Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni spoke out against the Gaza-bound flotillaThursday evening during a meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations at UN headquarters in New York. The Kadima party chairwoman said, "Whoever wants to help civilians does not do so via serious and unnecessary provocations such as the scheduled flotilla. It's a provocation that's not intended to help anyone." She expressed her appreciation for Ban's comment that aid to Gaza must be delivered through land crossings and not via attempts to break the naval blockade on the Hamas-controlled area.
Regarding the Palestinian Authority's stated aim of declaring itself a sovereign state for UN recognition in September, Livni said, "Unilateral steps are not useful for either side." She said that activating negotiations can stop unilateral tendencies and be the proper solution at this time."