Israel mosque set ablaze in 'revenge' attack - ISRAEL. Israel to Get Written Guarantees on Security in Return for Settlement Freeze. Jewish boat sets sail to Gaza with aid. The Irene leaves Cyprus on Sunday carrying Jewish activists bound for Gaza. Jewish organizations are sponsoring the shipThe boat is carrying children's toys and other goodsCyprus police said they were not aware of the ship's departure (CNN) -- An aid ship sponsored by Jewish activist organizations around the world set sail Sunday from Cyprus to Gaza, despite a blockade to the occupied territory.
The boat, named Irene, was carrying 10 passengers and crew, including Jews from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Israel. "The boat will attempt to reach the coast of Gaza and unload its aid cargo in a nonviolent, symbolic act of solidarity and protest -- and call for the siege to be lifted to enable free passage of goods and people to and from the Gaza Strip," organizers said in a statement.
The captain of the boat, Glyn Secker, said that they left Cyprus at 1 p.m. and expect to arrive in Gaza in 36 hours. They plan to deliver the goods to the Gaza Mental Health Program. Women go on sale at Tel Aviv shopping center. Muslims criticize handling of Israelis' stay at D.C. hotel. Muslim employees of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington said they felt discriminated against after being barred over the weekend from floors where an Israeli delegation was staying, a Muslim advocacy group said. One hotel worker whose duties involve going to all the hotel's floors said he was preparing for his shift Friday when his supervisor told him to steer clear of the eighth and ninth floors, where Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his delegation had booked rooms.
"I said, 'Why? 'â" said the worker, who is Muslim and wanted to remain unidentified to protect his job. He said his supervisor told him, "They're Israelis there, and they don't want no face-to-face with Muslims. " The hotel's general manager, Amanda Hyndman, said the hotel rearranged some shifts and told some workers not to come in after a routine State Department background check found "irregularities" in the checks of 12 employees.
He said he had worked in proximity to other VIPs, such as George W. Un nouveau bateau humanitaire en route pour Gaza.