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''SS Dignity was creased along with the dignity of Europe, which did not react,'' Cypriot MP Eleni Theocharous said on Tuesday on her return home, after SS Dignity, which tried to break the Israeli blockage of Gaza to take humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, was intercepted and hit by the Israeli navy.
''One way or another, Israel never had dignity in these issues,'' Theocharous said, adding that ''Israel is behaving as terrorist state, using the support provided by other superpowers and the military machine it has created, in order to slaughter peoples under its occupation.''
On Monday, SS Dignity, carrying three Cypriots, including Theocharous, and other volunteers sailed from the southern port of Larnaca for Gaza to take humanitarian and medical care.
The Israeli navy intercepted the boat and hit its left side, forcing it to change course and head for Lebanon. The mission was for the time being aborted and the three Cypriots returned home by air, via Beirut.
Theocharous said that the course of the boat was in line with international law. ''We did not violate any rule and the interception occurred in international waters, 73 km west of Haifa, which constitutes a violation of international law and a crime against humanity. What happened was attempted murder,'' she pointed out.
Describing the dramatic moments of the collision, Theocharous said that ''we were thrice thrown from one side of the boat to the other and in the end we landed on the deck,'' adding that blankets on the deck softened their fall.
She said everyone put on lifejackets because the boat was leaking. The electrical system and the water pumps failed, and all communication was lost. The cases of medical aid destined for the injured in Gaza were lifesavers for the crew itself.
''In the end we were obliged to empty the cases of medicine and tried to cover the hole with the packets. Of course it was impossible due to the strong winds and apart from that the Israelis were chasing us with four vessels that followed us to Lebanon,'' Theocharous said.
Theocharous noted that the decision to sail to Lebanon was kept secret. ''We did not announce it because we were afraid that our communications from the satellite phones CNN and Al Jazeera gave us were being monitored,'' she said.
Nevertheless, she added, the destination of the boat was not kept secret, because as soon as the boat changed course, CNN announced that the mission was heading to Lebanon.
Theocharous praised the representations of the Cypriot government, thanks to which the boat was allowed to moor in Lebanon.
SS Dignity is being guarded at Tyr port in Lebanon at the instructions of the Lebanese President, after representations made by the Republic of Cyprus.
On Wednesday, Theocharous will contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to request further measures to protect the boat, since it may flood in a possible storm and destroy the medical aid.
