‘We will continue to stand up to Israel’ vows Moate woman on flotilla

A Moate woman who is travelling on a boat with President Catherine Connolly's sister, as part of the Global Samud Flotilla to Gaza, has vowed to continue the journey despite arrests by Israel of a large number of activists on the flotilla last week.

Louise McCormack, originally from Mount Carmel Drive in Moate, is among the Irish participants in the flotilla which is sailing to Gaza as part of an effort to provide humanitarian aid for the people of the region.

With her boat stalled in Crete due to a storm, Louise spoke to the Westmeath Independent this morning (Tuesday).

She said she and her fellow passengers on the boat were concerned about friends who had been taken from the flotilla and brought to prison in Israel. She said she was "fine" otherwise, and intended to keep going.

Israel's foreign ministry said last week that around 175 activists were taken off more than 20 boats, in international waters off Crete, and were brought to Israel.

One of Louise's colleagues on her boat is Sligo's Margaret Connolly, sister of President Connolly.

Asked about their plans for the coming days, Louise said: "We will stand up to Israel. We will keep going.

"Who will stand up to Israel if not regular people? Our Governments won't.

"We have a little flotilla of humanitarians, and you see what the Israelis do. They travel up into European waters to take activists. This regime is out of control."

Speaking in Athlone after the naming of the Mary O'Rourke bridge last Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described Israel's interception of the flotilla, in international waters, as "not acceptable".

However Louise criticised what she felt was an inadequate response from the Irish Government and other European Governments.

"As Margaret (Connolly) said on RTÉ the other night, it's a little too late. Why did it take so long for a statement to be made? It's unbelievable that our Government tiptoes around a genocidal regime," said the Moate native.

"What the flotilla is doing is showing everybody exactly how much power Israel has amassed, and the eggshells that our own Government, and every Government, is walking on around them."

Louise is currently living in Dublin but said she hopes to move back to Moate in the future.

She is pursuing a PhD on 'Ethical AI Evaluation' from the University of Galway, but said she is currently not intending to accept the Doctorate because of links between the university and Israel.

"I want to say, to the University of Galway administration, I will not be accepting my PhD so long as you continue your ties to Israel," she said.

"I would call on the University of Galway students in Ireland to hold our university administration to account.

"If we do not accept our degrees, and do not accept to study in the university so long as they trade with Israel, and have partnerships with Israel, the university cannot operate. So the power is with the students."

Louise's family is still based in the Moate area and she said it was a relief to her mother, Mount Temple native Louise Slammon, that her daughter would be travelling on the same vessel as Margaret Connolly.

"My mother is very supportive. She is worried but she's very proud of me and she believes that what I'm doing is the right thing to do," Louise said.

"My mother sometimes opens up a page of the Bible to get a message, and she opened up the Bible to get a message to help me.

"When she opened it up, it was a chapter on perseverence and pushing through the next gate. And she said, 'Louise, I think you're supposed to keep going, you're not supposed to come home'."