Ship of peace carries anti-Gaza war message into Egypt's Port Said


Kamal Tabikha
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A ship sent by a Japan-based luxury cruise operator and NGO, whose vessels sail the world promoting peace, arrived in Egypt’s Port Said on Wednesday flying a banner condemning Israel’s killing of more than 10,000 Gazans.

Pacific World embarked on its latest world tour in August, its 115th such voyage, said Karen Hallows, spokeswoman for the Peace Boat NGO.

The vessel's global cruise is promoting calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, and it will dock at various ports where protests will then be staged.

The banner, which reads "Stop Killing Gaza!", was raised on November 3 while the ship was in the Greek port of Piraeus.

Measuring 30 by five metres, the flag was also on display when Pacific World sailed into Istanbul on November 5.

The banner was met with support and enthusiasm in both cities, with residents adding their voices to the call for a ceasefire in Gaza, Ms Hallows told The National.

The Pacific World will remain docked in Port Said until Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, an event was held to formalise Peace Boat’s calls for a truce, at which the head of Egypt’s Journalists’ Syndicate, Khaled El Balshy, gave a speech.

The syndicate has been prominent in Egypt calling for a ceasefire, with regular protests taking place near its headquarters in Cairo.

“We feel that as an organisation which sails with the word ‘Peace’, we have a responsibility to speak out about the horror of what is currently happening in Gaza,” a Peace Boat statement said.

The vessel is on a global cruise calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, during which it will dock at various ports where a protest will then be staged. Reuters
The vessel is on a global cruise calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, during which it will dock at various ports where a protest will then be staged. Reuters

The 77,000-tonne ship arrived in Egypt carrying 1,800 passengers, many of whom joined the calls for ceasefire.

Pacific World will sail on from Port Said to Sri Lankan capital Colombo, Ms Hallows said.

Peace Boat organises educational voyages for which passengers pay to sail the world while enrolling in lectures and cultural exchange programmes on board its vessels.

Launched in 1983, the organisation has docked in various Israeli ports where it conducted cultural exchanges between Palestinian and Israeli youth movements including in Haifa and Ashdod.

“In more hopeful times, Peace Boat organised programmes for Israeli and Palestinian youth to meet on board using the ship as a space for dialogue, but unfortunately it has been many years since these programmes have been able to take place,” Ms Hallows said.

The death toll in Gaza as a result of the continuing Israeli bombardment surpassed 10,500 on Wednesday, according to the enclave's Health Ministry.

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Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

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Updated: November 09, 2023, 4:20 AM`