Amalthea plan to carry on despite ‘reprehensible attack’

The Amalthea plan, Cyprus’ humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, is to continue despite Israel’s “reprehensible attack” on aid workers, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday.

Speaking at Nicosia’s 14th economic conference, he said Cyprus has “succeeded” with the creation of the Amalthea initiative, “to be part of the wider effort to deliver humanitarian aid” to Gaza.

This, he said, has been done “with the strong support of our partners such as the United States and the United Arab Emirates and the European Commission”.

“There were many who expressed doubt that such an initiative could be carried out,” he said, adding that the Amalthea initiative is now set to “complement other routes such as overland routes through Egypt and by air from Jordan and other countries”.

He touched on the construction of the temporary jetty being built by the US to facilitate aid being transported into Gaza, which is due to be completed by April 20.

“Completion of this jetty in the near future will give impetus to the Cypriot initiative,” he said.

“The motivation for developing this initiative was our need to contribute to the provision of humanitarian aid to partially alleviate the needs of Gaza’s civilian population, taking into account our proximity to the region and the excellent relations we maintain with all our neighbouring states,” he said.

“The Republic of Cyprus can have, and now has, an essential role and a say in regional developments. Initiatives like Amalthea can also change the way the international community approaches our country,” he said.

“Cyprus is not just a problem. We are not only the Cyprus problem, but our homeland can be part of the solution to critical regional problems,” he said.

He also made reference to the visit of the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy on Monday.

Al Hashimy met with European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna to discuss efforts to respond to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip, and ways to ensure the delivery of urgent and sufficient aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza.

These discussions, the UAE’s government said, came in light of “the suspension of the maritime corridor between Cyprus and the strip due to Israeli violations which endanger the relief effort”.

Al Hashimy “stressed the importance of continuing the multilateral international cooperative approach to confront the worsening catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip.

She also spoke on the need to “mitigate harm on innocent civilians without delay by ensuring the immediate and widespread flow of aid, safely, unhindered, and sustainably delivered, through all available channels by land, air, and sea.”

The UAE’s government added that “the Emirati and Cypriot sides renewed their condemnation of acts of violence against humanitarian workers who dedicate their lives to serving those in need.

They also said discussions “emphasised that Isael must uphold the responsibility imposed by the rules of international humanitarian law in securing humanitarian efforts and respecting and protecting relief workers.”

Meanwhile, a British Royal Navy vessel is reportedly en route to the Eastern Mediterranean with the aim of supporting humanitarian aid ventures to Gaza.

The country’s foreign office had said the ship’s deployment “is part of a wider package of military and civilian support for the initiative”.

“This package also includes up to £9.7 million (€11.3m) for aid deliveries, logistical expertise and equipment support to the corridor, such as forklift trucks and storage units.”

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that “along with the US, Cyprus and other partners, we are setting up a new temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to get aid in as quickly and securely as possible”.

Cameron has also repeatedly warned over the last few days that “the prospect of famine [in Gaza] is real.”