the humanity win. It would not intercept. However, they took this campaign as an insult to their honor because it is a military state. Israeli ministers followed a horrible way of reasoning. Normally, this flotilla would not have received this much publicity. I cannot figure out their reason to get involved with us this much. Normally, we are the ones supposed to show aggression. However, Israel acts more aggressively. Each and every day a new statement comes out from their side. Israel does not treat us as an NGO.”
Bulent Yildirim also mentioned of the support coming from all over the world to the aid flotilla, including Muslim countries, France, Belgium, Chile, Brazil, Turkey and the EU. He said that he hopes for a continuous increase of this support.
Yildirim once again stated that they are determined to reach their destination and they will not turn back. He also mentioned that in case of an interception, protests against Israel will be held in a lot of countries including Turkey. Yildirim said “I do not think that Israel will run that risk and face such reactions.”
Yildirim, in response to the question of “when do you plan to sail to Gaza”, said “We are going to set sail towards Gaza in due course of time. There is no need to rush, we are waiting for the right time. We prefer keeping the answer to this question to ourselves at the moment, I am sure that Israel is eager to know the answer as well.
