Former Ladysmith resident and MP Jim Manly was in Israeli custody Monday after the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship he was on, the Estelle, was boarded in international waters north of Arish, Egypt, over the weekend.
The almost-80-year-old retired United Church minister was on the Estelle, along with several other international protestors, in an attempt to bring humanitarian supplies to civilians in Gaza.
“While he is in good health for his age, he is not as resilient as he was in his youth and has medication he needs to take daily,” Manly’s son, Paul, wrote in an e-mail to the media. “I hope that the Israeli Defence Forces respect his human rights and legal rights and treat him with the respect and dignity he deserves.”
The Estelle left Naples in early October and headed toward Gaza in an attempt to end the military blockade of Gaza.
On Monday, Paul wrote on the Gaza’s Ark website that he had heard that Canadian consular officials had seen his father and reported that “he is in good health and is receiving his daily medication but that he is very tired.”
